English Standard Version

New Living Translation

Then Joseph fell on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him.

1

Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him.

2

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

2

Then Joseph told the physicians who served him to embalm his father’s body; so Jacoba was embalmed.

3

Forty days were required for it, for that is how many are required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.

3

The embalming process took the usual forty days. And the Egyptians mourned his death for seventy days.

4

And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,

4

When the period of mourning was over, Joseph approached Pharaoh’s advisers and said, “Please do me this favor and speak to Pharaoh on my behalf.

5

‘My father made me swear, saying, “I am about to die: in my tomb that I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there shall you bury me.” Now therefore, let me please go up and bury my father. Then I will return.’”

5

Tell him that my father made me swear an oath. He said to me, ‘Listen, I am about to die. Take my body back to the land of Canaan, and bury me in the tomb I prepared for myself.’ So please allow me to go and bury my father. After his burial, I will return without delay.”

6

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

6

Pharaoh agreed to Joseph’s request. “Go and bury your father, as he made you promise,” he said.

7

So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,

7

So Joseph went up to bury his father. He was accompanied by all of Pharaoh’s officials, all the senior members of Pharaoh’s household, and all the senior officers of Egypt.

8

as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen.

8

Joseph also took his entire household and his brothers and their households. But they left their little children and flocks and herds in the land of Goshen.

9

And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It was a very great company.

9

A great number of chariots and charioteers accompanied Joseph.

10

When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they lamented there with a very great and grievous lamentation, and he made a mourning for his father seven days.

10

When they arrived at the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan River, they held a very great and solemn memorial service, with a seven-day period of mourning for Joseph’s father.

11

When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians.” Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim;a it is beyond the Jordan.

11

The local residents, the Canaanites, watched them mourning at the threshing floor of Atad. Then they renamed that place (which is near the Jordan) Abel-mizraim,b for they said, “This is a place of deep mourning for these Egyptians.”

12

Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them,

12

So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them.

13

for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place.

13

They carried his body to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. This is the cave that Abraham had bought as a permanent burial site from Ephron the Hittite.

14

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

14

Joseph Reassures His Brothers

After burying Jacob, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had accompanied him to his father’s burial.

15

God’s Good Purposes

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.”

15

But now that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers became fearful. “Now Joseph will show his anger and pay us back for all the wrong we did to him,” they said.

16

So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died:

16

So they sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died, he instructed us

17

‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

17

to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you — for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept.

18

His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

18

Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said.

19

But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God?

19

But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you?

20

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many peopleb should be kept alive, as they are today.

20

You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.

21

So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

21

No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.

22

The Death of Joseph

So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s house. Joseph lived 110 years.

22

The Death of Joseph

So Joseph and his brothers and their families continued to live in Egypt. Joseph lived to the age of 110.

23

And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were counted as Joseph’s own.c

23

He lived to see three generations of descendants of his son Ephraim, and he lived to see the birth of the children of Manasseh’s son Makir, whom he claimed as his own.c

24

And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”

24

“Soon I will die,” Joseph told his brothers, “but God will surely come to help you and lead you out of this land of Egypt. He will bring you back to the land he solemnly promised to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”

25

Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.”

25

Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath, and he said, “When God comes to help you and lead you back, you must take my bones with you.”

26

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

26

So Joseph died at the age of 110. The Egyptians embalmed him, and his body was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Parallel

English Standard Version

New Living Translation

Genesis 50

Genesis 50