 Genesis, Chapter 42-45, from the Holy Bible, King James Version. Now, when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt. Get you down, dither, and buy for us from thence, that we may live and not die. And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. The Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent naught with his brethren, for he said, Lest per adventure mischief befall him. And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. And Joseph was the governor of the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land, and Joseph's brethren came and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth. And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them, and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan, to buy food. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies, to see the nakedness of the land, ye are come. And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food, are thy servants come. We are all one man's sons, we are true men, thy servants are no spies. And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land, ye are come. And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. And behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies. Hereby ye shall be proved. By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother, come hither. Send one of you, and let him vetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you, or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. And he put them all together into ward three days. And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do and live, for I fear God. If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison. Go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses. But bring your youngest brother unto me, so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so. And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us, and we would not hear. Therefore is this distress come upon us. And Ruben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child, and ye would not hear. Therefore behold also his blood is required. And they knew not that Joseph understood them, for he spake unto them by an interpreter. And he turned himself about from them, and wept, and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes. Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way, and thus did he unto them. And they laid at their asses with the corn and departed thence. And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass Provinter in the inn, he aspired his money, for behold it was in his sack's mouth. And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored, and lo, it is even in my sack. And their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us? And they came unto Jacob their father, unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them, saying, The man who is the Lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. And we said unto him, We are true men, we are no spies. We be twelve brethren, sons of our father. One is not, and the youngest is this day, with our father and the land of Canaan. And the man, the Lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men, leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone, and bring your youngest brother unto me, then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men. So will I deliver you, your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land. And it came to pass, as they emptied their sacks, that behold every man's bundle of money was in his sack, and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money they were afraid. And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children, Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away. All these things are against me. And Ruben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee. Deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. And he said, My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. CHAPTER 43 And the famine was sore in the land. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, He shall not see my face except your brother be with you. If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food. But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down, for the man said unto us, He shall not see my face except your brother be with you. And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? And they said, The man asked us straightly of our state and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? Have ye another brother? And we told him, according to the tenor of these words, Could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down? And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and thou and also our little ones. I will be surety for him, of my hand shall thou require him. If I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, Then let me bear the blame for ever. For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time. And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this, take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds, and take double money in your hand, and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacs, carry it again in your hand, per adventure it was an oversight. Take also your brother and arise, go again unto the man, and God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand and Benjamin, and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready, for these men shall dine with me at noon. And the man did as Joseph bade, and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. And the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house, and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacs at the first time, or we brought in, that he may seek occasion against us and fall upon us, and take us for bond men and our asses. And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed with him at the door of the house, and said, Oh, sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food. And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacs, and behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sac, our money in full weight, and we have brought it again in our hand. In other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food. We cannot tell who put our money in our sacs. And he said, Peace be to you, fear not, your God and the God of your Father hath given you treasure in your sacs, I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet, and he gave their asses Provinder. And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there. When Joseph came home they brought him the present, which was in their hand, into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth. And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your Father well the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive? And they answered, Thy servant our Father is in good health, he is yet alive, and they bowed down their heads, and made obeisans. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. And Joseph made haste, for his bowels did yearn upon his brother, and he sought where to weep, and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him by themselves, because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. And they sat before him the first born according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth, and the men marveled one at another. And he took and sent messes unto them from before him, but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs, and they drank and were merry with him. CHAPTER 44 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth, and put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money, and he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph sat unto his steward, up, follow after the men, and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore, have ye rewarded evil for good? Is not this it, in which my Lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth, he have done evil in so doing? And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words. And they said unto him, Wherefore, sayeth my Lord these words, God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing. Behold the money which we found in our sack's mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan. How then should we steal out of thy Lord's house, silver or gold? With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my Lord's bondman. And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words, he with whom it is found shall be my servant, and ye shall be blameless. Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Then they rent their clothes, and laid at every man his ass, and returned to the city. And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house, for he was yet there, and they fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? What ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine? And Judah said, What shall we say unto my Lord? What shall we speak, or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants. We are my Lord's servants, both we and he also, with whom the cup is found. And he said, God forbid that I should do so, but the man in whose hand the cup is found he shall be my servant, and ask for you, get you up in peace unto your father. Then Judah came near unto him, and said, O my Lord, let thy servant I pray thee, speak a word in my Lord's ears, and let not thy anger burn against thy servant, for thou art even his pharaoh. My Lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father or a brother? And we said unto my Lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one, and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. Then we said unto my Lord, The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die. And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother, come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. And it came to pass, when we came up unto thy servant, my father, we told him the words of my Lord. And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food. And we said, We cannot go down. If our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down, for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us. And I servant my father said unto us, He know that my wife bear me two sons, and the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces, and I saw him not since. And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, he shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. And now therefore, when I come to thy servant, my father, and the lad be not with us, seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life, it shall come to pass when he seeeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die, and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father, for ever. Now therefore I pray thee, let thy servant bide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brethren. For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest per adventure I see the evil that shall come on my father. CHAPTER 45 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him, and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians in the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph, doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence. When Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph, your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither, for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land, and yet there are five years in which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God. And he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt. Come down unto me, tarry not, and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast. And there will I nourish thee, for yet there are five years of famine, lest thou and thy household and all that thou hast come to poverty. And behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen, and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover, he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them, and after that his brethren talked with him. And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come, and it pleased Pharaoh well and his servants. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye, Lade your beasts, and go, Get you into the land of Canaan, and take your father and your households, and come unto me, and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. Now thou art commanded, this do ye, take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father and come. Also regard not your stuff, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours. And the children of Israel did so, and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. And to his father he sent after this manner, ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way. So he sent his brethren away, and they departed, and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way. And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan on to Jacob their father, and told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not. And they told him all the words of Joseph which he had said unto them, and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. And Israel said, It is enough, Joseph my son is yet alive. I will go and see him before I die. End of Genesis, chapters 42 through 45. Recording by Darren L. Slider, Fort Worth, Texas, www.logoselibrary.org. Genesis, chapters 46 through 50, from the Holy Bible, King James Version. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Darren L. Slider, www.logoselibrary.org. The Holy Bible, King James Version, Genesis, chapter 46. And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father, Isaac. And God spake unto Israel and the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob, and he said, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thy father. Fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will there make of thee a great nation. I will go down with thee into Egypt, and I will also surely bring thee up again, and Joseph shall put his hand upon thy eyes. And Jacob rose up from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. And they took their cattle and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his seed with him, his sons and his sons' sons with him, his daughters and his sons' daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt. And these are the names of the children of Israel which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons, Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and the sons of Reuben, Hennach and Falu, and Hezren and Karmai, and the sons of Simeon, Jameul and Jamon and Ohad and Jacob, and Zohar and Cheol the son of a Canaanites woman, and the sons of Levi, Gershen, Kohath and Marari, and the sons of Judah, Ur and Onan, and Sheela, and Ferez and Zira, but Ur and Onan died in the land of Canaan, and the sons of Ferez were Hezren and Hamel, and the sons of Issachar, Tola and Fuvah and Job and Shemron, and the sons of Zebulun, Sered and Elan and Jalil. These be the sons of Lea which she bear unto Jacob and paid an Arum with his daughter Dinah, all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three, and the sons of Gad, Zephyon and Haggai, Shunai and Esbon, Erai and Erodai and Arelai, and the sons of Asher, Jimna and Eshua and Esuai and Birayah and Sira their sister, and the sons of Birayah, Heber and Malkiel. These are the sons of Zilpa whom Laban gave to Lea his daughter, and these she bear unto Jacob, even sixteen souls. The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife, Joseph and Benjamin, and unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Aseneth the daughter of Potipharah, Priest of Arn, bear unto him. And the sons of Benjamin were Bela and Beaker and Ashbel, Gira and Naaman, Ehi and Rosh, Mupim and Hupim and Ard. These are the sons of Rachel which were born to Jacob, all the souls were fourteen. And the sons of Dan, Hushim, and the sons of Naftali, Jazeel and Gunai and Jeeser and Shillam. These are the sons of Bilha which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bear these unto Jacob, all the souls were seven. All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt which came out of his loins besides Jacob's son's wives, all the souls were three score and six, and the sons of Joseph which were born him in Egypt were two souls, all the souls of the house of Jacob which came into Egypt were three score and ten. And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph to direct his face unto the Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen. And Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father to Goshen and presented himself unto him, and he fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive. And Joseph said unto his brethren and unto his father's house, I will go up and show Pharaoh and say unto him, My brethren and my father's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me. And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle. And they have brought their flocks and their herds, and all that they have. And it shall come to pass when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? That ye shall say, Thy servant's trade hath been about cattle from our youth, even until now, both we and also our fathers, that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians. CHAPTER 47 Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan, and behold, they are in the land of Goshen. And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers. They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sergeant in the land are we come, for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan. And now therefore we pray thee, Let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen. And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee, the land of Egypt is before thee, in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell, in the land of Goshen let them dwell, and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle. And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou? And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are 130 years, few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh. And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Ramazes, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph nourished his father and his brethren, and all his father's household with bread according to their families. And there was no bread in all the land, for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought, and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. And when money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph and said, Give us bread, for why should we die in thy presence? For the money faileth. And Joseph said, Give your cattle, and I will give you for your cattle if money fail. And they brought their cattle unto Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses, and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year. When that year was ended they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my Lord, how that our money is spent. My Lord also hath our herds of cattle. There is not ought left in the sight of my Lord, but our bodies and our lands. Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh. And give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate. And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for the Egyptians sold every man his field because the famine prevailed over them, so the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. Only the land of the priests bought he not, for the priests had a portion assigned them a Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them, wherefore they sold not their lands. Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh. Lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass in the increase, that she shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones. And they said, Thou hast saved our lives, let us find grace in the sight of my Lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants. And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day that Pharaoh should have the fifth part, except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's. And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt in the country of Goshen, and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years. And the time drew nigh that Israel must die, and he called his son Joseph and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put I pray thee thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt, but I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burying place. And he said, I will do as thou hast said. And he said, Swear unto me. And he swear unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head. CHAPTER 48 And it came to pass after these things that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick. And he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And one told Jacob and said, Behold, thy son Joseph, cometh unto thee. And Israel strengthened himself and sat upon the bed. And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz, in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, and said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful and multiply thee, and I will make up thee a multitude of people, and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession. And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine, as Reuben and Simeon they shall be mine. And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be cold after the name of their brethren and their inheritance. And as for me, when I came from Peyton, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephraith, and I buried her there in the way of Ephraith the same as Bethlehem. And Israel beheld Joseph's sons and said, Who were these? And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see, and he brought them near unto him, and he kissed them, and embraced them. And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face, and lo God hath showed me also thy seed. And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand, toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand, toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him. And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly, for Manasseh was the first born. And he blessed Joseph, and said, God before whom my father's Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the angel which redeemed me from all evil, blessed the lads, and let my name be named on them, and the name of my father is Abraham and Isaac, and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he held up his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father, for this is the first born, put thy right hand upon his head. And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. But truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh. And he said Ephraim before Manasseh. And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die, but God shall be with you and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the amorite with my sword and with my bow. CHAPTER 49 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days. Gather yourselves together, and hear ye sons of Jacob, and hearken unto Israel your father. Ruben, thou art my first born, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel, because thou wentest up to thy father's bed, then defiled thou it. He went up to my couch. Simeon and Levi are brethren. Instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret, unto their assembly, mine honor be not thou united, for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they dig down a wall. Just be their anger, for it was fears, and their wrath, for it was cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise, thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies, thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's welp. From the prey, my son, thou art gone up. He stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion. Who shall rouse him up? The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a law-giver from between his feet until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his asses colt unto the choice-vine, he washed his garments in wine and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk. Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea, and he shall be for an haven of ships, and his border shall be unto Zayden. Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens, and he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant, and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute. Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path that bighteth the horse-heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord. Gad a troop shall overcome him, but he shall overcome at the last. Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties. Naftali is a hind, let loose, he giveth goodly words. Joseph is a fruitful bow, even a fruitful bow, by a well whose branches run over the wall. The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him, but his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. From thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel. Even by the God of thy Father, who shall help thee, and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieeth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb, the blessings of thy Father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors, unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren. Benjamin shall raven as a wolf, in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is it that their fathers spake unto them, and blessed them, every one according to his blessing he blessed them. When he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron, the Hittite, and the cave that is in the field of Makpila, which is before Mamre, and the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite, for a possession of a burying place. There they buried Abraham and Sarah, his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah. The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth. And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people. Chapter 50 Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants to physicians to embalm his father, and the physicians embalmed Israel. And forty days were fulfilled for him, for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed, and the Egyptians mourned for him three score and ten days. And when the days of his mourning were passed, 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, My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die, in my grave which I have digged for me, in the land of Canaan, there shall thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again. And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear. 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, 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. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great company. And they came to the threshing floor 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. 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. Before the name of it was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond Jordan. And his sons did unto him, according as he commanded them, for his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Makpila, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a burying place of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre. 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. And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will per-adventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive I pray thee now the trespass of thy brethren and their sin, for they did unto the 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. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face, and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not, for am I in the place of God? 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. Now therefore, fear ye not, I will nourish you and your little ones, and he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them. And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he and his father's house, and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years. And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation. The children also, of Maker the son of Manasseh, were brought up upon Joseph's knees. 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 swear to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. 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. So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old, and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. End of Genesis. Recording by Darren L. Slider, Fort Worth, Texas, www.logoslibrary.org Exodus 1-6, from the Holy Bible, King James Version. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Darren L. Slider, www.logoslibrary.org The Holy Bible, King James Version The Second Book of Moses, Called Exodus. Chapter 1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel which came into Egypt every man and his household came with Jacob, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls, for Joseph was in Egypt already. And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed, exceeding mighty, and the land was filled with them. Now there arose up a new king over Egypt which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. Come on, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply. And it come to pass that when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh, treasure-cities, pythons, and ramesses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew, and they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigor, and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. All their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigor. And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shifra, and the name of the other Pua. And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools, if it be a son, then ye shall kill him, but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not, as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive. And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women, for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive. CHAPTER 2 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bear a son. And when she saw him, that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and dobbed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein, and she laid it in the flags by the river's bank. And his sister stood afar off to wit what would be done to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river, and her maidens walked along by the river's side, and when she saw the ark among the flags she set her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrew's children. Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go, and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that ye may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go! And the maid went, and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, And I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses, and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. And it came to pass in those days when Moses was grown that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens. And he spied an Egyptian, smiting in Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way, and that way. And when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together. And he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smiteest thou thy fellow? And he said, Whom made thee a prince, and a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killest the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing he sought to slay Moses, but Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. And when they came to rule their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to-day? And they said, In Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water in up for us, and watered the flock. And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? Why is it that ye have left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread. Then Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. And she bear him a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land. And it came to pass, in process of time, that the king of Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them. CHAPTER 3 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the back side of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out at the midst of a bush, and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses, and he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not, nigh hither, put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place where I'll now standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows, and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land, unto a good land, and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey, unto the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Parasites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. Now therefore behold the cry of the children of Israel has come unto me, and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppressed them. Come now, therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt. And Moses said unto God, Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee, and this shall be a token unto thee that I have sent thee. When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you, and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I am that I am. And he said, Thus shall thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shall thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord, God of your fathers, The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath sent me unto you. This is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord, God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you and seen that which is done to you in Egypt. And I have said, I will bring you up, out of the affliction of Egypt, unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Parasites, and the Hyvites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. And they shall hearken to thy voice, and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The Lord, God of the Hebrews, hath met with us. And now let us go, we beseech thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, though it may sacrifice to the Lord our God. And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt, with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof, and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and it shall come to pass, that when you go, ye shall not go empty. But every woman shall borrow of her neighbor, and of her that Sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters, and ye shall spoil the Egyptians. CHAPTER IV And Moses answered and said, But behold, they will not believe me, nor harken unto my voice, for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand. That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath appeared unto thee. And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom. And when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again, and plucked it out of his bosom, and behold, it was turned again as his other flash. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shall take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land, and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither he too fore, nor since thou hath spoken unto thy servant, but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth, or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind, have not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. And he said, O my Lord, send I pray thee by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well, and also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee, and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth, and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people, and he shall be, even he shall be to thee, instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him, instead of God. And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs. And Moses went and returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and said unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren, which are in Egypt, and see what they be yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace. And the Lord said unto Moses and Midian, Go, return into Egypt, for all the men are dead, which sought thy life. And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took the rod of God in his hand. And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand, but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus sayeth the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn. And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me. And if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. And it came to pass by the way in the inn that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him. Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me. So he let him go, then she said, A bloody husband thou art, because of the circumcision. And the Lord said to Aaron, Go into the wilderness to meet Moses, and he went, and met him in the Mount of God, and kissed him. And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which he had commanded him. And Moses and Aaron went, and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel, and Aaron spake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs and the sight of the people. And the people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads, and worshiped. And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus sayeth the Lord, God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us, Let us go, we pray, thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. And the king of Egypt sat unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works, Get you unto your burdens? And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens. And Pharaoh commanded the same day the task-masters of the people and their officers, saying, Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as here to fore, Let them go, and gather straw for themselves. And the tale of the bricks, which they did make here to fore, ye shall lay upon them, ye shall not diminish ought thereof, for they be idle, therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. Let their more work be laid upon the men that they may labor therein, and let them not regard vain words. And the task-masters of the people went out and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. Go ye, get you straw, where ye can find it. Yet not ought of your work shall be diminished. So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. And the task-masters hasted them, saying, Fulfill your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's task-masters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick, both yesterday and today, as here to fore? Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy servants? There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, Make brick, and behold thy servants are beaten, but the fault is in thine own people. But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle. Therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord. Go therefore now and work, for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks. And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not diminish ought from your bricks of your daily task. And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh, and they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge, because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us. And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore has thou so evil and treated this people? Why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people, neither has thou delivered thy people at all. Then the Lord said unto Moses, Now shall thou see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord, and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them. And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched-out arm, and with great judgments. And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God, and ye shall know that I am the Lord, your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, and I will give it to you for an heritage. I am the Lord. And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel, but they hawken not unto Moses, for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Go in, speak unto Pharaoh, King of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. And Moses spake before the Lord, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hawkened unto me, how then shall Pharaoh hear me, to him of uncircumcised lips? And the Lord spake unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh, King of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. These be the heads of their fathers' houses, the sons of Rubin, the firstborn of Israel, Hanok, and Palu, Hezren, and Karmai, these be the families of Rubin, and the sons of Simeon, Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jacob, and Zohar, and Shaol, the son of a Canaanites woman, these be the families of Simeon. And these are the names of the sons of Levi, according to their generations, Gershen, and Kohath, and Marari, and the years of the life of Levi were in hundred thirty and seven years. The sons of Gershen, Libni, and Shemai, according to their families, and the sons of Kohath, Amram, and Ishar, and Hebron, and Uziel, and the years of the life of Kohath were in hundred thirty and three years, and the sons of Marari, Mahelai, and Muschai, these are the families of Levi, according to their generations. And Amram took Jacobet, his father's sister, to wife, and she bear him Aaron, and Moses, and the years of the life of Amram were in hundred and thirty and seven years. And the sons of Ishar, Korah, and Nephag, and Zikrai, and the sons of Uziel, Maishael, and Elzephan, and Zithrai. And Aaron took him Elishaba, daughter of Aminodab, sister of Naishan, to wife, and she bear him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. And the sons of Korah, Asir, and Alkena, and Abysseph, these are the families of the Korhites. And Eleazar, Aaron's son, took him one of the daughters of Puteel, to wife, and she bear him Phineas, these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites, according to their families. These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the Lord said, bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, according to their armies. These are they which spake to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are that Moses and Aaron. And it came to pass, on the day when the Lord spake unto Moses and the land of Egypt, that the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I am the Lord, speak thou unto Pharaoh, king of Egypt, all that I say unto thee. And Moses said before the Lord, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh harken unto me? Exodus 7-11 From the Holy Bible, King James Version This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Darren L. Slider, www.logoslibrary.org The Holy Bible, King James Version, Exodus, Chapter 7 And the Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a God to Pharaoh, and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee, and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not harken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt, by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them. And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them, so did they. And Moses was four-score years old, and Aaron four-score and three years old when they spake unto Pharaoh. And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Show a miracle for you, then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent. And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the Lord had commanded, and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers. Now the magicians of Egypt they also did in like manner with their enchantments. For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. And he hardened Pharaoh's heart that he hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had said. And the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh's heart is hardened, he refusedeth to let the people go. Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning, lo, he goeth out unto the water, and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come, and the rod which was turned to a serpent shall thou take in thine hand. And thou shalt say unto him, The Lord, God of the Hebrews, hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness, and behold, hither too, thou wouldest not hear. Thus saith the Lord, In this thou shalt know that I am the Lord. Behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river, and they shall be turned to blood. And the fish that is in the river shall die, and the river shall stink, and the Egyptians shall loathe the drink of the water of the river. And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood, and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone. And Moses and Aaron did so as the Lord commanded, and he lifted up the rod and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that was in the river died, and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water or the river, and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments, and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he hearken unto them, as the Lord had said. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also. And all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink, for they could not drink of the water of the river. And seven days were fulfilled after that the Lord had smitten the river. CHAPTER 8 And the Lord spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me. And if thou refuse to let them go, Behold, I will smite all thy borders with frogs, and the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bed-chamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thine ovens, and into thy kneading-trops, and the frogs shall come up, both on thee, and upon thy people, and upon all thy servants. And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Intreat the Lord that he may take away the frogs from me, and from my people, and I will let the people go that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord. And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me! When shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only? And he said, Tomorrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word, that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the Lord our God. Then the frogs shall depart from thee, and from thy houses, and from thy servants, and from thy people, they shall remain in the river only. And Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried unto the Lord, because of the frogs which he had brought against Pharaoh. And the Lord did according to the word of Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and out of the fields. And they gathered them together upon heaps, and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had said. And the Lord said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And they did so, for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast, all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not, so there were lice upon man, and upon beast. Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the finger of God, and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had said. Then the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, Lo, he cometh forth to the water, and say unto him, Thus sayeth the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me. Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, Behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground, whereon they are. And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there. To the end thou mayest know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth. And I will put a division between my people and thy people, to-morrow shall this sign be. And the Lord did so, and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies. And Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron, and said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land. And Moses said, It is not meat so to do, for we shall sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord our God. Lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? We will go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God, as he shall command us. And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness, only ye shall not go very far away. Intreat for me. And Moses said, Behold, I go out from thee, and I will entreat the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, to-morrow. But let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more, and not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord. And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the Lord. And the Lord did, according to the word of Moses, and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, there remained not one. When Pharaoh heartened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go. CHAPTER IX Then the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the Lord, God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep, there shall be a very grievous moraine. And the Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt, and there shall nothing die of all that is the childrens of Israel. And the Lord appointed a set time, saying, To-morrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land. And the Lord did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died. But of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. And Pharaoh sent, and behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go. And the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven and the site of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blanes upon man and upon beast throughout all the land of Egypt. And they took ashes of the furnace and stood before Pharaoh, and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven, and it became a boil breaking forth with blanes upon man and upon beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boil was upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them as the Lord had spoken unto Moses. And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go that they may serve me, for I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart and upon thy servants and upon thy people, but thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence, and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up for to show in thee my power, and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people that thou will not let them go. Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now. Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle and all that thou hast in the field, for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. He that feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses, and he that regarded not the word of the Lord left his servants and his cattle in the field. And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt. And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground, and the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast, and the hail smote every herb of the field, and break every tree of the field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail. And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time, the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Intreat the Lord, for it is enough that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail, and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord, and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail, that thou mayest know how that the earth is the Lord's. But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the Lord God. And the flax and the barley was smitten, for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bald. But the wheat and the rye were not smitten, for they were not grown up. And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the Lord, and the thunder and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth. Even when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses. CHAPTER X And the Lord said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I might show these my signs before him, and that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them, that ye may know how that I am the Lord. And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, how long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth, and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field. And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians, which neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers, nor thy gods, nor thy gods, nor thy gods, nor thy gods, nor thy gods, nor thy gods, nor thy fathers, fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth unto this day. And he turned himself, and went out from Pharaoh. And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Knowest thou not yet, that Egypt is destroyed? And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh, and he said unto them, Go, serve the Lord your God. But who are they that shall go? And Moses said, We will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go, for we must hold a feast unto the Lord. And he said unto them, Let the Lord be so with you, as I will let you go, and your little ones. Look to it, for evil is before you. Not so. Go now ye that are men, and serve the Lord. For that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence. And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left. And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. And when it was morning the east wind brought the locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested on all the coasts of Egypt. Very grievous were they. Before them there were no such locusts as they. Neither after them shall be such. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened. And they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail hath left. And there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and he said, I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. Now therefore forgive I pray thee my sin only this once, and entreat the Lord your God that he may take away from me this death only. And he went out from Pharaoh, and entreated the Lord. And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red Sea. There remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go. And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days, but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings. And Pharaoh called unto Moses and said, Go ye, serve the Lord, only let your flocks and your herds be stayed, let your little ones also go with you. And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God. Our cattle also shall go with us, that shall not and hoof be left behind, for thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God, and we know not with what we must serve the Lord, until we come thither. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he would not let them go. And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more, for in that day thou seest my face, thou shall die. And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more. CHAPTER 11 And the Lord said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt, afterwards he will let you go hence, when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether. Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor jewels of silphur and jewels of gold. And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people. And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt, and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maid-servant that is behind the mill, and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue against man or beast, that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel. And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee, and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger. And the Lord said unto Moses, Pharaoh shall not hawk and unto you that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt. And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his hand. End of Exodus 7-11.