Genesis 46
1 So Jacob left [Canaan], taking with him all his family and possessions. When they arrived at Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to God, the one whom his father Isaac worshiped.
So Israel set out with all that he had, and when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
2 That night, God called to Jacob in a vision, saying, “Jacob! Jacob!” He replied, “I am here!”
And that night God spoke to Israel in a vision: “Jacob, Jacob!” He said. “Here I am,” replied Jacob.
3 God said, “I am God, the one your father worshiped. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, because I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation there.
“I am God,” He said, “the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.
4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and later I will bring [your descendants] back to Canaan again. And Joseph will be with you [MTY] when you die.” [IDM]
I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will surely bring you back. And Joseph’s own hands will close your eyes.”
5 Jacob left Beersheba, and his sons took their father, their wives, and their children, in the carts that the king had sent for them to travel in.
Then Jacob departed from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him, along with their children and wives.
6 So Jacob and all his family went to Egypt. They took with them the livestock and all the other possessions that they had acquired in Canaan.
They also took the livestock and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt.
7 Jacob went to Egypt with all his sons and his daughters and grandsons and granddaughters—his whole family.
Jacob took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.
8 (Here is/I will now give you) a list of the names of the members of Jacob’s family who went with him to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s oldest son; Reuben’s sons Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; Simeon and his sons Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, who was the son of a Canaan people-group woman; Levi and his sons Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; Judah and his sons, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (his other sons, Er, and Onan, had died in Canaan); Perez and his two sons Hezron and Hamul; Issachar and his sons Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron; Zebulon and his sons Sered, Elon, and Jahleel; (Those were the sons of Jacob and Leah, and their daughter Dinah, who were born in Paddan-Aram/Mesopotamia: There were 33 of them, altogether.) They had Gad and his sons Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli; Asher and his sons Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah; and their sister Serah; Beriah’s sons Heber and Malkiel; (Those were the children and grandchildren of Jacob and Zilpah, the slave girl whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah: There were 16 of them, altogether.) Joseph and Benjamin, the sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel; (Ephraim and Manasseh were Joseph’s two sons. [They did not go down to Egypt] because they were already in Egypt. They were sons of Asenath, the daughter of On, who was the priest in the temple in On [city].) Benjamin and his sons Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard; (Those were the sons and grandsons of Rachel and Jacob: There were 14 people altogether.) Dan and his son Hushim; Naphtali and his sons Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. (Those were the sons and grandsons of Jacob and Bilhah, the slave girl whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel: There were seven people altogether.)
Now these are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.
The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.
The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron.
The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
These are the sons of Leah born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah. The total number of sons and daughters was thirty-three.
The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
The children of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.
These are the sons of Jacob born to Zilpah—whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.
The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
These are the sons of Rachel born to Jacob—fourteen in all.
The son of Dan: Hushim.
The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
These are the sons of Jacob born to Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel—seven in all.
26 Altogether there were 66 people who were Jacob’s descendants who went to Egypt with him. That number does not include his sons’ wives.
All those belonging to Jacob who came to Egypt—his direct descendants, besides the wives of Jacob’s sons—numbered sixty-six persons.
27 Including Jacob and Joseph and Joseph’s two sons who were born in Egypt, there were 70 members of Jacob’s family when they were all there in Egypt.
And with the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family who went to Egypt were seventy in all.
28 Jacob sent Judah to go ahead of the rest of them to talk with Joseph and ask for directions on how to travel to Goshen. Then [Judah returned to the rest of his family and] they all traveled to the Goshen region. When they arrived there,
Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When Jacob’s family arrived in the land of Goshen,
29 Joseph got his chariot ready and went to Goshen to meet his father. When Joseph arrived, he threw his arms around his father’s neck and cried a long time.
Joseph prepared his chariot and went there to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, embraced him, and wept profusely.
30 Jacob said to Joseph, “I have seen you and I know that you are still alive! So now I am ready to die.”
Then Israel said to Joseph, “Finally I can die, now that I have seen your face and know that you are still alive!”
31 Then Joseph said to his [older] brothers [and younger brother] and to the rest of his father’s family, “I will go to the king and say to him, ‘My [older] brothers [and younger brother] and my father and the rest of his family, who were living in Canaan land, have all come to me.
Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and inform Pharaoh: ‘My brothers and my father’s household from the land of Canaan have come to me.
32 The men are all shepherds. They take care of their livestock, and they have brought with them their sheep and goats and cattle, and everything else that they own.’
The men are shepherds; they raise livestock, and they have brought their flocks and herds and all that they own.’
33 When the king summons you and asks, ‘What work do you do?’
When Pharaoh summons you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’
34 answer him by saying, ‘From the time when we were young, we have taken care of livestock, just as our ancestors did.’ If you tell him that, he will let you live in the Goshen region.” Joseph told them to say that because the people of Egypt despised all shepherds.
you 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.”
