Dinah and the Shechemites
1Now Dinah,a the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. 2When Shechemb son of Hamorc the Hivite,d the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and raped her.e 3His heart was drawn to Dinahf daughter of Jacob;g he lovedh the young woman and spoke tenderlyi to her. 4And Shechem said to his father Hamor, “Get me this girl as my wife.”j
5When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled,k his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he did nothing about it until they came home.
6Then Shechem’s father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob.l 7Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shockedm and furious,n because Shechem had done an outrageous thing in1 Israelo by sleeping with Jacob’s daughter—a thing that should not be done.p
8But Hamor said to them, “My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife.q 9Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves.r 10You can settle among us;s the land is open to you.t Live in it, trade2 in it,u and acquire property in it.v”
11Then Shechem said to Dinah’s father and brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes,w and I will give you whatever you ask. 12Make the price for the bridex and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I’ll pay whatever you ask me. Only give me the young woman as my wife.”
13Because their sister Dinah had been defiled,y Jacob’s sons replied deceitfullyz as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. 14They said to them, “We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised.a That would be a disgrace to us. 15We will enter into an agreement with you on one conditionb only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males.c 16Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves.d We’ll settle among you and become one people with you.e 17But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we’ll take our sister and go.”
18Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19The young man, who was the most honoredf of all his father’s family, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter.g 20So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their cityh to speak to the men of their city. 21“These men are friendly toward us,” they said. “Let them live in our land and trade in it;i the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours.j 22But the men will agree to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised,k as they themselves are. 23Won’t their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours?l So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us.m”
24All the men who went out of the city gaten agreed with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was circumcised.
25Three days later, while all of them were still in pain,o two of Jacob’s sons, Simeonp and Levi,q Dinah’s brothers, took their swordsr and attacked the unsuspecting city,s killing every male.t 26They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the swordu and took Dinahv from Shechem’s house and left. 27The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the cityw where3 their sister had been defiled.x 28They seized their flocks and herds and donkeysy and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields.z 29They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children,a taking as plunderb everything in the houses.c
30Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought troubled on me by making me obnoxiouse to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land.f We are few in number,g and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.”
31But they replied, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?h”
Jacob Returns to Bethel
1Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethela and settle there, and build an altarb there to God,c who appeared to youd when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”e
2So Jacob said to his householdf and to all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign godsg you have with you, and purify yourselves and change your clothes.h 3Then come, let us go up to Bethel, where I will build an altar to God,i who answered me in the day of my distressj and who has been with me wherever I have gone.k” 4So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had and the rings in their ears,l and Jacob buried them under the oakm at Shechem.n 5Then they set out, and the terror of Godo fell on the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.p
6Jacob and all the people with him came to Luzq (that is, Bethel) in the land of Canaan.r 7There he built an altar,s and he called the place El Bethel,1t because it was there that God revealed himself to himu when he was fleeing from his brother.v
8Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse,w died and was buried under the oakx outside Bethel.y So it was named Allon Bakuth.2
9After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram,3z God appeared to him again and blessed him.a 10God said to him, “Your name is Jacob,4 but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.5”b So he named him Israel.
11And God said to him, “I am God Almighty6;c be fruitful and increase in number.d A natione and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants.f 12The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.g”h 13Then God went up from himi at the place where he had talked with him.
14Jacob set up a stone pillarj at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offeringk on it; he also poured oil on it.l 15Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.7m
The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac
35:23-26pp — 1Ch 2:1–2
16Then they moved on from Bethel. While they were still some distance from Ephrath,n Rachelo began to give birth and had great difficulty. 17And as she was having great difficulty in childbirth, the midwifep said to her, “Don’t despair, for you have another son.”q 18As she breathed her last—for she was dying—she named her son Ben-Oni.8r But his father named him Benjamin.9s
19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephratht (that is, Bethlehemu). 20Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this dayv that pillar marks Rachel’s tomb.w
21Israel moved on again and pitched his tent beyond Migdal Eder.x 22While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubiney Bilhah,z and Israel heard of it.
Jacob had twelve sons:
23The sons of Leah:a
Reuben the firstbornb of Jacob,
Simeon, Levi, Judah,c Issachar and Zebulun.d
24The sons of Rachel:
25The sons of Rachel’s servant Bilhah:g
Dan and Naphtali.h
26The sons of Leah’s servant Zilpah:i
These were the sons of Jacob,l who were born to him in Paddan Aram.m
27Jacob came home to his father Isaacn in Mamre,o near Kiriath Arbap (that is, Hebron),q where Abraham and Isaac had stayed.r 28Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years.s 29Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people,t old and full of years.u And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.v
Esau’s Descendants
36:10-14pp — 1Ch 1:35–37
36:20-28pp — 1Ch 1:38–42
1This is the accounta of the family line of Esau (that is, Edom).b
2Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan:c Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite,d and Oholibamahe daughter of Anahf and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hiviteg— 3also Basemathh daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth.i
4Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, Basemath bore Reuel,j 5and Oholibamah bore Jeush, Jalam and Korah.k These were the sons of Esau, who were born to him in Canaan.
6Esau took his wives and sons and daughters and all the members of his household, as well as his livestock and all his other animals and all the goods he had acquired in Canaan,l and moved to a land some distance from his brother Jacob.m 7Their possessions were too great for them to remain together; the land where they were staying could not support them both because of their livestock.n 8So Esauo (that is, Edom)p settled in the hill country of Seir.q
9This is the accountr of the family line of Esau the father of the Edomitess in the hill country of Seir.
10These are the names of Esau’s sons:
Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah, and Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath.t
11The sons of Eliphaz:u
Teman,v Omar, Zepho, Gatam and Kenaz.w
12Esau’s son Eliphaz also had a concubinex named Timna, who bore him Amalek.y These were grandsons of Esau’s wife Adah.z
13The sons of Reuel:
Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.a
14The sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamahb daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon, whom she bore to Esau:
Jeush, Jalam and Korah.c
15These were the chiefsd among Esau’s descendants:
The sons of Eliphaz the firstborn of Esau:
Chiefs Teman,e Omar, Zepho, Kenaz,f 16Korah,1 Gatam and Amalek. These were the chiefs descended from Eliphazg in Edom;h they were grandsons of Adah.i
17The sons of Esau’s son Reuel:j
Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah and Mizzah. These were the chiefs descended from Reuel in Edom; they were grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.k
18The sons of Esau’s wife Oholibamah:l
Chiefs Jeush, Jalam and Korah.m These were the chiefs descended from Esau’s wife Oholibamah daughter of Anah.
19These were the sons of Esaun (that is, Edom),o and these were their chiefs.p
20These were the sons of Seir the Horite,q who were living in the region:
Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,r 21Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These sons of Seir in Edom were Horite chiefs.s
22The sons of Lotan:
Hori and Homam.2 Timna was Lotan’s sister.
23The sons of Shobal:
Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho and Onam.
24The sons of Zibeon:t
Aiah and Anah. This is the Anah who discovered the hot springs3u in the desert while he was grazing the donkeysv of his father Zibeon.
25The children of Anah:w
Dishon and Oholibamahx daughter of Anah.
26The sons of Dishon4:
Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran and Keran.
27The sons of Ezer:
Bilhan, Zaavan and Akan.
28The sons of Dishan:
Uz and Aran.
29These were the Horite chiefs:
Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah,y 30Dishon, Ezer and Dishan. These were the Horite chiefs,z according to their divisions, in the land of Seir.
The Rulers of Edom
36:31-43pp — 1Ch 1:43–54
31These were the kings who reigned in Edom before any Israelite kinga reigned:
32Bela son of Beor became king of Edom. His city was named Dinhabah.
33When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrahb succeeded him as king.
34When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanitesc succeeded him as king.
35When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midiand in the country of Moab,e succeeded him as king. His city was named Avith.
36When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah succeeded him as king.
37When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehobothf on the river succeeded him as king.
38When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Akbor succeeded him as king.
39When Baal-Hanan son of Akbor died, Hadad5 succeeded him as king. His city was named Pau, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me-Zahab.
40These were the chiefsg descended from Esau, by name, according to their clans and regions:
Timna, Alvah, Jetheth, 41Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 42Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 43Magdiel and Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their settlements in the land they occupied.
This is the family line of Esau, the father of the Edomites.h
Joseph’s Dreams
1Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed,a the land of Canaan.b
2This is the accountc of Jacob’s family line.
Joseph,d a young man of seventeen,e was tending the flocksf with his brothers, the sons of Bilhahg and the sons of Zilpah,h his father’s wives, and he brought their father a bad reporti about them.
3Now Israelj loved Joseph more than any of his other sons,k because he had been born to him in his old age;l and he made an ornate1 robem for him.n 4When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated himo and could not speak a kind word to him. Photo
5Joseph had a dream,p and when he told it to his brothers,q they hated him all the more.r 6He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7We were binding sheavess of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.”t
8His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?”u And they hated him all the morev because of his dream and what he had said.
9Then he had another dream,w and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven starsx were bowing down to me.”y
10When he told his father as well as his brothers,z his father rebukeda him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?”b 11His brothers were jealous of him,c but his father kept the matter in mind.d
Joseph Sold by His Brothers
12Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem,e 13and Israelf said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem.g Come, I am going to send you to them.”
“Very well,” he replied.
14So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothersh and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.i
When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
16He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”
17“They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.j’ ”
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. 18But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.k
19“Here comes that dreamer!l” they said to each other. 20“Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisternsm and say that a ferocious animaln devoured him.o Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”p
21When Reubenq heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.r 22“Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cisterns here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.t
23So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robeu he was wearing— 24and they took him and threw him into the cistern.v The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.
25As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelitesw coming from Gilead.x Their camels were loaded with spices, balmy and myrrh,z and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.a
26Judahb said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?c 27Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother,d our own flesh and blood.e” His brothers agreed.
28So when the Midianitef merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cisterng and soldh him for twenty shekels2 of silveri to the Ishmaelites,j who took him to Egypt.k
29When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.l 30He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”m
31Then they got Joseph’s robe,n slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.o 32They took the ornate robep back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”
33He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animalq has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.”r
34Then Jacob tore his clothes,s put on sackclotht and mourned for his son many days.u 35All his sons and daughters came to comfort him,v but he refused to be comforted.w “No,” he said, “I will continue to mourn until I join my sonx in the grave.y” So his father wept for him.
36Meanwhile, the Midianites3z sold Josepha in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.b
Judah and Tamar
1At that time, Judaha left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullamb named Hirah.c 2There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua.d He married her and made love to her; 3she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er.e 4She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan.f 5She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah.g It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.
6Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.h 7But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD’s sight;i so the LORD put him to death.j
8Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.”k 9But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 10What he did was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death also.l
11Judah then said to his daughter-in-lawm Tamar,n “Live as a widow in your father’s householdo until my son Shelahp grows up.”q For he thought, “He may die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s household.
12After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua,r died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah,s to the men who were shearing his sheep,t and his friend Hirah the Adullamiteu went with him.
13When Tamarv was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,”w 14she took off her widow’s clothes,x covered herself with a veily to disguise herself, and then sat downz at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.a For she saw that, though Shelahb had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.
15When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute,c for she had covered her face. 16Not realizingd that she was his daughter-in-law,e he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”f
“And what will you give me to sleep with you?”g she asked.
17“I’ll send you a young goath from my flock,” he said.
“Will you give me something as a pledgei until you send it?” she asked.
18He said, “What pledge should I give you?”
“Your sealj and its cord, and the staffk in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.l 19After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothesm again.
20Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamiten in order to get his pledgeo back from the woman, but he did not find her. 21He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitutep who was beside the road at Enaim?”
“There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here,” they said.
22So he went back to Judah and said, “I didn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, ‘There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here.’ ”
23Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has,q or we will become a laughingstock.r After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.”
24About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”
Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”s
25As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”t
26Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I,u since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.v” And he did not sleep with her again.
27When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb.w 28As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwifex took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wristy and said, “This one came out first.” 29But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out,z and she said, “So this is how you have broken out!” And he was named Perez.1a 30Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist,b came out. And he was named Zerah.2c
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife
1Now Josepha had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard,b bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.c
2The LORD was with Josephd so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3When his master saw that the LORD was with hime and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did,f 4Joseph found favor in his eyesg and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household,h and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.i 5From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the householdj of the Egyptian because of Joseph.k The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.l 6So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care;m with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.
Now Joseph was well-built and handsome,n 7and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”o
8But he refused.p “With me in charge,” he told her, “my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care.q 9No one is greater in this house than I am.r My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”s 10And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refusedt to go to bed with her or even be with her.
11One day he went into the house to attend to his duties,u and none of the household servantsv was inside. 12She caught him by his cloakw and said, “Come to bed with me!”x But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.y
13When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, 14she called her household servants.z “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrewa has been brought to us to make sport of us!b He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed.c 15When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”d
16She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17Then she told him this story:e “That Hebrewf slaveg you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.”
19When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger.h 20Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison,i the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.
But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21the LORD was with him;j he showed him kindnessk and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.l 22So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there.m 23The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’sn care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.o
The Cupbearer and the Baker
1Some time later, the cupbearera and the bakerb of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2Pharaoh was angryc with his two officials,d the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard,e in the same prison where Joseph was confined. 4The captain of the guardf assigned them to Joseph,g and he attended them.
After they had been in custodyh for some time, 5each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dreami the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.j
6When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. 7So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custodyk with him in his master’s house, “Why do you look so sad today?”l
8“We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.”m
Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God?n Tell me your dreams.”
9So the chief cupbearero told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, 10and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed,p and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.”
12“This is what it means,q” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days.r 13Within three dayss Pharaoh will lift up your headt and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer.u 14But when all goes well with you, remember mev and show me kindness;w mention me to Pharaohx and get me out of this prison. 15I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews,y and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.”z
16When the chief bakera saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation,b he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three basketsc of bread.1 17In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.”
18“This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days.d 19Within three dayse Pharaoh will lift off your headf and impale your body on a pole.g And the birds will eat away your flesh.”h
20Now the third dayi was Pharaoh’s birthday,j and he gave a feast for all his officials.k He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief bakerl in the presence of his officials: 21He restored the chief cupbearerm to his position,n so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hando— 22but he impaled the chief baker,p just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.q
23The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him.r
Pharaoh’s Dreams
1When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream:a He was standing by the Nile,b 2when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat,c and they grazed among the reeds.d 3After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. 4And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.e
5He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain,f healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. 6After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind.g 7The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up;h it had been a dream.
8In the morning his mind was troubled,i so he sent for all the magiciansj and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.k
9Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am reminded of my shortcomings.l 10Pharaoh was once angry with his servants,m and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard.n 11Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.o 12Now a young Hebrewp was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard.q We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream.r 13And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.s”
14So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon.t When he had shavedu and changed his clothes,v he came before Pharaoh.
15Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it.w But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”x
16“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”y
17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,z 18when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.a 19After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. 20The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. 21But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.
22“In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. 23After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. 24The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.b”
25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same.c God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do.d 26The seven good cowse are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. 27The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.f
28“It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.g 29Seven years of great abundanceh are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30but seven years of faminei will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land.j 31The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. 32The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decidedk by God, and God will do it soon.l
33“And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise manm and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.n 34Let Pharaoh appoint commissionerso over the land to take a fifthp of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.q 35They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food.r 36This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt,s so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”
37The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.t 38So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God1?”u
39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you,v there is no one so discerning and wise as you.w 40You shall be in charge of my palace,x and all my people are to submit to your orders.y Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.z”
Joseph in Charge of Egypt
41So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”a 42Then Pharaoh took his signet ringb from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robesc of fine linend and put a gold chain around his neck.e 43He had him ride in a chariotf as his second-in-command,2g and people shouted before him, “Make way3!”h Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.i
44Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.”j 45Pharaoh gave Josephk the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priestl of On,4m to be his wife.n And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
46Joseph was thirty years oldo when he entered the servicep of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. 47During the seven years of abundanceq the land produced plentifully. 48Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities.r In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. 49Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea;s it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.
50Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.t 51Joseph named his firstbornu Manasseh5v and said, “It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” 52The second son he named Ephraim6w and said, “It is because God has made me fruitfulx in the land of my suffering.”
53The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, 54and the seven years of faminey began,z just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 55When all Egypt began to feel the famine,a the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”b
56When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians,c for the famined was severe throughout Egypt.e 57And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph,f because the famine was severe everywhere.g
Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt
1When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt,a he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” 2He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us,b so that we may live and not die.”c
3Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy graind from Egypt. 4But Jacob did not send Benjamin,e Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him.f 5So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain,g for there was famine in the land of Canaanh also.i
6Now Joseph was the governor of the land,j the person who sold grain to all its people.k So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.l 7As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them.m “Where do you come from?”n he asked.
“From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”
8Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.o 9Then he remembered his dreamsp about them and said to them, “You are spies!q You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”r
10“No, my lord,s” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food.t 11We are all the sons of one man. Your servantsu are honest men,v not spies.w”
12“No!” he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”x
13But they replied, “Your servantsy were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan.z The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”a
14Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies!b 15And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives,c you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.d 16Send one of your number to get your brother;e the rest of you will be kept in prison,f so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth.g If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!h” 17And he put them all in custodyi for three days.
18On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God:j 19If you are honest men,k let one of your brothers stay here in prison,l while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households.m 20But you must bring your youngest brother to me,n so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do.
21They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother.o We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distressp has come on us.”
22Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy?q But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accountingr for his blood.”s 23They did not realizet that Joseph could understand them,u since he was using an interpreter.
24He turned away from them and began to weep,v but then came back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.w
25Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain,x to put each man’s silver back in his sack,y and to give them provisionsz for their journey.a After this was done for them, 26they loaded their grain on their donkeysb and left.
27At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey,c and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack.d 28“My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.”
Their hearts sanke and they turned to each other tremblingf and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”g
29When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan,h they told him all that had happened to them.i They said, 30“The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to usj and treated us as though we were spying on the land.k 31But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.l 32We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.’m
33“Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go.n 34But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men.o Then I will give your brother back to you,p and you can trade1 in the land.q’ ”
35As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his pouch of silver!r When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened.s 36Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more,t and now you want to take Benjamin.u Everything is against me!v”
37Then Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care,w and I will bring him back.”x
38But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is deady and he is the only one left. If harm comes to himz on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the gravea in sorrow.b”
The Second Journey to Egypt
1Now the famine was still severe in the land.a 2So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt,b their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”c
3But Judahd said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’e 4If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you.f 5But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.g’ ”
6Israelh asked, “Why did you bring this troublei on me by telling the man you had another brother?”
7They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’j he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’k We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”l
8Then Judahm said to Israeln his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die.o 9I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him.p If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blameq before you all my life.r 10As it is, if we had not delayed,s we could have gone and returned twice.”
11Then their father Israelt said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best productsu of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a giftv—a little balmw and a little honey, some spicesx and myrrh,y some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12Take double the amountz of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks.a Perhaps it was a mistake. 13Take your brother also and go back to the man at once.b 14And may God Almighty1c grant you mercyd before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you.e As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”f
15So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver,g and Benjamin also. They hurriedh down to Egypt and presented themselvesi to Joseph. 16When Joseph saw Benjaminj with them, he said to the steward of his house,k “Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal;l they are to eat with me at noon.”
17The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph’s house.m 18Now the men were frightenedn when they were taken to his house.o They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacksp the first time. He wants to attack usq and overpower us and seize us as slavesr and take our donkeys.s”
19So they went up to Joseph’s stewardt and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 20“We beg your pardon, our lord,” they said, “we came down here the first time to buy food.u 21But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver—the exact weight—in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us.v 22We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.”
23“It’s all right,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father,w has given you treasure in your sacks;x I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.y
24The steward took the men into Joseph’s house,z gave them water to wash their feeta and provided fodder for their donkeys. 25They prepared their giftsb for Joseph’s arrival at noon,c because they had heard that they were to eat there.
26When Joseph came home,d they presented to him the giftse they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground.f 27He asked them how they were, and then he said, “How is your aged fatherg you told me about? Is he still living?”h
28They replied, “Your servant our fatheri is still alive and well.” And they bowed down,j prostrating themselves before him.k
29As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son,l he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?”m And he said, “God be gracious to you,n my son.” 30Deeply movedo at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and weptp there.
31After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself,q said, “Serve the food.”r
32They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews,s for that is detestable to Egyptians.t 33The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstbornu to the youngest;v and they looked at each other in astonishment. 34When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s.w So they feastedx and drank freely with him.
A Silver Cup in a Sack
1Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house:a “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack.b 2Then put my cup,c the silver one,d in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said.
3As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.e 4They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward,f “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?g 5Isn’t this the cuph my master drinks from and also uses for divination?i This is a wicked thing you have done.’ ”
6When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. 7But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servantsj to do anything like that!k 8We even brought back to you from the land of Canaanl the silverm we found inside the mouths of our sacks.n So why would we stealo silver or gold from your master’s house? 9If any of your servantsp is found to have it, he will die;q and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.r”
10“Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have its will become my slave;t the rest of you will be free from blame.”u
11Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. 12Then the stewardv proceeded to search,w beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest.x And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.y 13At this, they tore their clothes.z Then they all loaded their donkeysa and returned to the city.
14Joseph was still in the houseb when Judahc and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him.d 15Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done?e Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?f”
16“What can we say to my lord?g” Judahh replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence?i God has uncovered your servants’j guilt. We are now my lord’s slavesk—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.l”
17But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing!m Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave.n The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.”o
18Then Judahp went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord,q let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angryr with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19My lord asked his servants,s ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’t 20And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age.u His brother is dead,v and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’w
21“Then you said to your servants,x ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’y 22And we said to my lord,z ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’a 23But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’b 24When we went back to your servant my father,c we told him what my lordd had said.e
25“Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’f 26But we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’g
27“Your servant my fatherh said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.i 28One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.”j And I have not seen him since.k 29If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the gravel in misery.’m
30“So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father,n and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life,o 31sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die.p Your servantsq will bring the gray head of our father down to the graver in sorrow. 32Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’s
33“Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slavet in place of the boy,u and let the boy return with his brothers. 34How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the miseryv that would come on my father.”w
Joseph Makes Himself Known
1Then Joseph could no longer control himselfa before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!”b So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2And he weptc so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.d
3Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?”e But his brothers were not able to answer him,f because they were terrified at his presence.g
4Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.”h When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!i 5And now, do not be distressedj and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here,k because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.l 6For two years now there has been faminem in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnantn on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.1o
8“So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.p He made me fatherq to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.r 9Now hurrys back 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; don’t delay.t 10You shall live in the region of Goshenu and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have.v 11I will provide for you there,w because five years of faminex are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’y Map: Region of Goshen
12“You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin,z that it is really I who am speaking to you.a 13Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egyptb and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.c”
14Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamind embraced him,e weeping. 15And he kissedf all his brothers and wept over them.g Afterward his brothers talked with him.h
16When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come,i Pharaoh and all his officialsj were pleased.k 17Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animalsl and return to the land of Canaan,m 18and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egyptn and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’o
19“You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some cartsp from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. 20Never mind about your belongings,q because the best of all Egyptr will be yours.’ ”
21So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts,s as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey.t 22To each of them he gave new clothing,u but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels2 of silver and five sets of clothes.v 23And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeysw loaded with the best thingsx of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey.y 24Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”z
25So they went up out of Egypta and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.b 26They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.”c Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them.d 27But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the cartse Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28And Israel said, “I’m convinced!f My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”g
Jacob Goes to Egypt
1So Israela set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba,b he offered sacrificesc to the God of his father Isaac.d
2And God spoke to Israele in a vision at nightf and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”
“Here I am,”g he replied.
3“I am God, the God of your father,”h he said. “Do not be afraidi to go down to Egypt,j for I will make you into a great nationk there.l 4I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again.m And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.n”
5Then Jacob left Beersheba,o and Israel’sp sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the cartsq that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt,r taking with them their livestock and the possessionss they had acquiredt in Canaan. 7Jacob brought with him to Egyptu his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.v
8These are the names of the sons of Israelw (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt:
Reuben the firstbornx of Jacob.
9The sons of Reuben:y
Hanok, Pallu,z Hezron and Karmi.a
10The sons of Simeon:b
Jemuel,c Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohard and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.
11The sons of Levi:e
Gershon,f Kohathg and Merari.h
12The sons of Judah:i
Er,j Onan,k Shelah, Perezl and Zerahm (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).n
The sons of Perez:o
Hezron and Hamul.p
13The sons of Issachar:q
Tola, Puah,1r Jashub2s and Shimron.
14The sons of Zebulun:t
Sered, Elon and Jahleel.
15These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram,3u besides his daughter Dinah.v These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.
16The sons of Gad:w
Zephon,4x Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.
17The sons of Asher:y
Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.
Their sister was Serah.
The sons of Beriah:
Heber and Malkiel.
18These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah,z whom Laban had given to his daughter Leaha—sixteen in all.
19The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:b
Joseph and Benjamin.c 20In Egypt, Manassehd and Ephraime were born to Josephf by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.5g
21The sons of Benjamin:h
Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.i
22These were the sons of Rachelj who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.
25These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah,n whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachelo—seven in all.
26All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons.p 27With the two sons6 who had been born to Joseph in Egypt,q the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy7 in all.r
28Now Jacob sent Judahs ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen.t When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29Joseph had his chariotu made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel.v As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father8 and weptw for a long time.x
30Israely said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”z
31Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were living in the land of Canaan,a have come to me.b 32The men are shepherds;c they tend livestock,d and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’e 33When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’f 34you should answer, ‘Your servantsg have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’h Then you will be allowed to settlei in the region of Goshen,j for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.k”
1Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaana and are now in Goshen.”b 2He chose five of his brothers and presented themc before Pharaoh.
3Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?”d
“Your servantse are shepherds,f” they replied to Pharaoh, “just as our fathers were.” 4They also said to him, “We have come to live here for a while,g because the famine is severe in Canaanh and your servants’ flocks have no pasture.i So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen.”j
5Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, 6and the land of Egypt is before you; settlek your father and your brothers in the best part of the land.l Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability,m put them in charge of my own livestock.n”
7Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented himo before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed1 Pharaoh,p 8Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?”
9And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty.q My years have been few and difficult,r and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.s” 10Then Jacob blessed2 Pharaoht and went out from his presence.
11So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land,u the district of Rameses,v as Pharaoh directed. 12Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children.w
Joseph and the Famine
13There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine.x 14Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying,y and he brought it to Pharaoh’s palace.z 15When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone,a all Egypt came to Josephb and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes?c Our money is all gone.”
16“Then bring your livestock,d” said Joseph. “I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone.e” 17So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses,f their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys.g And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.
18When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is goneh and our livestock belongs to you,i there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. 19Why should we perish before your eyesj—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food,k and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh.l Give us seed so that we may live and not die,m and that the land may not become desolate.”
20So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severen for them. The land became Pharaoh’s, 21and Joseph reduced the people to servitude,3o from one end of Egypt to the other. 22However, he did not buy the land of the priests,p because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotmentq Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.
23Joseph said to the people, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seedr for you so you can plant the ground.s 24But when the crop comes in, give a fiftht of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.”
25“You have saved our lives,” they said. “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord;u we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.”v
26So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt—still in force today—that a fifthw of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s.x
27Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen.y They acquired property therez and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.a
28Jacob lived in Egyptb seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven.c 29When the time drew near for Israeld to die,e he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes,f put your hand under my thighg and promise that you will show me kindnessh and faithfulness.i Do not bury me in Egypt, 30but when I rest with my fathers,j carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.”k
“I will do as you say,” he said.
31“Swear to me,”l he said. Then Joseph swore to him,m and Israeln worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.4o