Genesis 50

1 Then Joseph was so distressed that he collapsed on the face of his father, and he wept over him, and he kissed him.

And Joseph put his head down on his father's face, weeping and kissing him.

2 Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel.

And Joseph gave orders to his servants who had the necessary knowledge, to make his father's body ready, folding it in linen with spices, and they did so.

3 They took forty days, for that was the full time for embalming. The Egyptians wept for him seventy days.

And the forty days needed for making the body ready went by: and there was weeping for him among the Egyptians for seventy days.

4 When the days of weeping were over, Joseph spoke to the house of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak to Pharaoh, saying,

And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph said to the servants of Pharaoh, If now you have love for me, say these words to Pharaoh:

5 'My father made me swear, saying, “See, I am about to die. Bury me in my tomb that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan. There you will bury me.” Now let me go up and bury my father, and then I will return.'”

My father made me take an oath, saying, When I am dead, put me to rest in the place I have made ready for myself in the land of Canaan. So now let me go and put my father in his last resting-place, and I will come back again.

6 Pharaoh answered, “Go and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

And Pharaoh said, Go up and put your father to rest, as you gave your oath to him.

7 Joseph went up to bury his father. All the officials of Pharaoh went with him—the elders of his household, all the senior officials of the land of Egypt,

So Joseph went up to put his father in his last resting-place; and with him went all the servants of Pharaoh, and the chief men of his house and all the chiefs of the land of Egypt,

8 with all Joseph's household and his brothers, and his father's household. But their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen.

And all the family of Joseph, and his brothers and his father's people: only their little ones and their flocks and herds they did not take with them from the land of Goshen.

9 Chariots and horsemen also went with him. It was a very large group of people.

And carriages went up with him and horsemen, a great army.

10 When they came to the threshing floor of Atad on the other side of the Jordan, they mourned with very great and grievous sorrow. There Joseph made a seven-day mourning for his father.

And they came to the grain-floor of Atad on the other side of Jordan, and there they gave the last honours to Jacob, with great and bitter sorrow, weeping for their father for seven days.

11 When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, “This is a very sad occasion for the Egyptians.” That is why the place was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

And when the people of the land, the people of Canaan, at the grain-floor of Atad, saw their grief, they said, Great is the grief of the Egyptians: so the place was named Abel-mizraim, on the other side of Jordan.

12 So his sons did for Jacob just as he had instructed them.

So his sons did as he had given them orders to do:

13 His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. Abraham had bought the cave with the field for a burial place. He had bought it from Ephron the Hittite.

For they took him into the land of Canaan and put him to rest in the hollow rock in the field of Machpelah, which Abraham got with the field, for a resting-place, from Ephron the Hittite at Mamre.

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

And when his father had been put to rest, Joseph and his brothers and all who had gone with him, went back to Egypt.

15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds on to anger against us and wants to repay us in full for all the evil we did to him?”

Now after the death of their father, Joseph's brothers said to themselves, It may be that Joseph's heart will be turned against us, and he will give us punishment for all the evil which we did to him.

16 So they commanded the presence of Joseph, saying, “Your father gave instructions before he died, saying,

So they sent word to Joseph, saying, Your father, before his death, gave us orders, saying,

17 'Tell Joseph this, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin when they did evil to you.”' Now please forgive the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

You are to say to Joseph, Let the wrongdoing of your brothers be overlooked, and the evil they did to you: now, if it is your pleasure, let the sin of the servants of your father's God have forgiveness. And at these words, Joseph was overcome with weeping.

18 His brothers also went and lay facedown before him. They said, “See, we are your servants.”

Then his brothers went, and falling at his feet, said, Truly, we are your servants.

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

And Joseph said, Have no fear: am I in the place of God?

20 As for you, you meant to harm me, but God meant it for good, to preserve the lives of many people, as you see today.

As for you, it was in your mind to do me evil, but God has given a happy outcome, the salvation of numbers of people, as you see today.

21 So now do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little children.” He comforted them in this way and spoke kindly to their hearts.

So now, have no fear: for I will take care of you and your little ones. So he gave them comfort with kind words.

22 Joseph lived in Egypt, together with his father's family. He lived one hundred ten years.

Now Joseph and all his father's family went on living in Egypt: and the years of Joseph's life were a hundred and ten.

23 Joseph saw Ephraim's children to the third generation. He also saw the children of Machir son of Manasseh, who were placed on the knees of Joseph.

And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation: and the children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, came to birth on Joseph's knees.

24 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die; but God will surely come to you and lead you up out of this land to the land which he swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”

Then Joseph said to his brothers, The time of my death has come; but God will keep you in mind and take you out of this land into the land which he gave by his oath to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.

25 Then Joseph made the people of Israel swear an oath. He said, “God will surely come to you. At that time you must carry up my bones from here.”

Then Joseph made the children of Israel take an oath, saying, God will certainly give effect to his word, and you are to take my bones away from here.

26 So Joseph died, 110 years old. They embalmed him and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

So Joseph came to his death, being a hundred and ten years old: and they made his body ready, and he was put in a chest in Egypt.