Vayigash 44:18 - 47:27

18Then Judah approached Joseph and said, "Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother?'

20And we answered, 'We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age. The boy's brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him.'

21Then you told your servants, 'Bring him down to me so that I can see him for myself.'

22So we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.'

23But you said to your servants, 'Unless your younger brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.'

24Now when we returned to your servant my father, we relayed your words to him.

25Then our father said, 'Go back and buy us some food.'

26But we answered, 'We cannot go down there unless our younger brother goes with us. So if our younger brother is not with us, we cannot see the man.'

27And your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28When one of them was gone, I said: "Surely he has been torn to pieces." And I have not seen him since. 29Now if you also take this one from me and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.'

30So if the boy is not with us when I return to your servant, and if my father, whose life is wrapped up in the boy's life, 31sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. 32Indeed, your servant guaranteed the boy's safety to my father, saying, 'If I do not return him to you, I will bear the guilt before you, my father, all my life.'

33Now please let your servant stay here as my lord's slave in place of the boy. Let him return with his brothers. 34For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the misery that would overwhelm him."

1Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Send everyone away from me!"

So none of them were with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2But he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household soon heard of it.

3Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?"

But they were unable to answer him, because they were terrified in his presence.

4Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come near me." And they did so.

"I am Joseph, your brother," he said, "the one you sold into Egypt! 5And now, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves that you sold me into this place, because it was to save lives that God sent me before you. 6For the famine has covered the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. 7God sent me before you to preserve you as a remnant on the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.a 8Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God, who has made me a father to Pharaoh-lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Joseph Sends for His Father

9Now return quickly to my father and tell him, 'This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me without delay. 10You shall settle in the land of Goshen and be near me-you and your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything you own. 11And there I will provide for you, because there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise, you and your household and everything you own will come to destitution.'

12Behold! You and my brother Benjamin can see that I, Joseph, am the one speaking with you. 13Tell my father about all my splendor in Egypt and everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly."

14Then Joseph threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin wept as they embraced. 15Joseph kissed each of his brothers as he wept over them. And afterward his brothers talked with him.

Pharaoh Invites Jacob to Egypt

16When the news reached Pharaoh's house that Joseph's brothers had come, Pharaoh and his servants were pleased.

17Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers, 'Do as follows: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan. 18Then bring your father and your families and return to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat from the fat of the land.' 19You are also directed to tell them: 'Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your young children and your wives, and bring your father and come back. 20But pay no regard to your belongings, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.' "

21So the sons of Israel did as they were told. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had instructed, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. 22He gave new garments to each of them, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silverb and five sets of clothes. 23And he sent to his father the following: ten donkeys loaded with the best of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and provisions for his father's journey.

24Then Joseph sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving, he said to them, "Do not quarrel on the way!"

The Revival of Jacob

25So the brothers went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26"Joseph is still alive," they said, "and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!"

But Jacob was stunned, for he did not believe them. 27However, when they relayed all that Joseph had told them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob was revived.

28"Enough!" declared Israel. "My son Joseph is still alive! I will go to see him before I die."

1So Israel set out with all that he had, and when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2And that night God spoke to Israel in a vision: "Jacob, Jacob!" He said.

"Here I am," replied Jacob.

3"I am God," He said, "the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will surely bring you back. And Joseph's own hands will close your eyes."

5Then Jacob departed from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him, along with their children and wives. 6They also took the livestock and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt.

Those Who Went to Egypt
(Exodus 1:1-7)

7Jacob took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, and his daughters and granddaughters-all his offspring.

The Children of Leah

8Now these are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn.

9The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

10The sons of Simeon: Jemuel,a Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar,b and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.

11The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.

The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.

13The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah,c Job,d and Shimron.

14The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

15These are the sons of Leah born to Jacob in Paddan-aram,e in addition to his daughter Dinah. The total number of sons and daughters was thirty-three.

The Children of Zilpah

16The sons of Gad: Ziphion,f Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi,g and Areli.

17The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.

The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.

18These are the sons of Jacob born to Zilpah-whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah-sixteen in all.

The Children of Rachel

19The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.

20Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.h

21The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

22These are the sons of Rachel born to Jacob-fourteen in all.

The Children of Bilhah

23The son of Dan: Hushim.

24The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

25These are the sons of Jacob born to Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel-seven in all.

26All those belonging to Jacob who came to Egypt-his direct descendants, besides the wives of Jacob's sons-numbered sixty-six persons. 27And with the two sonsi who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob's family who went to Egypt were seventyj in all.

Jacob Arrives in Egypt

28Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When Jacob's family arrived in the land of Goshen, 29Joseph prepared his chariot and went there to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, embraced him, and wept profusely.

30Then Israel said to Joseph, "Finally I can die, now that I have seen your face and know that you are still alive!"

31Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and inform Pharaoh: 'My brothers and my father's household from the land of Canaan have come to me. 32The men are shepherds; they raise livestock, and they have brought their flocks and herds and all that they own.'

33When Pharaoh summons you and asks, 'What is your occupation?' 34you are to say, 'Your servants have raised livestock ever since our youth-both we and our fathers.' Then you will be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen, since all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians."

1So Joseph went and told Pharaoh: "My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen."

2And he chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh.

3"What is your occupation?" Pharaoh asked Joseph's brothers.

"Your servants are shepherds," they replied, "both we and our fathers."

4Then they said to Pharaoh, "We have come to live in the land for a time, because there is no pasture for the flocks of your servants, since the famine in the land of Canaan has been severe. So now, please allow your servants to settle in the land of Goshen."

5Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Now that your father and brothers have come to you, 6the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and brothers in the best part of the land. They may dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know of any talented men among them, put them in charge of my own livestock."

7Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

8"How many years have you lived?" Pharaoh asked.

9"My travelsa have lasted 130 years," Jacob replied. "My years have been few and hard, and they have not matched the years of the travels of my fathers."

10Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and departed from his presence.

11So Joseph settled his father and brothers in the land of Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12Joseph also provided his father and brothers and all his father's household with food for their families.

The Famine Continues

13There was no food, however, in all that region, because the famine was so severe; the lands of Egypt and Canaan had been exhausted by the famine. 14Joseph collected all the money to be found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain they were buying, and he brought it into Pharaoh's palace. 15When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our funds have run out!"

16"Then bring me your livestock," said Joseph. "Since the money is gone, I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock." 17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their flocks and herds, and their donkeys. Throughout that year he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock.

18When that year was over, they came to him the second year and said, "We cannot hide from our lord that our money is gone and all our livestock belongs to you. There is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. 19Why should we perish before your eyes-we and our land as well? Purchase us and our land in exchange for food. Then we, along with our land, will be slaves to Pharaoh. Give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate."

20So Joseph acquired for Pharaoh all the land in Egypt; the Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields because the famine was so severe upon them. The land became Pharaoh's, 21and Joseph reduced the people to servitudeb from one end of Egypt to the other. 22However, he did not acquire the priests' portion of the land, for it had been given to them by Pharaoh. They ate the rations that Pharaoh supplied; so they did not sell their land.

23Then Joseph said to the people, "Now that I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh this day, here is seed for you to sow in the land. 24At harvest time, you are to give a fifth of it to Pharaoh, and four-fifths will be yours as seed for the field and food for yourselves and your households and children."

25"You have saved our lives," they said. "We have found favor in our lord's eyes, and we will be Pharaoh's servants." 26So Joseph established a law that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh, and it is in effect in the land of Egypt to this day. Only the priests' land does not belong to Pharaoh.

The Israelites Prosper in Goshen

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.