Genesis 46

⁴²If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered judgment.”

¹⁰Meanwhile Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran.

³³And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the Lord, the Eternal God.

¹³And there at the top the Lord was standing and saying, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie.

²²He moved on from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. He named it Rehoboth and said, “At last the Lord has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”

²³From there Isaac went up to Beersheba,

³¹So that place was called Beersheba, because it was there that the two of them swore an oath.

¹After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.”

¹⁴For God speaks in one way and in another, yet no one notices.

¹⁵In a dream, in a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls upon men as they slumber on their beds,

⁴the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”

¹⁰Then the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”

¹³Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years.

²I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

⁵and you are to declare before the Lord your God, “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt few in number and lived there and became a great nation, mighty and numerous.

²⁴and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And look, God has granted you the lives of all who sail with you.’

¹But now, this is what the Lord says—He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine!

²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you go through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze.

¹¹And God told him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you.

²The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt. Settle in the land where I tell you.

³Stay in this land as a foreigner, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham.

⁸I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

¹⁵Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

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.

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

¹⁴But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions.

¹⁵You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.

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.

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.

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.

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.

¹⁷Then Jacob got up and put his children and his wives on camels,

¹⁸and he drove all his livestock before him, along with all the possessions he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land in Canaan.

²⁴Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the Lord. Even your little ones may go with you; only your flocks and herds must stay behind.”

²⁶Even our livestock must go with us; not a hoof will be left behind, for we will need some of them to worship the Lord our God, and we will not know how we are to worship the Lord until we arrive.”

¹⁵So Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our fathers died.

⁴For this is what the Lord God says: “At first My people went down to Egypt to live, then Assyria oppressed them without cause.

²³Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob dwelt in the land of Ham.

⁴and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau Mount Seir to possess, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.

⁵and you are to declare before the Lord your God, “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down to Egypt few in number and lived there and became a great nation, mighty and numerous.

¹⁵how our fathers went down to Egypt, where we lived many years. The Egyptians mistreated us and our fathers,

¹These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,

²Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

¹These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family:

²Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

⁶Let Reuben live and not die, nor his men be few.”

¹⁰On the south side, the divisions of Reuben are to camp under their standard: The leader of the Reubenites is Elizur son of Shedeur,

¹¹and his division numbers 46,500.

⁵These are the names of the men who are to assist you: From the tribe of Reuben, Elizur son of Shedeur;

⁴“Take a census of the men twenty years of age or older, as the Lord has commanded Moses.” And these were the Israelites who came out of the land of Egypt:

⁵Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. These were the descendants of Reuben: The Hanochite clan from Hanoch, the Palluite clan from Pallu,

¹⁵The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.

³³Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has given me this son as well.” So she named him Simeon.

⁶from Simeon, Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai;

¹These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,

¹²These were the descendants of Simeon by their clans: The Nemuelite clan from Nemuel, the Jaminite clan from Jamin, the Jachinite clan from Jachin,

¹³the Zerahite clan from Zerah, and the Shaulite clan from Shaul.

¹²The tribe of Simeon will camp next to it. The leader of the Simeonites is Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai,

¹³and his division numbers 59,300.

³⁴Once again Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.

¹⁷These were the sons of Levi by name: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

¹⁸These were the names of the sons of Gershon by their clans: Libni and Shimei.

¹These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,

¹⁶These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.

¹⁶The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.

⁵⁷Now these were the Levites numbered by their clans: The Gershonite clan from Gershon, the Kohathite clan from Kohath, and the Merarite clan from Merari.

⁵⁸These were the families of the Levites: The Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, and the Korahite clan. Now Kohath was the father of Amram,

²¹The sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah and the clans of the linen workers at Beth-ashbea,

¹⁰What he did was wicked in the sight of the Lord, so He put Onan to death as well.

³⁵And once more she conceived and gave birth to a son and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then Leah stopped having children.

⁷But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; so the Lord put him to death.

⁸Judah, 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?

¹⁹The sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but they died in the land of Canaan.

²⁰These were the descendants of Judah by their clans: The Shelanite clan from Shelah, the Perezite clan from Perez, and the Zerahite clan from Zerah.

³²From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their kinsmen at their command.

⁸from Issachar, Nethanel son of Zuar;

²³The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

¹⁸Concerning Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys, and Issachar, in your tents.

¹These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,

¹⁴Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds.

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.

¹³Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore and become a harbor for ships; his border shall extend to Sidon.

¹⁸Concerning Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your journeys, and Issachar, in your tents.

¹⁹They will call the peoples to a mountain; there they will offer sacrifices of righteousness. For they will feast on the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.”

¹These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,

³⁰From the sons of Zebulun, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

³¹those registered to the tribe of Zebulun numbered 57,400.

⁹from Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon;

¹⁹Again Leah conceived and bore a sixth son to Jacob.

²⁰“God has given me a good gift,” she said. “This time my husband will honor me, because I have borne him six sons.” And she named him Zebulun.

³²And Leah conceived and gave birth to a son, and she named him Reuben, for she said, “The Lord has seen my affliction. Surely my husband will love me now.”

³³Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and she said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has given me this son as well.” So she named him Simeon.

¹⁷And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore a fifth son to Jacob.

¹⁸Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

¹These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,

²⁰and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan-aram and the sister of Laban the Aramean.

²³The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

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.

¹⁵These were the descendants of Gad by their clans: The Zephonite clan from Zephon, the Haggite clan from Haggi, the Shunite clan from Shuni,

¹⁶the Oznite clan from Ozni, the Erite clan from Eri,

¹¹Then Leah said, “How fortunate!” So she named him Gad.

¹¹The descendants of Gad lived next to the Reubenites in the land of Bashan, as far as Salecah:

¹²Joel was the chief, Shapham the second, then Jaanai and Shaphat, who lived in Bashan.

²⁴From the sons of Gad, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

²⁵those registered to the tribe of Gad numbered 45,650.

¹⁹Gad will be attacked by raiders, but he will attack their heels.

¹¹from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni;

¹³Leah said, “How happy I am! For the women call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

²⁰Asher’s food will be rich; he shall provide royal delicacies.

²Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

²⁶And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

⁴⁰From the sons of Asher, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

⁴¹those registered to the tribe of Asher numbered 41,500.

²⁴And concerning Asher he said: “May Asher be the most blessed of sons; may he be the most favored among his brothers and dip his foot in oil.

²⁴And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant.

⁹When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.

¹⁰And Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son.

⁴Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.

²⁶And the sons of Leah’s maidservant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

²⁷And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.

⁵The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all, including Joseph, who was already in Egypt.

³⁶From the sons of Benjamin, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

³⁷those registered to the tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.

¹Meanwhile, Joseph had been taken down to Egypt, where an Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

³⁸These were the descendants of Benjamin by their clans: The Belaite clan from Bela, the Ashbelite clan from Ashbel, the Ahiramite clan from Ahiram,

³⁹the Shuphamite clan from Shupham, and the Huphamite clan from Hupham.

¹Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had resided, the land of Canaan.

²This is the account of Jacob. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he was tending the flock with his brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah, and he brought their father a bad report about them.

⁵⁰Before the years of famine arrived, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.

⁵¹Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, saying, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s household.”

⁴⁵Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah, and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt.

¹³Concerning Joseph he said: “May his land be blessed by the Lord with the precious dew from heaven above and the deep waters that lie beneath,

¹⁴with the bountiful harvest from the sun and the abundant yield of the seasons,

¹⁴The descendants of Manasseh: Asriel through his Aramean concubine. She also gave birth to Machir the father of Gilead.

¹⁵Machir took a wife from among the Huppites and Shuppites. The name of his sister was Maacah. Another descendant was named Zelophehad, who had only daughters.

³²From the sons of Joseph: From the sons of Ephraim, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

³³those registered to the tribe of Ephraim numbered 40,500.

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.

⁶The three sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, and Jediael.

⁷The sons of Bela: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, heads of their families—five in all. There were 22,034 mighty men of valor listed in their genealogies.

¹¹from Benjamin, Abidan son of Gideoni;

³⁶From the sons of Benjamin, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,

³⁷those registered to the tribe of Benjamin numbered 35,400.

²⁷Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”

¹²Concerning Benjamin he said: “May the beloved of the Lord rest secure in Him; God shields him all day long, and upon His shoulders he rests.”

³⁸These were the descendants of Benjamin by their clans: The Belaite clan from Bela, the Ashbelite clan from Ashbel, the Ahiramite clan from Ahiram,

³⁹the Shuphamite clan from Shupham, and the Huphamite clan from Hupham.

²⁵Finally, the divisions of the camp of Dan set out under their standard, serving as the rear guard for all units, with Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai in command.

²⁵The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.

²²Concerning Dan he said: “Dan is a lion’s cub, leaping out of Bashan.”

²Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

⁶Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; He has heard my plea and given me a son.” So she named him Dan.

³⁵From Dan: 28,600 prepared for battle.

¹³The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum—the descendants of Bilhah.

²⁹In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, including all the land of Naphtali, and he took the people as captives to Assyria.

¹⁵and from Naphtali, Ahira son of Enan.”

³⁴From Naphtali: 1,000 commanders, accompanied by 37,000 men with shield and spear.

⁴⁸These were the descendants of Naphtali by their clans: The Jahzeelite clan from Jahzeel, the Gunite clan from Guni,

⁴⁹the Jezerite clan from Jezer, and the Shillemite clan from Shillem.

⁷And Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son.

⁸Then Rachel said, “In my great struggles, I have wrestled with my sister and won.” So she named him Naphtali.

²⁹Laban also gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant.

²²While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father’s concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it. Jacob had twelve sons:

²Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;

²⁵The sons of Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.

³Then she said, “Here is my maidservant Bilhah. Sleep with her, that she may bear children for me, so that through her I too can build a family.”

⁴So Rachel gave Jacob her servant Bilhah as a wife, and he slept with her,

⁵The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all, including Joseph, who was already in Egypt.

³⁰Gideon had seventy sons of his own, since he had many wives.

¹¹And God told him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation—even a company of nations—shall come from you, and kings shall descend from you.

²²Your fathers went down to Egypt, seventy in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the sky.

¹⁴Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five in all.

⁵The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all, including Joseph, who was already in Egypt.

¹Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord—you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders—and you are to worship at a distance.

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.

²¹So he fled with all his possessions, crossed the Euphrates, and headed for the hill country of Gilead.

¹⁶“What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed the iniquity of your servants. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we and the one who was found with the cup.”

¹⁷But Joseph replied, “Far be it from me to do this. The man who was found with the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may return to your father in peace.”

⁸Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.

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.”

⁸And Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our children.

²⁰So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.

⁴Esau, however, ran to him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.

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.

³⁷They all wept openly as they embraced Paul and kissed him.

⁴³He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, with men calling out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt.

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.

²⁹“Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace.

³⁰For my eyes have seen Your salvation,

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

¹¹For both the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.

³and he stayed and worked with them because they were tentmakers by trade, just as he was.

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.

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.”

¹Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

¹¹He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.

⁷⁰He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds;

⁷¹from tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance.

²Later she gave birth to Cain’s brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, while Cain was a tiller of the soil.

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.”

³²The men are shepherds; they raise livestock, and they have brought their flocks and herds and all that they own.’

⁸“Tell us now,” they demanded, “who is to blame for this calamity that is upon us? What is your occupation, and where have you come from? What is your country, and who are your people?”

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.”

²⁶But Moses replied, “It would not be right to do that, because the sacrifices we offer to the Lord our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. If we offer sacrifices that are detestable before the Egyptians, will they not stone us?

³²They separately served Joseph, his brothers, and the Egyptians. They ate separately because the Egyptians would not eat with the Hebrews, since that was detestable to them.

³²The men are shepherds; they raise livestock, and they have brought their flocks and herds and all that they own.’

¹²Some time later, Joseph’s brothers had gone to pasture their father’s flocks near Shechem.

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.

³⁵That very day Laban removed all the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted female goat—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored lamb, and he placed them under the care of his sons.