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The Holy Bible

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The Book of Genesis

Chapter 46

  

Jacob Leaves for Egypt

1
ISRAEL

set out with all that he had, and when he came to Beer-sheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.  2  That night God spoke to Israel in a vision and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”

“Here I am,” Jacob replied.

3 God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.  4  I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you back again. And Joseph‘s own hand will close your eyes.”

5 Then Jacob set out from Beer-sheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to carry him.  6  They also took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went down to Egypt.  7  He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughtersall his offspring.

Jacob’s Family

8 These are the names of the Israelites, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt:

Reuben the firstborn of Jacob.

9 The sons of Reuben:
Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 10 The sons of Simeon:
Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. 11 The sons of Levi:
Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 The sons of Judah:
Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez:
Hezron and Hamul. 13 The sons of Issachar:
Tola, Puvah, Jashub, and Shimron. 14 The sons of Zebulun:
Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

15 These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, besides his daughter Dinah. Altogether his sons and daughters numbered thirty-three.

16 The sons of Gad:
Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. 17 The sons of Asher:
Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. The sons of Beriah:
Heber and Malchiel.

18 These were the sons of Zilpah, the maidservant Laban gave to his daughter Leah; and these she bore to Jacobsixteen persons.

19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:
Joseph and Benjamin.  20  Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. 21 The sons of Benjamin:
Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

22 These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacobfourteen persons in all.

23 The son of Dan:
Hushim. 24 The sons of Naphtali:
Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

25 These are the sons of Bilhah, the maidservant whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and these she bore to Jacobseven persons in all.

26 All the persons who went to Egypt with Jacobthose who were his direct descendants, not including the wives of Jacob’s sons, numbered sixty-six persons in all.  27  Joseph’s sons who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of Jacob’s household who had come to Egypt numbered seventy in all.

Jacob Settles in Goshen

28  Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to prepare for his arrival at Goshen. When they came to the land of Goshen,  29  Joseph had his chariot made ready, and he went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel. There he presented himself to his father, and he threw his arms around him and wept for a long time.

30  Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, for I have now seen your face for myself and know that you are still alive.”

31  Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh, and tell him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me.  32  The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.  33  When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’,  34  you are to say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers’. Then you will be able to settle in the land of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”