50 Joseph bent down near his father's face. He wept over him and he kissed him. 2 Then Joseph told some of his servants to take Jacob's body. They knew how to put special oil on the body so that it would not become spoiled. Joseph's servants did what he told them to do. 3 The servants took care of the body for 40 days, which is the usual time. The Egyptians wept for 70 days because of Jacob's death. [ a ]
4 The time for them to weep came to an end. Joseph said to Pharaoh's officers, ‘If you agree, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him this: 5 My father made me make a promise. He said, “I will soon die. Bury me in the grave that I prepared for myself in Canaan.” So please let me go and bury my father there. Then I will return.’ 6 Pharaoh said, ‘Go and bury your father's body in the way that you promised him.’
7 So Joseph went to Canaan to bury his father. All Pharaoh's officers went with him. The important people who lived in Pharaoh's palace, as well as the important Egyptian officers, all went with Joseph. 8 Everyone in Joseph's family also went with him. His brothers and their families went, but they did not take their young children or their animals. They left those in Goshen. 9 Many soldiers also went with them. Some of them rode in chariots and some rode on horses.
10 They came to Atad's threshing floor, near the Jordan River. They stayed there for seven days to weep for the death of Jacob. They were very sad. 11 The Canaanite people who lived near there saw how sad Joseph and his people were. So they gave Atad's threshing floor a different name. They called it ‘Abel Mizraim’. [ b ] They said, ‘The Egyptians are showing that they are very sad because an important person has died.’
12 So Jacob's sons did what he had told them to do. 13 They carried his body to Canaan. They buried him there in the cave, in the field at Machpelah, near Mamre. That is the cave that Abraham had bought from Ephron the Hittite. He had bought it as a grave for him and for his family.
14 When Joseph had buried his father, he returned to Egypt together with his brothers. Everyone who had gone to Canaan with him also returned to Egypt.
15 Now Jacob was dead and Joseph's brothers became frightened. They said to each other, ‘We did a bad thing to Joseph. Now he will be angry and he will punish us for what we did.’ 16 So they sent a message to Joseph. They said, ‘Your father said this to us before he died. 17 He told us to say to you, “Please forgive your brothers for the very bad thing that they did against you. They did a very cruel thing to you.” So please forgive our sin. We are servants of your father's God.’
When Joseph received their message, he was very upset and he wept. 18 His brothers came to see him. They bent down low to the ground in front of Joseph. They said to him, ‘We are your slaves.’ 19 But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid of me. It is God who has the authority to punish people. I am not God! 20 You decided to hurt me. But God caused a good thing to happen because of that. God brought me here to save the lives of many people. You can see how that has really happened! 21 So do not be afraid. I will continue to take care of you. You and your children will receive what you need.’ In this way Joseph comforted them and he spoke kind words to them.
22 Joseph lived in Egypt, together with his father's family. He lived for 110 years. 23 And he was still alive to see Ephraim's children and grandchildren. He also saw Makir's children. Makir was Manasseh's son. Joseph took Makir's children to be his own children. [ c ]
24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I will soon die. But God will come to you and he will help you. He will take you out of Egypt. He will take you back to the land that he promised to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ 25 He also said, ‘God will help you to leave Egypt. When that happens, you must carry my bones away from here.’ Joseph made the other sons of Israel promise that they would do that.
26 So Joseph died when he was 110 years old. They put special oil on his body so that it would not become spoiled. Then they put his body in a box there in Egypt. [ d ]
50 When Israel died, Joseph was very sad. He hugged his father and cried over him and kissed him. 2 Joseph commanded his servants to prepare his father’s body. (These servants were doctors.) The doctors prepared Jacob’s body to be buried. They prepared the body in the special way of the Egyptians. 3 When the Egyptians prepared the body in this special way, they waited 40 days before they buried the body. Then the Egyptians had a special time of sadness for Jacob. This time was 70 days.
4 After the time of sadness was finished, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s officers and said, “Please tell this to Pharaoh: 5 ‘When my father was near death, I made a promise to him. I promised that I would bury him in a cave in the land of Canaan. This is the cave that he prepared for himself. So please let me go and bury my father. Then I will come back here to you.’”
6 Pharaoh answered, “Keep your promise. Go and bury your father.”
7 So Joseph went to bury his father. All of Pharaoh’s officials, personal advisors, and all the older leaders of Egypt went with Joseph. 8 All the people in Joseph’s family, his brothers, and all the people in his father’s family went with him. Only the children and the animals stayed in the land of Goshen. 9 So there was a large crowd of people with him. There was even a group of soldiers riding in chariots and some on horses.
10 They went to Goren Atad, [ a ] east of the Jordan River. There they had a long funeral service for Israel, which continued for seven days. 11 When the people who lived in Canaan saw the funeral service at Goren Atad, they said, “This is a time of great sorrow for those Egyptians.” So now that place across the Jordan River is named Abel Mizraim. [ b ]
12 So Jacob’s sons did what their father told them. 13 They carried his body to Canaan and buried it in the cave at Machpelah. This was the cave near Mamre in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite. Abraham bought that cave to use as a burial place. 14 After Joseph buried his father, he and everyone in the group with him went back to Egypt.
15 After Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers were worried. They were afraid that Joseph would still be mad at them for what they had done years before. They said, “Maybe Joseph still hates us for what we did.” 16 So the brothers sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died, he told us to give you a message. 17 He said, ‘Tell Joseph that I beg him to please forgive his brothers for the bad things they did to him.’ So now Joseph, we beg you, please forgive us for the bad things we did to you. We are the servants of God, the God of your father.”
That message made Joseph very sad, and he cried. 18 His brothers went to him and bowed down in front of him. They said, “We will be your servants.”
19 Then Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. I am not God! I have no right to punish you. 20 It is true that you planned to do something bad to me. But really, God was planning good things. God’s plan was to use me to save the lives of many people. And that is what happened. 21 So don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.” And so Joseph said kind things to his brothers, and this made them feel better.
22 Joseph continued to live in Egypt with his father’s family. He died when he was 110 years old. 23 During Joseph’s life Ephraim had children and grandchildren. And his son Manasseh had a son named Makir. Joseph lived to see Makir’s children.
24 When Joseph was near death, he said to his brothers, “My time to die is almost here. But I know that God will take care of you and lead you out of this country. God will lead you to the land he promised to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
25 Then Joseph asked his people to make a promise. Joseph said, “Promise me that you will carry my bones with you when God leads you out of Egypt.”
26 Joseph died in Egypt when he was 110 years old. Doctors prepared his body for burial and put the body in a coffin in Egypt.
50 And Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.
2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel.
3 And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.
4 And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,
5 My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.
6 And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.
7 And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
8 And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.
9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.
10 And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.
11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abelmizraim, which is beyond Jordan.
12 And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them:
13 For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.
14 And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.
15 And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.
16 And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,
17 So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.
18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.
19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?
20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.
22 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.
23 And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph's knees.
24 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
25 And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.
26 So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.
50 Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him and kissed him. 2 Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians ( A ) embalmed Israel. 3 Now forty days were [ a ] required for [ b ] it, for [ c ] such is the period required for embalming. And the Egyptians ( B ) wept for him seventy days.
4 When the days of [ d ] mourning for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your sight, please speak [ e ] to Pharaoh, saying, 5 ‘ ( C ) My father made me swear, saying, “Behold, I am about to die; in my grave ( D ) which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.” Now then, please let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’” 6 Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”
7 So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 and all the household of Joseph and his brothers and his father’s household; they left only their little ones and their flocks and their herds in the land of Goshen. 9 Chariots with teams of horses also went up with him; and it was a very great company. 10 When they came to the [ f ] threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they ( E ) mourned there with a very great and [ g ] sorrowful lamentation; and he [ h ] observed seven days of mourning for his father. 11 Now when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at [ i ] the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a [ j ] grievous [ k ] mourning for the Egyptians.” Therefore it was named [ l ] Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.
12 And so his sons did for him as he had commanded them; 13 for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in ( F ) the cave of the field of Machpelah opposite Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field as a [ m ] burial site from Ephron the Hittite. 14 And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.
15 When Joseph’s brothers had seen that their father was dead, they said, “ ( G ) What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him!” 16 So they sent instructions to Joseph, saying, “Your father commanded us before he died, saying, 17 ‘This is what you shall say to Joseph: “Please forgive, I beg you, the offense of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong.”’ And now, please forgive the offense of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also came and ( H ) fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? 20 As for you, ( I ) you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about [ n ] this present result, to keep many people alive. 21 So therefore, do not be afraid; ( J ) I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke [ o ] kindly to them.
22 Now Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and his father’s household, and Joseph lived 110 years. 23 Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim’s sons; also the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were ( K ) born on Joseph’s knees. 24 Joseph said to his brothers, “ ( L ) I am about to die, but God will assuredly [ p ] take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He [ q ] promised on oath to ( M ) Abraham, to ( N ) Isaac, and to ( O ) Jacob.” 25 Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will assuredly [ r ] take care of you, and ( P ) you shall carry my bones up from here.” 26 So Joseph died at the age of 110 years; and they ( Q ) embalmed him and placed him in a coffin in Egypt.
50 Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. ( A ) 2 Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, ( B ) 3 taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. ( C )
4 When the days of mourning ( D ) had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, ( E ) “If I have found favor in your eyes, ( F ) speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, 5 ‘My father made me swear an oath ( G ) and said, “I am about to die; ( H ) bury me in the tomb I dug for myself ( I ) in the land of Canaan.” ( J ) Now let me go up and bury my father; ( K ) then I will return.’”
6 Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”
7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials ( L ) accompanied him—the dignitaries of his court ( M ) and all the dignitaries of Egypt— 8 besides all the members of Joseph’s household and his brothers and those belonging to his father’s household. ( N ) Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. ( O ) 9 Chariots ( P ) and horsemen [ a ] also went up with him. It was a very large company.
10 When they reached the threshing floor ( Q ) of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; ( R ) and there Joseph observed a seven-day period ( S ) of mourning ( T ) for his father. ( U ) 11 When the Canaanites ( V ) who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning.” ( W ) That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim. [ b ]
12 So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them: ( X ) 13 They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, ( Y ) near Mamre, ( Z ) which Abraham had bought along with the field ( AA ) as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. ( AB ) 14 After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father. ( AC )
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge ( AD ) against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” ( AE ) 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions ( AF ) before he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins ( AG ) and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ ( AH ) Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father. ( AI ) ” When their message came to him, Joseph wept. ( AJ )
18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. ( AK ) “We are your slaves,” ( AL ) they said.
19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? ( AM ) 20 You intended to harm me, ( AN ) but God intended ( AO ) it for good ( AP ) to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. ( AQ ) 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children. ( AR ) ” And he reassured them and spoke kindly ( AS ) to them.
22 Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived a hundred and ten years ( AT ) 23 and saw the third generation ( AU ) of Ephraim’s ( AV ) children. ( AW ) Also the children of Makir ( AX ) son of Manasseh ( AY ) were placed at birth on Joseph’s knees. [ c ] ( AZ )
24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. ( BA ) But God will surely come to your aid ( BB ) and take you up out of this land to the land ( BC ) he promised on oath to Abraham, ( BD ) Isaac ( BE ) and Jacob.” ( BF ) 25 And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath ( BG ) and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones ( BH ) up from this place.” ( BI )
26 So Joseph died ( BJ ) at the age of a hundred and ten. ( BK ) And after they embalmed him, ( BL ) he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
