Vayechi 47:28-50:26

27Now the Israelites settled in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and became fruitful and increased greatly in number. 28And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, and the length of his life was 147 years.

29When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise to show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, 30but when I lie down with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me with them."

Joseph answered, "I will do as you have requested."

31"Swear to me," Jacob said.

So Joseph swore to him, and Israel bowed in worship at the head of his bed.c

1Some time later Joseph was told, "Your father is ill." So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to you," Israel rallied his strength and sat up in bed.

3Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almightya appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me 4and told me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you; I will make you a multitude of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.'

5And now your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6Any children born to you after them shall be yours, and they shall be called by the names of their brothers in the territory they inherit.

7Now as for me, when I was returning from Paddan,b to my sorrow Rachel died along the way in the land of Canaan, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath" (that is, Bethlehem).

8When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, "Who are these?"

9Joseph said to his father, "They are the sons God has given me in this place."

So Jacob said, "Please bring them to me, that I may bless them."

10Now Israel's eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly see. Joseph brought his sons to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.

11"I never expected to see your face again," Israel said to Joseph, "but now God has let me see your children as well."

12Then Joseph removed his sons from his father's knees and bowed facedown.

13And Joseph took both of them-with Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand-and brought them close to him. 14But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger; and crossing his hands, he put his left on Manasseh's head, although Manasseh was the firstborn. 15Then he blessed Joseph and said:

"May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,

the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,

16the angelc who has redeemed me from all harm-

may He bless these boys.

And may they be called by my name

and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,

and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth."

17When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim's head, he was displeased and took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's. 18"Not so, my father!" Joseph said. "This one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head."

19But his father refused. "I know, my son, I know!" he said. "He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great; nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations."

20So that day Jacob blessed them and said:

"By you shall Israel pronounce this blessing:

'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.' "

So he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

21Then Israel said to Joseph, "Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22And to you, as one who is above your brothers, I give the ridge of landd that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow."

1Then Jacob called for his sons and said, "Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come:

2Come together and listen, O sons of Jacob;

listen to your father Israel.

3Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might,

and the beginning of my strength,

excelling in honor,

excelling in power.

4Uncontrolled as the waters,

you will no longer excel,

because you went up to your father's bed,

onto my couch, and defiled it.

5Simeon and Levi are brothers;

their swordsa are weapons of violence.

6May I never enter their council;

may I never join their assembly.

For they kill men in their anger,

and hamstring oxen on a whim.

7Cursed be their anger, for it is strong,

and their wrath, for it is cruel!

I will disperse them in Jacob

and scatter them in Israel.

8Judah,b your brothers shall praise you.

Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies;

your father's sons shall bow down to you.

9Judah is a young lion-

my son, you return from the prey.

Like a lion he crouches and lies down;

like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?

10The scepter will not depart from Judah,

nor the staff from between his feet,c

until Shilohd comes

and the allegiance of the nations is his.

11He ties his donkey to the vine,

his colt to the choicest branch.

He washes his garments in wine,

his robes in the blood of grapes.

12His eyes are darker than wine,

and his teeth are whiter than milk.

13Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore

and become a harbor for ships;

his border shall extend to Sidon.

14Issachar is a strong donkey,

lying down between the sheepfolds.e

15He saw that his resting place was good

and that his land was pleasant,

so he bent his shoulder to the burden

and submitted to labor as a servant.

16Dan shall provide justice for his peoplef

as one of the tribes of Israel.

17He will be a snake by the road,

a viper in the path

that bites the horse's heels

so that its rider tumbles backward.

18I await Your salvation, O LORD.

19Gadg will be attacked by raiders,

but he will attack their heels.

20Asher's food will be rich;

he shall provide royal delicacies.

21Naphtali is a doe set free

that bears beautiful fawns.h

22Joseph is a fruitful vine-

a fruitful vine by a spring,

whose branches scale the wall.i

23The archers attacked him with bitterness;

they aimed at him in hostility.

24Yet he steadied his bow,

and his strong arms were tempered

by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,

in the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

25by the God of your father who helps you,

and by the Almightyj who blesses you,

with blessings of the heavens above,

with blessings of the depths below,

with blessings of the breasts and womb.

26The blessings of your father have surpassed

the blessings of the ancient mountainsk

and the bounty of the everlasting hills.

May they rest on the head of Joseph,

on the brow of the prince of his brothers.

27Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;

in the morning he devours the prey,

in the evening he divides the plunder."

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

The Death of Jacob

29Then Jacob instructed them, "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. 30The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. 31There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah are buried, and there I buried Leah. 32The field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites."

33When Jacob had finished instructing his sons, he pulled his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and he was gathered to his people.

1Then Joseph fell upon his father's face, wept over him, and kissed him.

2And Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So they embalmed him, 3taking the forty days required to complete the embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

4When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh's court, "If I have found favor in your eyes, please tell Pharaoh that 5my father made me swear an oath when he said, 'I am about to die. You must bury me in the tomb that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.' Now let me go and bury my father, and then return."

6Pharaoh replied, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do."

7Then Joseph went to bury his father, and all the servants of Pharaoh accompanied him-the elders of Pharaoh's household and all the elders of the land of Egypt- 8along with all of Joseph's household, and his brothers, and his father's household. Only their children and flocks and herds were left in Goshen.

9Chariots and horsemen alike went up with him, and it was an exceedingly large procession. 10When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, which is across the Jordan, they lamented and wailed loudly, and Joseph mourned for his father seven days.

11When the Canaanites of the land saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "This is a solemn ceremony of mourning by the Egyptians." Thus the place across the Jordan is called Abel-mizraim.a

12So Jacob's sons did as he had charged them. 13They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah in the field near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.

14After Joseph had buried his father, he returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone with him to bury his father.

Joseph Comforts His Brothers

15When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph bears a grudge? Then he will surely repay us for all the evil that we did to him."

16So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Before he died, your father commanded, 17'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I beg you, please forgive the transgression and sin of your brothers, for they did you wrong.' So now, Joseph, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father."

When their message came to him, Joseph wept. 18His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, "We are your slaves!"

19But Joseph replied, "Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this-to preserve the lives of many people. 21Therefore do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones." So Joseph reassured his brothers and spoke kindly to them.

The Death of Joseph

22Now Joseph and his father's household remained in Egypt, and Joseph lived to the age of 110. 23He saw Ephraim's sons to the third generation, and indeed the sons of Machir son of Manasseh were brought upb on Joseph's knees.

24Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." 25And Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath and said, "God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones up from this place."

26So Joseph died at the age of 110. And they embalmed his body and placed it in a coffin in Egypt.