Genesis 46; Genesis 47

Genesis 46

1 And Israel taking his journey, with all that he had, came to the well of the oath, and killing victims there to the God of his father Isaac,

2 He heard him, by a vision in the night, calling him, and saying to him: Jacob, Jacob. And he answered him: Lo, here I am.

3 God said to him: I am the most mighty God of thy father; fear not, go down into Egypt, for I will make a great nation of thee there.

4 I will go down with thee thither, and will bring thee back again from thence: Joseph also shall put his hands upon thy eyes.

5 And Jacob rose up from the well of the oath: and his sons took him up, with their children and wives in the wagons, which Pharao had sent to carry the old man,

6 And all that he had in the land of Chanaan: and he came into Egypt with all his seed;

7 His sons, and grandsons, daughters, and all his offspring together.

8 And these are the names of the children of Israel, that entered into Egypt, he and his children. His firstborn Ruben,

9 The sons of Ruben: Henoch and Phallu, and Hesron and Charmi.

10 The sons of Simeon: Jamuel and Jamin and Ahod, and Jachin and Sohar, and Saul, the son of a woman of Chanaan.

11 The sons of Levi: Gerson and Caath, and Merari.

12 The sons of Juda: Her and Onan, and Sela, and Phares and Zara. And Her and Onan died in the land of Chanaan. And sons were born to Phares: Hesron and Hamul.

13 The sons of Issachar: Thola and Phua, and Job and Semron.

14 The sons of Zabulon: Sared, and Elon, and Jahelel.

15 These are the sons of Lia, whom she bore in Mesopotamia of Syria, with Dina, his daughter. All the souls of her sons and daughters, thirty-three.

16 The sons of Gad: Sephion and Haggi, and Suni and Esebon, and Heri and Arodi, and Areli.

17 The sons of Aser: Jamne and Jesua, and Jessuri and Beria, and Sara their sister. The sons of Beria: Heber and Melchiel.

18 These are the sons of Zelpha, whom Laban gave to Lia, his daughter. And these she bore to Jacob, sixteen souls.

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

20 And sons were born to Joseph, in the land of Egypt, whom Aseneth, the daughter of Putiphare, priest of Heliopolis, bore him: Manasses and Ephraim.

21 The sons of Benjamin: Bela and Bechor, and Asbel and Gera, and Naaman and Echi, and Ross and Mophim, and Ophim and Ared.

22 These are the sons of Rachel, whom she bore to Jacob: all the souls, fourteen.

23 The sons of Dan: Husim.

24 The sons of Nephthali: Jaziel and Guni, and Jeser and Sallem.

25 These are the sons of Bala, whom Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter: and these she bore to Jacob: all the souls, seven.

26 All the souls that went with Jacob into Egypt, and that came out of his thigh, besides his sons’ wives, sixty-six.

27 And the sons of Joseph, that were born to him in the land of Egypt, two souls. All the souls of the house of Jacob, that entered into Egypt, were seventy.

28 And he sent Juda before him to Joseph, to tell him; and that he should meet him in Gessen.

29 And when he was come thither, Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet his father in the same place: and seeing him, he fell upon his neck, and embracing him, wept.

30 And the father said to Joseph: Now shall I die with joy, because I have seen thy face, and leave thee alive.

31 And Joseph said to his brethren, and to all his father’s house: I will go up, and will tell Pharao, and will say to him: My brethren, and my father’s house, that were in the land of Chanaan, are come to me:

32 And the men are shepherds, and their occupation is to feed cattle; their flocks, and herds, and all they have, they have brought with them.

33 And when he shall call you, and shall say: What is your occupation?

34 You shall answer: We, thy servants, are shepherds, from our infancy until now, both we and our fathers. And this you shall say, that you may dwell in the land of Gessen, because the Egyptians have all shepherds in abomination.

Genesis 47

1 Then Joseph went in and told Pharao, saying: My father and brethren, their sheep and their herds, and all that they possess, are come out of the land of Chanaan: and behold they stay in the land of Gessen.

2 Five men also, the last of his brethren, he presented before the king:

3 And he asked them: What is your occupation? They answered: We, thy servants, are shepherds, both we and our fathers.

4 We are come to sojourn in thy land, because there is no grass for the flocks of thy servants, the famine being very grievous in the land of Chanaan: and we pray thee to give orders that we thy servants may be in the land of Gessen.

5 The king therefore said to Joseph: Thy father and thy brethren are come to thee.

6 The land of Egypt is before thee: and make them dwell in the best place, and give them the land of Gessen. And if thou knowest that there are industrious men among them, make them rulers over my cattle.

7 After this Joseph brought in his father to the king, and presented him before him: and he blessed him.

8 And being asked by him: How many are the days of the years of thy life?

9 He answered: The days of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years, few, and evil, and they are not come up to the days of the pilgrimage of my fathers.

10 And blessing the king, he went out.

11 But Joseph gave a possession to his father and his brethren in Egypt, in the best place of the land, in Ramesses, as Pharao had commanded.

12 And he nourished them, and all his father’s house, allowing food to every one.

13 For in the whole world there was want of bread, and a famine had oppressed the land, more especially of Egypt and Chanaan;

14 Out of which he gathered up all the money for the corn which they bought, and brought it in to the king’s treasure.

15 And when the buyers wanted money, all Egypt came to Joseph, saying: Give us bread: why should we die in thy presence, having now no money?

16 And he answered them: Bring me your cattle, and for them I will give you food, if you have no money.

17 And when they had brought them, he gave them food in exchange for their horses, and sheep, and oxen, and asses: and he maintained them that year for the exchange of their cattle.

18 And they came the second year, and said to him: We will not hide from our lord, how that our money is spent, and our cattle also are gone: neither art thou ignorant that we have nothing now left but our bodies and our lands.

19 Why therefore shall we die before thy eyes? we will be thine, both we and our lands: buy us to be the king’s servants, and give us seed, lest for want of tillers the land be turned into a wilderness.

20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt, every man selling his possessions, because of the greatness of the famine. And he brought it into Pharao’s hands:

21 And all its people from one end of the borders of Egypt, even to the other end thereof,

22 Except the land of the priests, which had been given them by the king: to whom also a certain allowance of food was given out of the public stores, and therefore they were not forced to sell their possessions.

23 Then Joseph said to the people: Behold, as you see, both you and your lands belong to Pharao; take seed and sow the fields,

24 That you may have corn. The fifth part you shall give to the king; the other four you shall have for seed, and for food for your families and children.

25 And they answered: our life is in thy hand; only let my lord look favourably upon us, and we will gladly serve the king.

26 From that time unto this day, in the whole land of Egypt, the fifth part is paid to the kings, and it is become as a law, except the land of the priests, which was free from this covenant.

27 So Israel dwelt in Egypt, that is, in the land of Gessen, and possessed it; and grew, and was multiplied exceedingly.

28 And he lived in it seventeen years: and all the days of his life came to a hundred and forty-seven years.

29 And when he saw that the day of his death drew nigh, he called his son Joseph, and said to him: If I have found favour in thy sight, put thy hand under my thigh; and thou shalt shew me this kindness and truth, not to bury me in Egypt.

30 But I will sleep with my fathers, and thou shalt take me away out of this land, and bury me in the burying place of my ancestors. And Joseph answered him: I will do what thou hast commanded.

31 And he said: Swear then to me. And as he was swearing, Israel adored God, turning to the bed’s head.