3“I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to go to Egypt, because I will make you a great nation there. 4I will go with you to Egypt, and I will make sure you come back again. Joseph will close your eyes ⌞when you die⌟.”

5So Jacob left Beersheba. Israel’s sons put their father Jacob, their children, and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to bring him back. 6They also took their livestock and the possessions they had accumulated in Canaan.

Jacob and all his family arrived in Egypt. 7He had brought his sons, his grandsons, his daughters, and his granddaughters—his entire family.

Jacob’s [Israel’s] Descendants

(Exodus 6:14–16; 1 Chronicles 2:3–5)

8These are the names of Israel’s descendants (Jacob and his descendants) who arrived in Egypt.

Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn.

9The sons of Reuben were

Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

10The sons of Simeon were

Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.

11The sons of Levi were

Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12The sons of Judah were

Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. (Er and Onan had died in Canaan.)

The sons of Perez were

Hezron and Hamul.

13The sons of Issachar were

Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron.

14The sons of Zebulun were

Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

15These were the descendants of the sons Leah gave to Jacob in Paddan Aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah. The total number of these sons and daughters was 33.

16The sons of Gad were

Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

17The sons of Asher were

Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Their sister was Serah.

The sons of Beriah were

Heber and Malchiel.

18These were the descendants of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah. She gave birth to these children for Jacob. The total was 16.

19The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel were

Joseph and Benjamin.

20In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest from the city of On.

21The sons of Benjamin were

Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

22These were the descendants of Rachel who were born to Jacob. The total was 14.

23The son of Dan was

Hushim.

24The sons of Naphtali were

Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

25These were the descendants of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. She gave birth to these sons for Jacob. The total was 7.

26The total number of Jacob’s direct descendants who went with him to Egypt was 66. This didn’t include the wives of Jacob’s sons. 27Joseph had two sons who were born in Egypt. The grand total of people in Jacob’s household who went to Egypt was 70.

Joseph and Jacob [Israel] Reunited

28Israel sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When Israel’s family arrived in the region of Goshen, 29Joseph prepared his chariot and went to meet his father Israel. As soon as he saw his father, he threw his arms around him and cried on his shoulder a long time.

30Israel said to Joseph, “Now that I’ve seen for myself that you’re still alive, I’m ready to die.”

31Then Joseph said to his brothers and his father’s family, “I’m going to Pharaoh to tell him, ‘My brothers and my father’s family, who were in Canaan, have come to me. 32The men are shepherds. They take care of livestock. They’ve brought their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ 33Now, when Pharaoh calls for you and asks, ‘What kind of work do you do?’ 34you must answer, ‘We have taken care of herds all our lives, as our ancestors have done.’ ⌞You must say this⌟ so that you may live in the region of Goshen, because all shepherds are disgusting to Egyptians.”

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Berĕshith (Genesis) 46

1And Yisra’ĕl set out with all that he had, and came to Be’ĕrsheḇa, and slaughtered slaughterings to the Elohim of his father Yitsḥaq.

2And Elohim spoke to Yisra’ĕl in the visions of the night, and said, “Ya‛aqoḇ, Ya‛aqoḇ!” And he said, “Here I am.”

3And He said, “I am the Ěl, Elohim of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Mitsrayim, for I shall make you there into a great nation.

4I Myself am going down with you to Mitsrayim and I Myself shall certainly bring you up again. And let Yosĕph put his hand on your eyes.

5And Ya‛aqoḇ rose up from Be’ĕrsheḇa. And the sons of Yisra’ĕl brought their father Ya‛aqoḇ, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to transport him.

6And they took their livestock and their property which they had acquired in the land of Kena‛an, and came into Mitsrayim, Ya‛aqoḇ and all his seed with him.

7His sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed he brought with him to Mitsrayim.

8And these were the names of the children of Yisra’ĕl, Ya‛aqoḇ and his sons, who came into Mitsrayim: Re’uḇĕn was Ya‛aqoḇ’s first-born.

9And the sons of Re’uḇĕn: Ḥanoḵ, and Pallu, and Ḥetsron, and Karmi.

10And the sons of Shim‛on: Yemu’ĕl, and Yamin, and Ohaḏ, and Yaḵin, and Tsoḥar, and Sha’ul, son of a Kena‛anite woman.

11And the sons of Lĕwi: Gĕrshon, Qehath, and Merari.

12And the sons of Yehuḏah: Ěr, and Onan, and Shĕlah, and Perets, and Zeraḥ – but Ěr and Onan died in the land of Kena‛an. And the sons of Perets were Ḥetsron and Ḥamul.

13And the sons of Yissasḵar: Tola, and Puw‛ah, and Yoḇ, and Shimron.

14And the sons of Zeḇulun: Sereḏ, and Ělon, and Yaḥle’ĕl.

15These were the sons of Lĕ’ah, whom she bore to Ya‛aqoḇ in Paddan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the beings, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three.

16And the sons of Gaḏ: Tsiphyon and Ḥaggi, Shuni and Etsbon, Ěri and Aroḏi, and Arĕli.

17And the sons of Ashĕr: Yimnah, and Yishwah, and Yishwi, and Beri‛ah, and Seraḥ, their sister. And the sons of Beri‛ah: Ḥeḇer and Malki’ĕl.

18These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laḇan gave to Lĕ’ah his daughter. And these she bore to Ya‛aqoḇ: sixteen beings.

19The sons of Raḥĕl, Ya‛aqoḇ’s wife: Yosĕph and Binyamin.

20And to Yosĕph in the land of Mitsrayim were born Menashsheh and Ephrayim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him.

21And the sons of Binyamin: Belah, and Beḵer, and Ashbĕl, Gĕra and Na‛aman, Ěḥi and Rosh, Muppim and Ḥuppim, and Ard.

22These were the sons of Raḥĕl who were born to Ya‛aqoḇ: fourteen beings in all.

23And the son of Dan: Ḥushim.

24And the sons of Naphtali: Yaḥtse’ĕl, and Guni, and Yĕtser, and Shillĕm.

25These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laḇan gave to Raḥĕl his daughter, and she bore these to Ya‛aqoḇ: seven beings in all.

26All the beings who went with Ya‛aqoḇ to Mitsrayim, who came from his body, besides Ya‛aqoḇ’s sons’ wives, were sixty-six beings in all.

27And the sons of Yosĕph who were born to him in Mitsrayim were two beings. All the beings of the house of Ya‛aqoḇ who went to Mitsrayim were seventy.

28And he sent Yehuḏah before him to Yosĕph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen.

29And Yosĕph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Yisra’ĕl. And he appeared to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a long time.

30And Yisra’ĕl said to Yosĕph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.”

31And Yosĕph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I am going up to inform Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the land of Kena‛an, have come to me.

32And the men are shepherds, that they have been men of livestock, and they have brought their flocks and their herds, and all that they have.’

33“And it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’

34“that you shall say, ‘Your servants have been men of livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ so that you dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Mitsrites.

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Genesis 46

Berĕshith (Genesis) 46