< Genesis 50 >

1 Joseph, realizing this, fell upon his father’s face, weeping and kissing him.
Then Joseph was so distressed that he collapsed on the face of his father, and he wept over him, and he kissed him.
2 And he instructed his servant physicians to embalm his father with aromatics.
Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel.
3 And while they were fulfilling his orders, forty days passed. For this was the method of embalming dead bodies. And Egypt wept for him for seventy days.
They took forty days, for that was the full time for embalming. The Egyptians wept for him seventy days.
4 And when the time for mourning was fulfilled, Joseph spoke to the family of Pharaoh: “If I have found favor in your sight, speak to the ears of Pharaoh.
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,
5 For my father made me swear, saying: ‘See, I am dying. You shall bury me in my sepulcher which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.’ Therefore, I shall go up and bury my father, and then return.”
'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.'”
6 And Pharaoh said to him, “Go up and bury your father, just as he made you swear.”
Pharaoh answered, “Go and bury your father, as he made you swear.”
7 So as he went up, all the elders of the house of Pharaoh went with him, along with every patriarch in the land of Egypt,
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,
8 and the house of Joseph with his brothers, except their little ones and flocks and also the herds, which they left behind in the land of Goshen.
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.
9 Likewise, he had in his company chariots and horsemen. And it became a crowd without restraint.
Chariots and horsemen also went with him. It was a very large group of people.
10 And they arrived at the threshing place of Atad, which is situated beyond the Jordan. There they spent seven full days celebrating the funeral rites with a great and vehement lamentation.
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.
11 And when the inhabitants of the land of Canaan had seen this, they said, “This is a great Lamentation for the Egyptians.” And for this reason, the name of that place was called, “The Lamentation of Egypt.”
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.
12 And so, the sons of Jacob did just as he had instructed them.
So his sons did for Jacob just as he had instructed them.
13 And carrying him into the land of Canaan, they buried him in the double cave, which Abraham had bought along with its field, from Ephron the Hittite, as a possession for burial, opposite Mamre.
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.
14 And Joseph returned into Egypt with his brothers and all those of his company, having buried his father.
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.
15 Now that he was dead, his brothers were afraid, and they said to one another: “Perhaps now he may remember the injury that he suffered and requite us for all the evil that we did to him.”
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?”
16 So they sent a message to him, saying: “Your father instructed us before he died,
So they commanded the presence of Joseph, saying, “Your father gave instructions before he died, saying,
17 that we should say these words to you from him: ‘I beg you to forget the wickedness of your brothers, and the sin and malice that they practiced against you.’ Likewise, we petition you to release the servants of the God of your father from this iniquity.” Hearing this, Joseph wept.
'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.
18 And his brothers went to him. And reverencing prostrate on the ground, they said, “We are your servants.”
His brothers also went and lay facedown before him. They said, “See, we are your servants.”
19 And he answered them: “Do not be afraid. Are we able to resist the will of God?
But Joseph answered them, “Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God?
20 You devised evil against me. But God turned it into good, so that he might exalt me, just as you presently discern, and so that he might bring about the salvation of many peoples.
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.
21 Do not be afraid. I will pasture you and your little ones.” And he consoled them, and he spoke mildly and leniently.
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.
22 And he lived in Egypt with all his father’s house; and he survived for one hundred and ten years.
Joseph lived in Egypt, together with his father's family. He lived one hundred ten years.
23 And he saw the sons of Ephraim to the third generation. Likewise, the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born onto Joseph’s knees.
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.
24 After these things happened, he said to his brothers: “God will visit you after my death, and he will make you ascend from this land into the land which he swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
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.”
25 And when he had made them swear and had said, “God will visit you; carry my bones with you from this place,”
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.”
26 he died, having completed one hundred and ten years of his life. And having been embalmed with aromatics, he was laid to rest in a coffin in Egypt.
So Joseph died, 110 years old. They embalmed him and he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

< Genesis 50 >