Genesis 46

1So Israel set out on the journey with everything he owned. He arrived at Beersheba and worshiped, offering sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

2God spoke to Israel in a vision that night: “Jacob! Jacob!”

“Yes?” he said. “I’m listening.”

3-4God said, “I am the God of your father. Don’t be afraid of going down to Egypt. I’m going to make you a great nation there. I’ll go with you down to Egypt; I’ll also bring you back here. And when you die, Joseph will be with you; with his own hand he’ll close your eyes.”

5-7Then Jacob left Beersheba. Israel’s sons loaded their father and their little ones and their wives on the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him. They arrived in Egypt with the livestock and the wealth they had accumulated in Canaan. Jacob brought everyone in his family with him—sons and grandsons, daughters and granddaughters. Everyone.

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

Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.

9Reuben’s sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

10Simeon’s sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.

11Levi’s sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12Judah’s sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (Er and Onan had already died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.

13Issachar’s sons: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.

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

15These are the sons that Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram. There was also his daughter Dinah. Altogether, sons and daughters, they numbered thirty-three.

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

17Asher’s sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Also their sister Serah, and Beriah’s sons, Heber and Malkiel.

18These are the children that Zilpah, the maid that Laban gave to his daughter Leah, bore to Jacob—sixteen of them.

19-21The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. Joseph was the father of two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, from his marriage to Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. They were born to him in Egypt. Benjamin’s sons were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

22These are the children born to Jacob through Rachel—fourteen.

23Dan’s son: Hushim.

24Naphtali’s sons: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

25These are the children born to Jacob through Bilhah, the maid Laban had given to his daughter Rachel—seven.

26-27Summing up, all those who went down to Egypt with Jacob—his own children, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six. Counting in the two sons born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family who ended up in Egypt numbered seventy.

* * *

28-29Jacob sent Judah on ahead to get directions to Goshen from Joseph. When they got to Goshen, Joseph gave orders for his chariot and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. The moment Joseph saw him, he threw himself on his neck and wept. He wept a long time.

30Israel said to Joseph, “I’m ready to die. I’ve looked into your face—you are indeed alive.”

31-34Joseph then spoke to his brothers and his father’s family. “I’ll go and tell Pharaoh, ‘My brothers and my father’s family, all of whom lived in Canaan, have come to me. The men are shepherds; they’ve always made their living by raising livestock. And they’ve brought their flocks and herds with them, along with everything else they own.’ When Pharaoh calls you in and asks what kind of work you do, tell him, ‘Your servants have always kept livestock for as long as we can remember—we and our parents also.’ That way he’ll let you stay apart in the area of Goshen—for Egyptians look down on anyone who is a shepherd.”

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