Genesis 50

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

Joseph went and hugged his father, weeping over him and kissing him.

2 And Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So they embalmed him,

Then Joseph instructed the physicians who worked for him to embalm his father's body. So the physicians embalmed Israel.

3 taking the forty days required to complete the embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

This took a full 40 days, the normal time for the process, and the Egyptians mourned for him for 70 days.

4 When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please tell Pharaoh that

Once the time of mourning was over, Joseph said to Pharaoh's officials, “If you'd be so kind, please speak to Pharaoh on my behalf, and explain to him that

5 my father made me swear an oath when he said, ‘I am about to die. You must bury me in the tomb that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.’ Now let me go and bury my father, and then return.”

my father made me swear an oath, telling me, ‘You must bury me in the tomb I've prepared for myself in Canaan. Please allow me to go and bury my father and then I'll return.’”

6 Pharaoh replied, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”

Pharaoh replied, “Go and bury your father as he made you swear to do.”

7 Then Joseph went to bury his father, and all the servants of Pharaoh accompanied him—the elders of Pharaoh’s household and all the elders of the land of Egypt—

Joseph went to bury his father, and all Pharaoh's officials went with him—all Pharaoh's senior advisors and all the leaders of Egypt—

8 along with all of Joseph’s household, and his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children and flocks and herds were left in Goshen.

as well as Joseph's family, his brothers, and his father's family. They only left the small children and their flocks and herds back in Goshen.

9 Chariots and horsemen alike went up with him, and it was an exceedingly large procession.

They were accompanied by chariots and horsemen—a really large procession.

10 When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, which is across the Jordan, they lamented and wailed loudly, and Joseph mourned for his father seven days.

When they got to the threshing floor of Atad, on the other side of the Jordan, they wept loudly in sorrow. Joseph held a seven-day ceremony of mourning for his father there.

11 When the Canaanites of the land saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a solemn ceremony of mourning by the Egyptians.” Thus the place across the Jordan is called Abel-mizraim.

The Canaanites who lived there watched the ceremony of mourning at the threshing floor of Atad. They said, “This is a very sad time of mourning for the Egyptians,” so they renamed the place Abel-mizraim, which is on the other side of the Jordan.

12 So Jacob’s sons did as he had charged them.

Jacob's sons did what he had instructed them to do.

13 They 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.

They carried his body to Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah in the field near Mamre, which Abraham had bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.

14 After Joseph had buried his father, he returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone with him to bury his father.

After they had buried their father, Joseph and his brothers returned to Egypt along with all those who had gone with them.

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge? Then he will surely repay us for all the evil that we did to him.”

However, now that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers became worried, saying, “Maybe Joseph is holding a grudge against us, and he'll pay us back for all the bad things we did to him.”

16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Before he died, your father commanded,

So they sent a message to Joseph to tell him, “Before your father died, he gave this order,

17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I beg you, please forgive the transgression and sin of your brothers, for they did you wrong.’ So now, Joseph, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

‘This is what you are to tell Joseph: Forgive your brothers their sins, the bad things they did to you, treating you in such a nasty way.’ Now please forgive us our sins, we who are servants of the God of your father.” When Joseph received their message, he cried.

18 His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”

Then his brothers themselves came and fell down before Joseph and said, “We are your slaves!”

19 But Joseph replied, “Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God?

“You don't need to be afraid!” he told them. “I don't stand in the place of God, do I?

20 As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.

While you planned bad things for me, God planned it for good so that in the end many lives could be saved.

21 Therefore do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones.” So Joseph reassured his brothers and spoke kindly to them.

So don't worry. I'll go on taking care of you and your children.” Speaking kindly like this he calmed them down.

22 Now Joseph and his father’s household remained in Egypt, and Joseph lived to the age of 110.

Joseph remained in Egypt, together with his father's whole family. He lived to be 110,

23 He saw Ephraim’s sons to the third generation, and indeed the sons of Machir son of Manasseh were brought up on Joseph’s knees.

and saw three generations of his son Ephraim, and the sons of Makir, Manasseh's son, were placed in his lap when they were born.

24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

“I'm going to die soon,” Joseph told his brothers, “but God will be with you, and he will lead you out of this country to the land that he swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

25 And Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath and said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”

Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath, saying, “When God comes to be with you, you must take my bones with you when you leave.”

26 So Joseph died at the age of 110. And they embalmed his body and placed it in a coffin in Egypt.

Joseph died when he was 110. After his body was embalmed, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.