1Israel set out with all that he had and came to Beer-sheba, # Gn 21:14; 28:10; Jos 15:28; Jdg 20:1; 2Sm 24:7; 1Kg 19:3 and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2That night God spoke to Israel in a vision: # Gn 15:1; Jb 33:14-15 “Jacob, Jacob! ” He said.

And Jacob replied, “Here I am.”

3God 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. # Gn 12:2; 15:13-14; 35:11; Ex 1:7,9; Dt 26:5 4I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you back. # Gn 15:16; 28:15; 48:21; 50:24; Ex 3:8 Joseph will put his hands on your eyes.” # = Joseph will close your eyes after you die # Gn 50:1

5Jacob left Beer-sheba. The sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him, # Gn 45:19,21 along with their children and their wives. 6They also took their cattle and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan. Then Jacob and all his children went with him to Egypt. # Dt 26:5; Jos 24:4; Ps 105:23; Is 52:4; Ac 7:15 7His sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters, indeed all his offspring, he brought with him to Egypt.

Jacob’s Family

8These are the names of the Israelites, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: # Ex 1:1-5; Nm 26:4-5

Jacob’s firstborn: Reuben.

9Reuben’s sons: # Ex 6:14 Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

10Simeon’s sons: # Ex 6:15 Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.

11Levi’s sons: # Ex 6:16; 1Ch 6:16 Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12Judah’s sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.

Perez’s sons: # Gn 38:29; 1Ch 2:5 Hezron and Hamul.

13Issachar’s sons: # 1Ch 7:1 Tola, Puvah, # Sam, Syr read Puah ; 1Ch 7:1 Jashub, # Sam, LXX; MT reads Iob and Shimron.

14Zebulun’s sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

15These were Leah’s sons born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, as well as his daughter Dinah. The total number of persons: # Lit All persons his sons and his daughters 33.

16Gad’s sons: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

17Asher’s sons: # 1Ch 7:30-31 Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.

Beriah’s sons were Heber and Malchiel.

18These were the sons of Zilpah — whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah — that she bore to Jacob: 16 persons.

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

20Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt. They were born to him by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, a priest at On. # Or Heliopolis

21Benjamin’s sons: # Nm 26:38-40; 1Ch 7:6-12; 8:1 Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

22These were Rachel’s sons who were born to Jacob: 14 persons.

23Dan’s son: # Alt Hb tradition reads sons Hushim.

24Naphtali’s sons: # 1Ch 7:13 Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

25These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. # Gn 29:29; 30:5-8 She bore to Jacob: seven persons.

26The total number of persons belonging to Jacob — his direct descendants, # Lit Jacob who came out from his loins not including the wives of Jacob’s sons — who came to Egypt: 66.

27And Joseph’s sons who were born to him in Egypt: two persons.

All those of Jacob’s household who had come to Egypt: 70 # LXX reads 75 ; Ac 7:14 persons. # Ex 1:5; Dt 10:22; Ac 7:14

Jacob Arrives in Egypt

28Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to prepare for his arrival # Lit to give directions before him at Goshen. # Gn 45:10 When they came to the land of Goshen, 29Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, threw his arms around him, and wept for a long time. # Gn 45:14

30Then Israel said to Joseph, “At last I can die, now that I have seen your face and know you are still alive! ”

31Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and inform Pharaoh, telling him: My brothers and my father’s household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. # Gn 47:1 32The men are shepherds; they also raise livestock. They have brought their sheep and cattle and all that they have. 33When Pharaoh addresses you and asks, ‘What is your occupation? ’ 34you are to say, ‘Your servants, both we and our fathers, have raised livestock # Lit fathers, are men of livestock from our youth until now.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen, since all shepherds are abhorrent to Egyptians.” # Gn 43:32; Ex 8:26

Learn More

Genesis 46

Jacob Goes to Egypt

1So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

2And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

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

5Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt, taking with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan. 7Jacob brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.

8These are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt:

Reuben the firstborn of Jacob.

9The sons of Reuben:

Hanok, Pallu, Hezron and Karmi.

10The sons of Simeon:

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

11The sons of Levi:

Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

12The 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.

13The sons of Issachar:

Tola, Puah,#46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Puvah Jashub#46:13 Samaritan Pentateuch and some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Num. 26:24 and 1 Chron. 7:1); Masoretic Text Iob and Shimron.

14The sons of Zebulun:

Sered, Elon and Jahleel.

15These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram,#46:15 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.

16The sons of Gad:

Zephon,#46:16 Samaritan Pentateuch and Septuagint (see also Num. 26:15); Masoretic Text Ziphion Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.

17The sons of Asher:

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, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.

19The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:

Joseph and Benjamin. 20In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.#46:20 That is, Heliopolis

21The sons of Benjamin:

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

22These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.

23The son of Dan:

Hushim.

24The sons of Naphtali:

Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.

25These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel—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. 27With the two sons#46:27 Hebrew; Septuagint the nine children who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy#46:27 Hebrew (see also Exodus 1:5 and note); Septuagint (see also Acts 7:14) seventy-five in all.

28Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father#46:29 Hebrew around him and wept for a long time.

30Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”

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, have come to me. 32The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ 33When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34you should answer, ‘Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®

Learn More

Choose your language

HCSB Audio Old and New Testament

Genesis 46

Genesis 46