Genesis 44-49

Christian Standard Bible Anglicised

Joseph’s Final Test

44 Joseph commanded his steward, ‘Fill the men’s bags with as much food as they can carry, and put each one’s silver at the top of his bag.^{(A) 2} Put my cup, the silver one, at the top of the youngest one’s bag, along with the silver for his grain.’ So he did as Joseph told him.

³ At morning light, the men were sent off with their donkeys. ⁴ They had not gone very far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, ‘Get up. Pursue the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, “Why have you repaid evil for good? ⁵ Isn’t this the cup that my master drinks from and uses for divination?^(B) What you have done is wrong! ” ’

⁶ When he overtook them, he said these words to them. ⁷ They said to him, ‘Why does my lord say these things? Your servants could not possibly do such a thing. ⁸ We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found at the top of our bags. How could we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? ⁹ If it is found with one of us, your servants, he must die, and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.’^(C)

¹⁰ The steward replied, ‘What you have said is right, but only the one who is found to have it will be my slave, and the rest of you will be blameless.’

¹¹ So each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. ¹² The steward searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. ¹³ Then they tore their clothes,^(D) and each one loaded his donkey and returned to the city.

¹⁴ When Judah and his brothers reached Joseph’s house, he was still there. They fell to the ground before him.^{(E) 15} ‘What have you done? ’ Joseph said to them. ‘Didn’t you know that a man like me could uncover the truth by divination? ’

¹⁶ ‘What can we say to my lord? ’ Judah replied. ‘How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed your servants’ iniquity. We are now my lord’s slaves – both we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.’

¹⁷ Then Joseph said, ‘I swear that I will not do this. The man in whose possession the cup was found will be my slave. The rest of you can go in peace to your father.’

Judah’s Plea for Benjamin

¹⁸ But Judah approached him and said, ‘My lord, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh.^{(F) 19} My lord asked his servants, “Do you have a father or a brother? ” ²⁰ and we answered my lord, “We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age.^(G) The boy’s brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.” ²¹ Then you said to your servants, “Bring him to me so that I can see him.”^{(H) 22} But we said to my lord, “The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.” ²³ Then you said to your servants, “If your younger brother does not come down with you, you will not see me again.”^(I)

²⁴ ‘This is what happened when we went back to your servant my father: we reported to him the words of my lord. ²⁵ But our father said, “Go again, and buy us a little food.”^{(J) 26} We told him, “We cannot go down unless our younger brother goes with us. If our younger brother isn’t with us, we cannot see the man.” ²⁷ Your servant my father said to us, “You know that my wife bore me two sons. ²⁸ One is gone from me – I said he must have been torn to pieces – and I have never seen him again.^{(K) 29} If you also take this one from me and anything happens to him, you will bring my grey hairs down to Sheol in sorrow.”^(L)

³⁰ ‘So if I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us – his life is wrapped up with the boy’s life –  ³¹ when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the grey hairs of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. ³² Your servant became accountable to my father for the boy, saying, “If I do not return him to you, I will always bear the guilt for sinning against you, my father.”^{(M) 33} Now please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave, in place of the boy. Let him go back with his brothers. ³⁴ For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the grief that would overwhelm my father.’

Joseph Reveals His Identity

45 Joseph could no longer keep his composure in front of all his attendants,^[a] so he called out, ‘Send everyone away from me! ’ No one was with him when he revealed his identity to his brothers.^{(N) 2} But he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and also Pharaoh’s household heard it. ³ Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph! Is my father still living? ’ But they could not answer him because they were terrified in his presence.

⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Please, come near me,’ and they came near. ‘I am Joseph, your brother,’ he said, ‘the one you sold into Egypt.^{(O) 5} And now don’t be grieved or angry with yourselves for selling me here, because God sent me ahead of you to preserve life.^{(P) 6} For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there will be five more years without ploughing or harvesting. ⁷ God sent me ahead of you to establish you as a remnant within the land and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.^{[b] 8} Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

⁹ ‘Return quickly to my father and say to him, “This is what your son Joseph says: ‘God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me without delay. ¹⁰ You can settle in the land of Goshen^(Q) and be near me – you, your children, and your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and all you have. ¹¹ There I will sustain you, for there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise, you, your household, and everything you have will become destitute.’ ”^{(R) 12} Look! Your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin can see that I’m^[c] the one speaking to you. ¹³ Tell my father about all my glory in Egypt and about all you have seen. And bring my father here quickly.’^(S)

¹⁴ Then Joseph threw his arms round his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept on his shoulder. ¹⁵ Joseph kissed each of his brothers as he wept,^[d] and afterwards his brothers talked with him.

The Return for Jacob

¹⁶ When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace, ‘Joseph’s brothers have come,’ Pharaoh and his servants were pleased. ¹⁷ Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Tell your brothers, “Do this: load your animals and go on back to the land of Canaan. ¹⁸ Get your father and your families, and come back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you can eat from the richness of the land.” ¹⁹ You are also commanded to tell them, “Do this: take carts from the land of Egypt for your dependents and your wives and bring your father here.^{(T) 20} Do not be concerned about your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.” ’^(U)

²¹ The sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts as Pharaoh had commanded, and he gave them provisions for the journey. ²² He gave each of the brothers changes of clothes,^(V) but he gave Benjamin three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothes.^{(W) 23} He sent his father the following: ten donkeys carrying the best products of Egypt and ten female donkeys carrying grain, food, and provisions for his father on the journey. ²⁴ So Joseph sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving, he said to them, ‘Don’t argue^[e] on the way.’

²⁵ So they went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. ²⁶ They said, ‘Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt! ’ Jacob was stunned,^[f] for he did not believe them. ²⁷ But when they told Jacob all that Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts that Joseph had sent to transport him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.

²⁸ Then Israel said, ‘Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go to see him before I die.’

Jacob Leaves for Egypt

46 Israel set out with all that he had and came to Beer-sheba,^(X) and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. ² That night God spoke to Israel in a vision:^(Y) ‘Jacob, Jacob! ’ he said.

And Jacob replied, ‘Here I am.’

³ God said, ‘I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.^{(Z) 4} I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you back.^(AA) Joseph will close your eyes when you die.’^[g](AB)

⁵ Jacob left Beer-sheba. The sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the carts Pharaoh had sent to carry him,^(AC) along with their dependents and their wives. ⁶ They also took their cattle and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan. Then Jacob and all his offspring with him came to Egypt.^{(AD) 7} His sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters, indeed all his offspring, he brought with him to Egypt.

Jacob’s Family

⁸ These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt^(AE) – Jacob and his sons:

Jacob Arrives in Egypt

²⁸ Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to prepare for his arrival^[o] at Goshen.^(AP) When they came to the land of Goshen, ²⁹ Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, threw his arms round him, and wept for a long time.^(AQ)

³⁰ Then Israel said to Joseph, ‘I’m ready to die now because I have seen your face and you are still alive! ’

³¹ Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s family, ‘I will go up and inform Pharaoh, telling him, “My brothers and my father’s family, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.^{(AR) 32} The men are shepherds; they also raise livestock. They have brought their flocks and herds and all that they have.” ³³ When Pharaoh addresses you and asks, “What is your occupation? ” ³⁴ you are to say, “Your servants, both we and our ancestors, have raised livestock^[p] from our youth until now.” Then you will be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen, since all shepherds are detestable to Egyptians.’^(AS)

Pharaoh Welcomes Jacob

47 So Joseph went and informed Pharaoh: ‘My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in the land of Goshen.’^(AT)

² He took five of his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.^{(AU) 3} And Pharaoh asked his brothers, ‘What is your occupation? ’

They said to Pharaoh, ‘Your servants, both we and our ancestors, are shepherds.’^{(AV) 4} And they said to Pharaoh, ‘We have come to stay in the land for a while because there is no grazing land for your servants’ sheep, since the famine in the land of Canaan has been severe.^(AW) So now, please let your servants settle in the land of Goshen.’

⁵ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Now that your father and brothers have come to you, ⁶ the land of Egypt is open before you; settle your father and brothers in the best part of the land.^(AX) They can live in the land of Goshen. If you know of any capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.’^(AY)

⁷ Joseph then brought his father Jacob and presented him to Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. ⁸ Pharaoh said to Jacob, ‘How many years have you lived? ’

⁹ Jacob said to Pharaoh, ‘My pilgrimage^(AZ) has lasted for 130 years. My years have been few and hard,^(BA) and they have not reached the years of my ancestors during their pilgrimages.’^{(BB) 10} So Jacob blessed Pharaoh and departed from Pharaoh’s presence.

¹¹ Then Joseph settled his father and brothers in the land of Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the land of Rameses,^(BC) as Pharaoh had commanded. ¹² And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s family with food for their dependents.^(BD)

The Land Becomes Pharaoh’s

¹³ But there was no food in the entire region, for the famine was very severe. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan were exhausted by the famine. ¹⁴ Joseph collected all the silver to be found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain they were purchasing, and he brought the silver to Pharaoh’s palace.^{(BE) 15} When the silver from the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, ‘Give us food. Why should we die here in front of you? The silver is gone! ’

¹⁶ But Joseph said, ‘Give me your livestock. Since the silver is gone, I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.’ ¹⁷ So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks of sheep, the herds of cattle, and the donkeys. That year he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock.

¹⁸ When that year was over, they came the next year and said to him, ‘We cannot hide from our lord that the silver is gone and that all our livestock belongs to our lord. There is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. ¹⁹ Why should we die here in front of you – both us and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food. Then we with our land will become Pharaoh’s slaves. Give us seed so that we can live and not die, and so that the land won’t become desolate.’

²⁰ In this way, Joseph acquired all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh, because every Egyptian sold his field since the famine was so severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, ²¹ and Joseph made the people servants^[q] from one end of Egypt to the other. ²² The only land he did not acquire belonged to the priests, for they had an allowance from Pharaoh. They ate from their allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land.

²³ Joseph said to the people, ‘Understand today that I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you. Sow it in the land. ²⁴ At harvest, you are to give a fifth of it to Pharaoh,^(BF) and four-fifths will be yours as seed for the field and as food for yourselves, your households, and your dependents.’

²⁵ ‘You have saved our lives,’ they said. ‘We have found favour with our lord and will be Pharaoh’s slaves.’ ²⁶ So Joseph made it a law, still in effect today in the land of Egypt, that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. Only the priests’ land does not belong to Pharaoh.

Israel Settles in Goshen

²⁷ Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property in it and became fruitful and very numerous.^{(BG) 28} Now Jacob lived in the land of Egypt for 17 years, and his lifespan was 147 years. ²⁹ When the time approached for him to die,^(BH) he called his son Joseph and said to him, ‘If I have found favour with you, put your hand under my thigh^(BI) and promise me that you will deal with me in kindness and faithfulness.^(BJ) Do not bury me in Egypt. ³⁰ When I rest with my ancestors, carry me away from Egypt and bury me in their burial place.’^(BK)

Joseph answered, ‘I will do what you have asked.’

³¹ And Jacob said, ‘Swear to me.’ So Joseph swore to him. Then Israel bowed in thanks at the head of his bed.^[r](BL)

Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

48 Some time after this, Joseph was told, ‘Your father is weaker.’ So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. ² When Jacob was told, ‘Your son Joseph has come to you,’ Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.

³ Jacob said to Joseph, ‘God Almighty^(BM) appeared to me at Luz^(BN) in the land of Canaan and blessed me. ⁴ He said to me, “I will make you fruitful and numerous; I will make many nations come from you, and I will give this land as a permanent possession^(BO) to your future descendants.”^{(BP) 5} Your two sons^(BQ) born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt are now mine.^(BR) Ephraim and Manasseh belong to me just as Reuben and Simeon do. ⁶ Children born to you after them will be yours and will be recorded under the names of their brothers with regard to their inheritance. ⁷ When I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way,^(BS) some distance from Ephrath in the land of Canaan. I buried her there along the way to Ephrath’ (that is, Bethlehem).

⁸ When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, ‘Who are these? ’

⁹ And Joseph said to his father, ‘They are my sons God has given me here.’

So Israel said, ‘Bring them to me and I will bless them.’^{(BT) 10} Now his eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly^[s] see.^(BU) Joseph brought them to him, and he kissed and embraced them.^{(BV) 11} Israel said to Joseph, ‘I never expected to see your face again, but now God has even let me see your offspring.’ ¹² Then Joseph took them from his father’s knees and bowed with his face to the ground.^(BW)

Ephraim’s Greater Blessing

¹³ Then Joseph took them both – with his right hand Ephraim towards Israel’s left, and with his left hand Manasseh towards Israel’s right – and brought them to Israel. ¹⁴ But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger, and crossing his hands, put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn.^{(BX) 15} Then he blessed Joseph and said:

¹⁷ When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he thought it was a mistake^[t] and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s. ¹⁸ Joseph said to his father, ‘Not that way, my father! This one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.’

¹⁹ But his father refused and said, ‘I know, my son, I know! He too will become a tribe,^[u] and he too will be great; nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his offspring will become a populous nation.’^{[v] 20} So he blessed them that day, putting Ephraim before Manasseh when he said, ‘The nation Israel will invoke blessings by you, saying, “May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.” ’

²¹ Israel said to Joseph, ‘Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.^{(CC) 22} Over and above what I am giving your brothers, I am giving you the one mountain slope^[w] that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.’^(CD)

Jacob’s Last Words

49 Then Jacob called his sons and said, ‘Gather round, and I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.^[x](CE)

²⁸ These are the tribes of Israel, twelve in all, and this is what their father said to them. He blessed them, and he blessed each one with a suitable blessing.

Jacob’s Burial Instructions

²⁹ Then he commanded them, ‘I am about to be gathered to my people.^(DA) Bury me with my ancestors^(DB) in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hethite.^{(DC) 30} The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hethite as burial property.^{(DD) 31} Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried there,^(DE) Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried there,^(DF) and I buried Leah there.^{(DG) 32} The field and the cave in it were purchased from the Hethites.’ ³³ When Jacob had finished giving charges to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, took his last breath, and was gathered to his people.