 chapters 29 through 35 of Genesis from the World English Bible. 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 Aletheia Burgess, Sogipo, South Korea. Genesis from the World English Bible. CHAPTERS 29 THROUGH 35 Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the children of the East. He looked, and behold, a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep lying there by it. For out of that well they watered the flocks. The stone on the well's mouth was large. There all the flocks were gathered. They rolled the stone from the well's mouth and watered the sheep, and put the stone again on the well's mouth in its place. Jacob said to them, My relatives, where are you from? They said, We're from Heron. He said to them, Do you know Laban, the son of Nahor? They said, We know him. He said to them, Is it well with him? They said, It is well. See, Rachel, his daughter, is coming with the sheep. He said, Behold, it is still the middle of the day, not time to gather the livestock together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them. They said, We can't, until all the flocks are gathered together, and they roll the stone from the well's mouth. Then we water the sheep. While he was yet speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she kept them. It happened when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban, his mother's brother. Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's brother, and that he was Rebekah's son. She ran and told her father. It happened when Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister's son, and he ran to meet Jacob, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house. Jacob told Laban all these things. Laban said to him, Surely you are my bone and my flesh. He lived with him for a month. Laban said to Jacob, Because you are my brother, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what will your wages be? Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful, and form, and attractive. Jacob loved Rachel. He said, I will serve you for seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter. Laban said, It is better that I give her to you than I should give her to another man. Stay with me. Jacob served seven years for Rachel. They seemed to him but a few days for the love he had for her. Jacob said to Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, then I may go into her. Laban gathered together all of the men of that place and made a feast. It happened in the evening that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to him. He went into her. Laban gave Zilpa his handmaid to his daughter Leah for a handmaid. It happened in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. He said to Laban, What is this you have done to me? Didn't I serve you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me? Laban said, It is not done so in our place to give the younger before the first born. Fulfill the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you will serve with me yet seven other years. Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. He gave him Rachel his daughter as wife. Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Billa, his handmaid to be her handmaid. He went in also to Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years. Yahweh saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah conceived and bore a son, and she named him Rubin. For she said, Because Yahweh has looked at my affliction, for now my husband will love me. She conceived again, and bore a son, and said, Because Yahweh has heard that I am hated, he is therefore giving me this son also. She named him Simeon. She conceived again, and bore a son. Said, Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons. Therefore his name was called Levi. She conceived again, and bore a son. She said this time I will praise Yahweh. Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing. CHAPTER 30 When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister. She said to Jacob, Give me children, or else I will die. Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, Am I in God's place who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb? She said, Behold, my maiden Billa, go into her that she may bear on my knees, and I also may obtain children by her. She gave him Billa her handmaid as a wife, and Jacob went into her. Billa conceived and bore Jacob a son. Rachel said, God has judged me, and has also heard my voice, and has given me a son. Therefore called she his name Dan. Billa, Rachel's handmaid, conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son. Rachel said, With mighty wrestlings have I wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed. She named him Naftali. When Leah saw that she had finished bearing, she took Zilpa her handmaid, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. Zilpa, Leah's handmaid, bore Jacob a son. Leah said, How fortunate! She named him Gad. Zilpa, Leah's handmaid, bore Jacob a second son. Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me happy. She named him Asher. Ruben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother, Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Please give me some of your son's mandrakes. She said to her, Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son's mandrakes also? Rachel said, Therefore he will lie with you to-night for your son's mandrakes. Jacob came in from the field that evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, You must come into me, for I have surely hired you with my son's mandrakes. He lay with her that night. God listened to Leah, and she conceived, and bore Jacob a fifth son. Leah said, God has given me my hire, because I gave my handmaid to my husband. She named him Missacar. Leah conceived again, and bore a sixth son to Jacob. Leah said, God has endowed me with a good dowry. Now my husband will live with me, because I have borne him six sons. She named him Zebulun. Afterwards she bore a daughter, and named her Dinah. God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her, and opened her womb. She conceived, bore a son, and said, God has taken away my reproach. She named him Joseph, saying, May Yahweh add another son to me. It happened when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, Send me away that I may go to my own place and to my country. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go, for you know my service with which I have served you. Heaven said to him, If now I have found favor in your eyes, stay here, for I have divined that Yahweh has blessed me for your sake. He said, Appoint me your wages, and I will give it. He said to him, You know how I have served you, and how your livestock have fared with me. For it was little which you had before I came, and it has increased to a multitude. Yahweh has blessed you wherever I turned. Now when will I provide for my own house also? He said, What shall I give you? Jacob said, You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed your flock and keep it. I will pass through all your flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted one, and every black one among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats. This will be my hire. So my righteousness will answer for me hereafter, when you come concerning my hire that is before you. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and black among the sheep that might be with me, will be counted stolen. Laban said, Behold, let it be according to your word. That day he removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, and all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the hands of his sons. He set three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks. Jacob took to himself rods of fresh poplar, almond, plain tree, peeled white streaks in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods. He set the rods which he had peeled opposite the flocks and the gutters and the watering-trops where the flocks came to drink. They conceived when they came to drink. The flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks produced streaked, speckled, and Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the black in the flock of Laban, and he put his own droves apart, and didn't put them into Laban's flock. It happened whenever the stronger of the flock conceived that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the flock in the gutters that they might conceive among the rods, but when the flock was feeble he didn't put them in. So the feebler were Laban's and the stronger Jacob's. The man increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and camels and donkeys. CHAPTER XXXI He heard the words of Laban's son, saying, Jacob has taken away all that was our father's. From that which was our father's has he gotten all this wealth. Jacob saw the expression on Laban's face, and, behold, it was not toward him as before. Yahweh said to Jacob, Return to the land of your father's and to your relatives, and I will be with you. Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock, and said to them, I see the expression on your father's face that it is not toward me as before, but the God of my father has been with me. You know that I have served your father with all of my strength. Your father has deceived me, and changed my wages ten times, but God didn't allow him to hurt me. If he said this, the speckled will be your wages, then all the flock were speckled. If he said this, the streaked will be your wages, then all the flock bore streaked. Thus God has taken away your father's livestock, and given them to me. It happened during mating season that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats which leaped on the flock were streaked, speckled, and grizzled. The angel of God said to me in the dream, Jacob, and I said, Here I am. He said, Now, lift up your eyes and behold, all the male goats which leaped on the flock are streaked, speckled, and grizzled, for I have seen all that Laban does to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you vowed a vow to me. Now arise, get out from this land, and return to the land of your birth." Rachel and Leah answered him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? Aren't we accounted by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has also quite devoured our money. For all the riches which God has taken away from our father, that is ours and our children's. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do. Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives on the camels, and he took away all his livestock, and all his possessions which he had gathered, including the livestock which he had gained in Padana Ram, to go to Isaac's father to the land of Canaan. Now Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole the tariff-in that were her fathers. Jacob deceived Laban the Syrian, and that he didn't tell him that he was running away. So he fled with all that he had. He rose up, passed over the river, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead. Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. He took his relatives with him, and pursued after him seven days' journey. He overtook him in the mountain of Gilead. God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream of the night and said to him, Take heed to yourself that you don't speak to Jacob either good or bad. Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountain, and Laban with his relatives encamped in the mountain of Gilead. Laban said to Jacob, What have you done that you have deceived me and carried away my daughters like captives of the sword? Why did you flee secretly and deceive me and didn't tell me that I might have sent you away with mirth and with songs, with tambourine and with harp, and didn't allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly. It is in the power of my hand to hurt you, but the God of your father spoke to me last night saying, Take heed to yourself that you don't speak to Jacob either good or bad. Now you want to be gone because you have greatly longed for your father's house, but why have you stolen my gods? Laban answered Laban, Because I was afraid, for I said, Lest you should take your daughters from me by force. Any one you find your gods with shall not live. Before our relatives, discern what is yours with me and take it. For Jacob didn't know that Rachel had stolen them. Laban went into Jacob's tent, into Leah's tent, and into the tent of the two female servants, but he didn't find them. He went out of Leah's tent and entered into Rachel's tent. Now Rachel had taken the terraffin, put them inside the camel saddle and sat on them. Laban felt all about the tent, but didn't find them. She said to her father, Don't let my Lord be angry that I can't rise up before you, for I'm having my period. He searched, but didn't find the terraffin. Jacob was angry and argued with Laban. Jacob answered Laban, What is my trespass? What is my sin that you have hotly pursued after me? Now that you have felt around in all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff? Set it here before my relatives and your relatives that they may judge between us two. These twenty years I have been in your house, I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night. Laban answered Jacob, The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks, and all that you see is mine. And what can I do this day to these my daughters, or to their children whom they have borne? Now come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be for a witness between me and you. Jacob took a stone and set it up for a pillar. Jacob said to his relatives, Gather stones. They took stones and made a heap. They ate there by the heap. Laban called it Jigar Sahaduthah, but Jacob called it Galid. Laban said, This heap is witness between me and you this day. Therefore it was named Galid, and Misbah, for he said, Yahweh watch between you and me, when we were absent one from another. If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, no man is with us. Behold, God is witness between me and you. Laban said to Jacob, See this pillar, and see this pillar which I have said between me and you. May this heap be a witness, and the pillar be a witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar for me for harm. The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us. Then Jacob swore by the fear of his father, Isaac. Jacob offered a sacrifice in the mountain, and called his relatives to eat bread. They ate bread and stayed all night in the mountain. Early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place. CHAPTER 32 Laban went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When he saw them, Jacob said, This is God's army. He called the name of that place Mahanaim. Jacob sent messengers in front of him to Esau, his brother, to the land of Seir in the field of Edom. He commanded them, saying, This is what you shall tell my Lord Esau. This is what your servant Jacob says. I have lived as a foreigner with Laban, and stayed until now. I have cattle, donkeys, flocks, male servants and female servants. I have sent to tell my Lord that I may find favour in your sight. The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to your brother Esau. Not only that, but he comes to meet you, and four hundred men with him. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and the herds and the camels, into two companies. And he said, If Esau comes to the one company, and strikes it, then the company which is left will escape. Jacob said, God of my Father Abraham, and God of my Father Isaac, Yahweh, who said to me, Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will do you good. I am not worthy of the least of all the loving-kindnesses, and of all the truth which you have shown to your servant. For with just my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he come and strike me, and the mothers with the children. You said, I will surely do you good, and make your seed as the land of the sea, which can't be numbered because there are so many. He lodged there that night, and took from that which he had with him a present for Esau, his brother, two hundred female goats, and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams, thirty milk camels, and their colts, forty cows, ten bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten foals. He delivered them into the hands of his servants, every herd by itself, and said to his servants, Pass over before me, and put a space between herd and herd. He commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meets you, he asks you, saying, Who are you? Where are you going? Who are these before you? Then you shall say, They are your servant, Jacob's. It is a present sent to my lord, Esau. Behold, he also is behind us. He commanded also the second and the third, and all that followed the herds, saying, This is how you shall speak to Esau when you find him. You shall say, Not only that, but behold, your servant Jacob is behind us. For, he said, I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face. Perhaps he will accept me. So the present passed over before him, and he himself lodged that night in the camp. He rose up that night, and took his two wives, and sent two handmaids, and his eleven sons, and passed over the fork of the jabbock. He took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over that which he had. Jacob was left alone, and wrestled with a man there until the breaking of the day. When he saw that he didn't prevail against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was strained as he wrestled. The man said, Let me go, for the day breaks. Jacob said, I won't let you go, unless you bless me. He said to him, What is your name? He said, Jacob. He said, Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed. Jacob asked him, Please tell me your name. He said, Why is it that you ask what my name is? He blessed him there. Jacob called the name of the place Pneel, for he said, I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. The sun rose on him as he passed over Pneel, and he limped because of his thigh. Therefore the children of Israel don't eat the sinew of the hip, which is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew of the hip. CHAPTER XXXIII Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esab was coming, and with him four hundred men. He divided the children between Leah, Rachel, and the two handmaids. He put the handmaids and their children in front, Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph at the rear. He himself passed over in front of them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times until he came near to his brother. Esab ran to meet him, embraced him, fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept. He lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and children, and said, Who are these with you? He said, The children whom God has graciously given your servant. Then the handmaids came near with their children, and they bowed themselves. Leah also and her children came near and bowed themselves. After them Jacob came near with Rachel, and they bowed themselves. Esab said, What do you mean by all this company which I met? Jacob said, To find favor in the sight of my lord. Esab said, I have enough, my brother, let that which you have be yours. Jacob said, Please know, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, as I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God, and you were pleased with me. Please take the gift I have brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. He urged him, and he took it. Esab said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before you. Jacob said to him, My lord knows that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have their young, and if they overdrive them one day all the flocks will die. Please let my lord pass over before his servant, and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the livestock that are before me, and according to the pace of the children, until I come to my lord at Sear. Esab said, Let me now leave you with some of the folk who are with me. He said, Why? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord. So Esab returned that day on his way to Sear. Jacob travelled to Sukkot, built himself a house, and made shelters for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Sukkot. Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padana Ram, and then camped before the city. He bought the parcel of ground where he had spread his tent, at the hand of Hamor, Shechem's father, for one hundred pieces of money. He erected an altar there, and called it El Elohe Israel. CHAPTER XXXIV Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her. He took her, lay with her, and humbled her. His soul joined to Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young lady, and spoke kindly to the young lady. Shechem spoke to his father, Hamor, saying, Get me this young lady as a wife. Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter, and his sons were with his livestock in the field. Jacob held his peace until they came. Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to talk with him. The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it. The men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had done folly in Israel lying with Jacob's daughter. A which thing ought not to be done. Hamor talked with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. Make marriages with us. Give your daughters to us, and take our daughters for yourselves. You shall dwell with us, and the land will be before you. Live and trade in it, and get possessions in it. Shechem said to her father and to her brothers, Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you will tell me I will give. Ask me for a great amount for a dowry, and I will give whatever you ask of me, but give me the young lady as a wife. The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father with deceit, and spoke, because he had defiled Dine of their sister, and said to them, We can't do this thing to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that is a reproach to us. Only on this condition will we consent to you. If you will be as we are, that every male of you be circumcised, then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. But if you will not listen to us, to be circumcised, then we will take our sister, and we will be gone. Their words pleased Hamor and Shechem, Hamor's son. The young man didn't wait to do this thing, because he had delight in Shechem's daughter, and he was honored above all in the house of his father. Hamor and Shechem, his son, came to the gate of the city, and talked with the men of their city, saying, These men are peaceful with us. Therefore, let them live in the land and trade in it. For, behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters. Only on this condition will the men consent to live with us, to become one people. If every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised, won't their livestock and their possessions and all their animals be ours? Only let us give our consent to them, and they will dwell with us. All who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and to Shechem his son, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city. It happened on the third day when they were sore. The two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, each took his sword, came upon the unsuspecting city, and killed all the males. They killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house and went away. Jacob's sons came on the dead and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their flocks, their herds, their donkeys, that which was in the city, that which was in the field, and all their wealth. They took captive all their little ones and their wives, and took as plunder everything that was in the house. Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, You have troubled me to make me odious to the inhabitants of this land, among the Canites and the Parasites. I am few in number. They will gather themselves together against me and strike me, and I will be destroyed, I in my house." They said, Should he deal with our sister as a prostitute? CHAPTER 35 God said to Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel and live there. Make an altar to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother. Then Jacob said to his household, and to all who are with him, Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, change your garments, let us arise and go up to Bethel. I will make there an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. They gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. They travelled, and a terror of God was on the cities that were around them, and they didn't pursue the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to lose, that is, Bethel, which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who are with him. He built an altar there, and called the place El Bethel, because there God was revealed to him when he fled from the face of his brother. Deborah, Rebecca's nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak, and its name was called Elan Bacuth. God appeared to Jacob again, and when he came from Padan Aram and blessed him. God said to him, your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel. He named him Israel. God said to him, I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and kings will come out of your body. The land which I give to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and to your seed after you, I will give the land. God went up from him in that place where he spoke with him. Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it, and poured oil on it. Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel. They travelled from Bethel. There was still some distance to come to Eprith. And Rachel travailed. She had hard labour. When she was in hard labour, the midwife said to her, Don't be afraid, for now you will have another son. It happened as her soul was departing, for she died, that she named him Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin. Rachel died and was buried in the way to Eprith, the same as Bethlehem. Jacob set up a pillar on her grave. The same as the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day. Israel travelled and spread his tent beyond the Tower of Eater. It happened while Israel lived in that land that Ruben went and lay with Billah his father's concubine, and Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve, the sons of Leah, Ruben, Jacob's first-born, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, the sons of Rachel, Joseph, and Benjamin, the sons of Billah, Rachel's handmaid, Dan, and Naftali, the sons of Zilpa, Leah's handmaid, Gad, and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob, who were born to him in Padan Aram. Jacob came to Isaac's father, to Mamre, to Kyriath Arba, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac lived as foreigners. The days of Isaac were one hundred eighty years. Isaac gave up the spirit and died, and was gathered to his people, old and full of days. Esau and Jacob, his sons, buried him. End of chapters twenty-nine through thirty-five. CHAPTERS thirty-six through forty-one of the book of Genesis from the World English Bible. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Genesis from the World English Bible. CHAPTERS thirty-six through forty-one. CHAPTERS thirty-six. Now this is the history of the generations of Esau, that is, Edom. Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan, Adah, the daughter of Elon, the Hittite, and Oholibama, the daughter of Anna, the daughter of Zibion, the Hiviite, and Basemath, Ishmael's daughter, sister of Beth. Adah bore to Esau Eliphaz, Basemath bore Ruel, Oholibama bore Jeyush, Jailam, and Korah. These are the sons of Esau, who were born to him in the land of Canaan. Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, with his livestock, all his animals, and all his possessions, which he had gathered in the land of Canaan, and went into a land away from his brother Jacob, for their substance was too great for them to dwell together, and the land of their travels couldn't bear them because of their livestock. Esau lived in the hill country of Seir. Esau is Edom. This is the history of the generations of Esau, the father of the Edomites, in the hill country of Seir. These are the names of Esau's sons, Eliphaz, the son of Adah, the wife of Esau, and Ruel, the son of Basemath, the wife of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz were Timon, Omar, Zepho, and Gatum, and Kenaz. Timna was concubine to Eliphaz, Esau's son, and she bore Eliphaz Amalek. These are the sons of Adah, Esau's wife. These are the sons of Ruel, Nahath, Zera, Shama, and Miza. These were the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife. These were the sons of Oholibama, the daughter of Ena, the daughter of Zibion, Esau's wife. She bore to Esau, Juush, Jalem, and Korah. These are the chiefs of the sons of Esau. The sons of Eliphaz, the first born of Esau. Chief Timon, chief Omar, chief Zepho, chief Kenaz, chief Korah, chief Gatum, chief Amalek. These are the chiefs who came of Eliphaz in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Adah. These are the sons of Ruel, Esau's son, chief Nahath, chief Zera, chief Shama, chief Miza. These are the chiefs who came of Ruel in the land of Edom. These are the sons of Basemath, Esau's wife. These are the sons of Oholibama, Esau's wife. Chief Juush, chief Jalem, chief Korah. These are the chiefs who came of Oholibama, the daughter of Aena, Esau's wife. These are the sons of Esau, that is, Edom, and these are their chiefs. These are the sons of Seir, the Horite, the inhabitants of the land, Lotan, Shobal, Zibion, Aena, Dishon, Azir, and Dishan. These are the chiefs who came of the Horites, the children of Seir, in the land of Edom. The children of Lotan were Hori and Hemen. Lotan's sister was Timna. These are the children of Shobal, Alvan, Manahath, Ibal, Sefo, and Onam. These are the children of Zibion, Aya and Aena. This is Aena who found the hot springs in the wilderness as he fed the donkeys of Zibion his father. These are the children of Aena, Dishon and Oholibama, the daughter of Aena. These are the children of Dishon, Hemdan, Ashban, Ithran, and Cheran. These are the children of Azir, Bilhan, Zavan, and Akan. These are the children of Dishan, Az and Aren. These are the chiefs who came of the Horites, Chief Lotan, Chief Shobal, Chief Zibion, Chief Aena, Chief Dishon, Chief Azir, and Chief Dishan. These are the chiefs who came of the Horites, according to their chiefs in the land of Seir. These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel. Bela, the son of Beor, reigned in Edom. The name of his city was Dinhaba. Bela died and Jobab, the son of Zira of Bosra, reigned in his place. Jobab died and Husham, of the land of the Temonites, reigned in his place. Husham died and Haydad, the son of Beydad, who struck Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Ava. Haydad died and Samla of Masrika, reigned in his place. Samla died and Shal of Rehoboth, by the river, reigned in his place. Shal died and Bael Haenan, the son of Aikbor, reigned in his place. Bael Haenan, the son of Aikbor died and Hadar, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Pau. His wife's name was Mehdabel, the daughter of Matrid, the daughter of Mezahab. These are the names of the chiefs who came from Esa according to their families after their places and by their names. Chief Timna, Chief Evla, Chief Jetheth, Chief Oholibema, Chief Ilah, Chief Pinan, Chief Kenaz, Chief Temon, Chief Mibzar, Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These are the chiefs of Edom according to their habitations in the land of their possession. This is Esa, the father of the Edomites. Chapter 37 Jacob lived in the land of his father's travels in the land of Canaan. This is the history of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph brought an evil report of them to their father. Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children because he was the son of his old age, and he made him a coat of many colors. The brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers and they hated him and couldn't speak peaceably to him. Joseph dreamed a dream and he told it to his brothers and they hated him all the more. He said to them, Please hear this dream which I have dreamed, for behold, we were binding sheaves in a field, and behold, my sheave arose and also stood upright, and behold, your sheaves came around and bowed down to my sheave. His brothers said to him, Will you indeed reign over us, or will you indeed have dominion over us? They hated him all the more for his dreams and for his words. He dreamed yet another dream and told it to his brothers and said, Behold, I have dreamed yet another dream, and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowed down to me. He told it to his father and his brothers. His father rebuked him and said to him, What is this dream that you have dreamed? Will I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves down to you to the earth? His brothers envied him, but his father kept this saying in mind. His brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. Israel said to Joseph, Aren't your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them. He said to him, Here I am. He said to him, Now go, see whether it is well with your brothers and well with the flock and bring me word again. So he sent him out of the valley of Hebron and he came to Shechem. A certain man found him and behold, he was wandering in the field. The man asked him, What are you looking for? He said, I am looking for my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are feeding the flock. The man said, They have left here, for I heard them say, Let us go to Dothan. Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan. They saw him afar off, and before he came near to them, they conspired against him to kill him. They said one to another, Behold, this dreamer comes. Come now, therefore, and let's kill him and cast him into one of the pits, and we'll say an evil animal has devoured him. We will see what will become of his dreams. Reuben heard it and delivered him out of their hand and said, Let's not take his life. Reuben said to them, Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness but lay no hand on him. Then he might deliver him out of their hand to restore him to his father. It happened when Joseph came to his brothers that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him, and they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty, there was no water in it. They sat down to eat bread and they lifted up their eyes and looked and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead with their camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh going to carry it down to Egypt. Judas said to his brothers, What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come and let's sell him to the Ishmaelites and not let our hand be on him, for he is our brother, our flesh. His brothers listened to him. Medianites who were merchants passed by and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for 20 pieces of silver. They brought Joseph into Egypt. Rubin returned to the pit and saw that Joseph wasn't in the pit and he tore his clothes. He returned to his brothers and said, The child is no more and I where will I go? They took Joseph's coat and killed a male goat and dipped the coat in the blood. They took the coat of many colors and they brought it to their father and said, We have found this. Examine it now whether it is your son's coat or not. He recognized it and said, It is my son's coat. An evil animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces. Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his waist and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him but he refused to be comforted. He said, For I will go down to Sheol to my son morning. His father wept for him. The Medianites sold him into Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard. Chapter 38. It happened at that time that Judah went down from his brothers and visited a certain Adulamite whose name was Hyra. Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua. He took her and went into her. She conceived and bore a son and he named him Ur. She conceived again and bore a son and she named him Onan. She yet again bore a son and named him Sheila and he was at Chezib when she bore him. Judah took a wife for Ur, his firstborn and her name was Tamar. Ur, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of Yahweh. Yahweh killed him. Judah said to Onan, Go into your brother's wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her and raise up seed to your brother. Onan knew that the seed wouldn't be his and it happened when he went into his brother's wife that he spilled it on the ground lest he should give seed to his brother. The thing which he did was evil in the sight of Yahweh and he killed him also. Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, remain a widow in your father's house until Sheila, my son, is grown up. For he said lest he also die like his brothers. Tamar went and lived in her father's house. After many days, Sheila's daughter, the wife of Judah, died. Judah was comforted and went up to his sheep-shearers to Timna, he and his friend Hyra, the Edulamite. It was told Tamar, saying, Behold, your father in law is going up to Timna to shear his sheep. She took off of her the garments of her widowhood and covered herself with her veil and wrapped herself and sat in the gate of Ename, which is by the way to Timna. For she saw that Sheila was grown up and she wasn't given to him as a wife. When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. He turned to her by the way and said, Please come, let me come into you. For he didn't know that she was his daughter-in-law. She said, What will you give me that you may come into me? He said, I will send you a kid of the goats from the flock. She said, Will you give me a pledge until you send it? He said, What pledge will I give you? She said, Your signet and your cord and your staff that is in your hand. He gave them to her and came into her and she conceived by him. She arose and went away and put off her veil from her and put on the garments of her widowhood. Judah sent the kid of the goats by the hand of his friend, the Edulamite, to receive the pledge by the hand, but he didn't find her. Then he asked the men of her place saying, Where is the prostitute that was in a name by the road? They said, There has been no prostitute here. He returned to Judah and said, I haven't found her and also the men of the place said, There has been no prostitute here. Judah said, Let her keep it lest we be shamed. Behold, I sent this kid and you haven't found her. It happened about three months later that it was told Judah saying, Tamar, your daughter-in-law has played the prostitute, and moreover, behold, she is with child by prostitution. Judah said, Bring her forth and let her be burnt. When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law saying, By the man whose these are I am with child. She also said, Please discern whose these are, the signet and the cords and the staff. Judah acknowledged them and said, She is more righteous than I because I didn't give her to Sheela, my son. He knew her again no more. It happened in the time of her travail that, behold, twins were in her womb. When she travailed, one put out a hand and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand saying, This came out first. It happened as he drew back his hand that, behold, his brother came out and she said, Why did you make a breach for yourself? Therefore his name was called Perez. Afterward his brother came out that had the scarlet thread on his hand and his name was called Zehra. Chapter 39 Joseph was brought down to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaohs, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites that had brought him down there. Yahweh was with Joseph and he married the Egyptian. His master saw that Yahweh was with him and that Yahweh made all that he did prosper in his hand. Joseph found favor in his sight. He ministered to him and he made him overseer of his house and all that he had he put into his hand. It happened from the time that he made him overseer of his house and over all that he had that Yahweh blessed the Egyptians house for Joseph's sake and the blessing of Yahweh was filled. He left all that he had in Joseph's hand. He didn't concern himself with anything except for the food which he ate. Joseph was well built and handsome. It happened after these things that his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and she said, lie with me. But he refused and said to his master's wife, behold, my master doesn't know what is with me in the house and he has put all that he has into my hand. I have made her in this house than I. Neither has he kept back anything from me but you because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? As she spoke to Joseph day by day he didn't listen to her to lie by her or to be with her. About this time he went into the house to do his work and there were none of the men of the house inside. She caught him by his garment saying, lie with me and run outside. When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had run outside she called to the men of the house and spoke to them saying, behold, he has brought in a Hebrew to us to mock us. He came in to lie with me and I cried with a loud voice. It happened when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried that he left his garment by me and ran outside. She laid up his garment by her hand according to these words saying, the Hebrew servant whom you have brought to us came into me to mock me and it happened as I lifted up my voice and cried that he left his garment by me and ran outside. It happened when his master heard the words of his wife which she spoke to him saying this is what your servant did to me that his wrath was kindled. Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, but Yahweh was with Joseph and showed kindness to him and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. The keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison. Whatever they did there he was responsible for it. The keeper of the prison didn't look after anything that was under his hand because Yahweh was with him and that which he did Yahweh made it prosper. It happened after these things that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker. He put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound. The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph and he took care of them. They stayed in prison many days. Each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt who were bound in the prison. Joseph came to them in the morning and saw them and saw that they were sad. He asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in custody in his master's house saying, Why do you look so sad today? They said to him we dreamed a dream and there is no one who can interpret it. Joseph said to them, Don't please tell it to me. The chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, In my dream behold a vine was in front of me and in the vine were three branches. It was as though it budded its blossom shot forth and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes. Pharaoh's cup was in my hand and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup and I gave the cup to Pharaoh's hand. Joseph said to him this is its interpretation. The branches are three days. Within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your office. You will give Pharaoh's cup into his hand the way you did when you were his cupbearer. But remember me when it will be well with you and show kindness please to me and make mention of me to Pharaoh and bring me out of this house. For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon. Chief Baker saw that the interpretation was good he said to Joseph I also was in my dream and behold three baskets of white bread were on my head. In the uppermost basket there was all kinds of baked food for Pharaoh and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head. Joseph answered this is the interpretation. The three baskets are three days. Within three more days Pharaoh will lift up your head from off you and will hang you on a tree and birds will eat your flesh from off you. It happened the third day which was Pharaoh's birthday that he made a feast for all his servants and he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. He restored the chief cupbearer to his position again and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. But he hanged the chief baker as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet the chief cupbearer didn't remember Joseph but forgot him. Chapter 41 It happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh dreamed and, behold, he stood by the river. Behold, there came up out of the river seven cattle, sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass. Behold, seven other cattle came up after them out of the river, ugly and thin, and stood by the other cattle on the brink of the river. The ugly and thin cattle ate up the seven sleek and fat cattle. So Pharaoh awoke. He slept and dreamed a second time and, behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stock, healthy and good. Behold, seven heads of grain, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears. Pharaoh awoke and, behold, it was a dream. It happened in the morning that his spirit was troubled and he sent and called for all of Egypt's magicians and craftsmen. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh. Then the chief cup-bearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, I remember my faults today. Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker. We dreamed a dream in one night, I and he. We dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream. There was with us there a young man to the captain of the guard and we told him and he interpreted to us our dreams. To each man according to his dream he interpreted. It happened as he interpreted to us, so it was. He restored me to my office and he hanged him. Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothing and came into Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, I have dreamed a dream and there is no truth. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it. Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, it isn't in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace. Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, in my dream behold I stood on the brink of the river and behold there came up out of the river seven cattle fat and sleek. They fed in the marsh grass and behold seven other cattle came up after them who were and very ugly and thin such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for ugliness. The thin and ugly cattle ate up the first seven fat cattle and when they had eaten them up it couldn't be known that they had eaten them but they were still ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke I saw in my dream and behold seven heads of grain came up on one stock full and good and behold seven heads of grain withered, thin and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. I told it to the magicians but there was no one who could explain it to me. Joseph said to Pharaoh, the dream of Pharaoh is one. What God is about to do he has declared to Pharaoh. The seven good cattle are seven years and the seven good heads of grain are seven years. The dream is one. The seven thin and ugly cattle that came up after them are seven years and also the seven empty heads of grain blasted with the east wind. They will be seven years of famine. That is the thing which I spoke to Pharaoh. What God is about to do he has shown to Pharaoh. Behold there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt. There will arise after them seven years of famine and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land and the plenty will not be known in the land by reason of that famine which for it will be very grievous. The dream was doubled to Pharaoh because the thing is established by God and God will shortly bring it to pass. Now therefore let Pharaoh look for a discreet and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this and let him appoint overseers over the land and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt's produce in the seven plenteous years. Let them gather all the food of these good years that come and lay up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities and let them keep it. The food will be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine which will be in the land of Egypt that the land not perished through the famine. The thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. Pharaoh said to his servants, can we find such a one as this a man in whom is the spirit of God? Pharaoh said to Joseph, because God has shown you all of this there so discreet and wise as you. You shall be over my house and according to your word will all my people be ruled. Only in the throne will I be greater than you. Pharaoh said to Joseph, behold I have set you over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand and arrayed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain about his neck and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had. Before him bow the knee. He set him over all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh and without you shall no man lift up his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt. Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zafanath Panea and he gave him Asanath, the daughter of Potipharah the priest of An as a wife. Joseph went out over the land of Egypt. Joseph was 30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went throughout all the land of Egypt. In the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth abundantly. He gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt and laid up the food in the cities, the food of the field which was around every city he laid up in the same. Joseph laid up grain as the sand of the sea very much until he stopped counting for it was without number. To Joseph were born two sons later a famine came whom Asanath the daughter of Potipharah priest of An bore to him. Joseph called the name of the first born Manasseh. Four he said God has made me forget all my toil and all my father's house. The name of the second he called Ephraim for God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction. The seven years of plentee that were in the land of Egypt came to an end. The seven years of famine began to come just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. When all the land of Egypt was famished the people cried to Pharaoh for bread and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians go to Joseph what he says to you do. The famine was over all the surface of the earth Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was severe in the land of Egypt all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy grain because the famine was severe in all the earth. End of chapters thirty-six through forty-one. Chapters forty-two through fifty of the Book of Genesis from the World English Bible. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org. Genesis from the World English Bible Chapters forty-two through fifty. Chapter forty-two Now Jacob saw that there was green in Egypt and Jacob said to his sons why do you look at one another. He said behold I have heard that there is green in Egypt go down there and buy for us from there so that we may live and not die. Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Jacob didn't send Benjamin Joseph's brother with his brothers for he said less perhaps harm happened to him. The sons of Israel came to buy among those who came for the famine was in the land of Canaan. Joseph was the governor over the land. It was he who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves down to him with their faces to the earth. Joseph saw his brothers and he recognized them but acted like a stranger to them and spoke roughly with them. He said to them where did you come from? They said from the land of Canaan to buy food. Joseph recognized his brothers but they didn't recognize him. Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them and said to them you are spies you have come to see the nakedness of the land. They said to him no my lord but your servants have come to buy food we are all one man's sons we are honest men your servants are not spies. He said to them no but you have come to see the nakedness of the land. They said we your servants are twelve brothers the sons of one man in the land of Canaan and behold the youngest is this day with our father and one is no more. Joseph said to them it is like I told you saying you are spies by this you shall be tested by the life of Pharaoh you shall not go forth from here unless your youngest brother comes here send one of you and let him get that your words may be tested whether there is truth in you or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies. He put them all together into custody for three days. Joseph said to them the third day do this and live for I fear God if you are honest men then let one of your brothers be bound in your prison but you go carry grain for the famine of your houses bring your youngest brother to me so will your brothers won't die they did so they said to one another we are certainly guilty concerning our brother in that we saw the distress of his soul when he begged us and we wouldn't listen therefore this distress has come upon us Rubin answered them saying didn't I tell you saying don't sin against the child and you wouldn't listen therefore also behold his blood is required they didn't know that Joseph understood them for there was nothing between them he turned himself away from them and wept then he returned to them and spoke to them and took Simeon from among them and bound him before their eyes then Joseph gave a command to fill their bags with grain and to restore every man's money into his sack and to give them food for the way so it was done to them they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there as one of them opened their bags and saw his money behold it was in the mouth of his sack he said to his brothers my money is restored behold it is in my sack their hearts failed them and they turned trembling one to another saying what is this that God has done to us it came to Jacob their father to the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them saying this man the Lord of the land spoke roughly with us and took us for spies of Abraham we are honest men we are no spies we are twelve brothers sons of our father one is no more and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan the man the Lord of the land said to us by this I will know that you are honest men leave one of your brothers with me and take grain for the famine of your houses and go your way bring your youngest brother to me then I will know that you are not spies but your brother to you and you shall trade in the land it happened as they emptied their sacks that behold every man's bundle of money was in his sack when they and their father saw their bundles of money they were afraid Jacob their father said to them you have bereaved me of my children Joseph is no more Simeon is no more and you want to take Benjamin away all these things are against me Rubin spoke to his father saying my two sons if I don't bring him to you and trust him to my care and I will bring him to you again he said my son shall not go down with you for his brother is dead and he only is left if harm happens to him along the way in which you go then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to she all chapter 43 the famine was severe in the land it happened when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought out the father said to them go again buy us a little more food Judah spoke to him saying the man solemnly warned us saying you shall not see my face unless your brother is with you if you'll send our brother with us we'll go down and buy you food but if you'll not send him we'll not go down for the man said to us you shall not see my face unless your brother is with you Israel said why did you treat me so badly telling the man my brother they said the man asked directly concerning ourselves and concerning our relatives saying is your father still alive have you another brother we just answered his questions is there any way we could know that he would say bring your brother down Judah said to Israel his father send the boy with me and we'll get up and go so that we may live and not die both we and you and also our little ones I'll be collateral for him from my hand will you require him if I don't bring him to you and set him before you then let me bear the blame forever for if we hadn't delayed surely we would have returned a second time by now their father Israel said to them if it must be so then do this take from the choice fruits of the land in your bags and carry down a present for the man a little balm a little honey spices and myrrh nuts and almonds take double money in your hand and take back the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks perhaps it was an oversight take your brother also get up and return to the man may God Almighty give you mercy before the man that he may release to you your brother and Benjamin if I am bereaved of my children I am bereaved the men took that present and they took double money in their hand and Benjamin when Joseph saw Benjamin with them he said to the steward of his house bring the men into the house and butcher an animal and make ready for the men will dine with me at noon the man did as Joseph commanded and the man brought the men to Joseph's house the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house and they said because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time were brought in that he may seek occasion against us attack us and raise us as slaves along with our donkeys they came near to the steward of Joseph's house and they spoke to him at the door of the house and said oh my lord we indeed came down the first time to buy food when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks and behold every man's money was in the mouth of his sack our money in full weight we have brought it back in our hand we have brought down other money in our hand to buy food we have brought down other money in our sacks he said peace be to you, don't be afraid your God and the God of your Father has given you treasure in your sacks I received your money he brought Simeon out to them the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water and they washed their feet he gave their donkeys fodder they made ready the present for Joseph's coming 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 down to him to the earth he asked them of their welfare and said is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke is he yet alive they said your servant, our father, is well he is still alive they bowed the head and did homage he lifted up his eyes and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother's son and said you spoke to me he said Joseph hurried for his heart yearned over his brother and he sought a place to weep he entered into his room and wept there he washed his face and came out he controlled himself and said serve the meal they served him by himself and them by themselves and the Egyptians that ate with him by themselves because the Egyptians don't eat bread with the Hebrews and abomination to the Egyptians they sat before him the first born according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth and the men marveled one with another he sent portions to them before him the Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of the others they drank and were merry with him Chapter 44 he commanded the steward of his house saying fill the men's sacks with food and put every man's money in his sacks mouth put my cup the silver cup in the sacks mouth of the youngest with his green money 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 donkeys when they had gone out of the city and were not yet far off Joseph said to his steward up follow after the men when you overtake them ask them why have you rewarded evil for good isn't this that from which my lord drinks and by which he indeed divines you have done evil in so doing he overtook them and he spoke these words to them they said to him why does my lord speak such words as these far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing he holds the money which we found in our sacks mouths we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan how then should we steal silver or gold out of your lord's house with whoever of your servants it be found let him die and we also will be my lord's bond servants he said now let it be according to your words he with whom it is found will be my bond servant and you will be blameless then they hurried and every man took his sack down to the ground and every man opened his sack he searched beginning with the eldest and ending at the youngest the cup was found in Benjamin's sack then they tore their clothes and every man loaded his donkey and returned to the city Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house and he was still there they fell on the ground before him Joseph said to them what deed is this that you have done don't you know that such a man as I can indeed divine Judah said what will we tell my lord what will we speak or how will we clear ourselves God has found out the iniquity of your servants both we and he also in whose hand the cup is found he said far be it from me that I should do so the man in whose hand the cup is found he will be my bond servant but as for you go up in peace to your father then Judah came near to him and said oh my lord please let your servant speak a word in my lord's ears and don't let your anger burn against your servant for you are even as feral the Lord asked his servant saying have you a father or a brother we said to 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 loves him you said to your servants bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him we said to my lord the boy can't leave his father for if he should leave his father his father would die unless your youngest brother comes down with you you will see my face no more it happened when we came up to your servant my father we told him the words of my lord our father said go again buy us a little food we said we can't go down if our youngest brother is with us then we will go down for we may not see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us your servant my father said to us you know that my wife bore me two sons and the one went out from me and I said surely he is torn in pieces and I haven't seen him since if you take this one also from me and harm happens to him you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to she all now therefore when I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us seeing that his life is bound up in the boy's life it will happen when he sees that the boy is no more that he will die our servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to she all for your servant became collateral for the boy to my father saying if I don't bring him to you then I will bear the blame to my father forever now therefore please let your servant stay instead of the boy a bond servant to my lord and let the boy go up with his brothers for how will I go up to my father if the boy isn't with me lest I see the evil come on my father Chapter 45 then Joseph couldn't control himself before all those who stood before him and he cried cause every man to go out from me no one else stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers he wept aloud the Egyptians heard and the house of Pharaoh heard Joseph said to his brothers I am Joseph does my father still live his brothers couldn't answer him he was terrified at his presence Joseph said to his brothers come near to me please they came near he said I am Joseph your brother whom you sold into Egypt now don't be grieved nor angry with yourselves that you sold me here for God sent me before you to preserve life for these two years the famine has been in the land and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest God sent me before you to preserve your remnant in the earth and to save you alive by a great deliverance so now it wasn't you who sent me here but God and he has made me a father to Pharaoh Lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt hurry and go up to my father and tell him this is what your son Joseph says God has made me Lord of all Egypt come down to me don't wait you shall dwell in the land of Goshen and you will be near to me your children's children your flocks, your herds and all that you have there I will nourish you for there are yet five years of famine lest you come to poverty you and your household and all that you have behold your eyes see and the eyes of my brother Benjamin that this is my mouth that speaks to you you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt and of all that you have seen you shall hurry and bring my father down here Joseph's brother Benjamin's neck and wept and Benjamin wept on his neck he kissed all his brothers and wept on them after that his brothers talked with him the report of it was heard in Pharaoh's house saying Joseph's brothers have come it pleased Pharaoh well and his servants Pharaoh said to Joseph tell your brothers do this load your animals and go travel to the land of Canaan take your father and your households and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt and you will eat the fat of the land now you are commanded do this take wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives and bring your father and come also don't concern yourselves about your belongings for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours the sons of Israel did so Joseph gave them wagons according to the commandment of Pharaoh and gave them provision for the way he gave each one of them changes of clothing but to Benjamin he gave 300 pieces of silver and 5 changes of clothing to his father he sent after this manner 10 donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt and 10 female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and provision for his father by the way so he sent his brothers away and they departed he said to them see that you don't quarrel on the way they went up out of Egypt they came into the land of Canaan to Jacob their father they told him saying Joseph is still alive and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt his heart fainted for he didn't believe them they told him all the words of Joseph which he had said to them when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him the spirit of Jacob their father revived Israel said it is enough Joseph my son is still alive I will go and see him before I die chapter 46 Israel traveled with all that he had and came to Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night and said Jacob Jacob he said here I am he said I am God the God of your father don't be afraid to go down into Egypt for there I will make of you a great nation I will go down with you into Egypt I will also surely bring you up again Joseph will close your eyes Jacob rose from Beersheba and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father their little ones and their wives in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him they took their livestock 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 he brought all his seed with him into Egypt these are the names of the children of Israel who came into Egypt Jacob and his sons Reuben, Jacob's firstborn the sons of Reuben Hanok, Palu, Hezran and Karmie the sons of Simeon Jemuel, Jamin Ohad, Jacob Sohar and Shaul the sons of a Canaanite woman the sons of Levi Gershan, Kohath the sons of Shari the sons of Judah Ur, Onan, Shila, Perez and Zera but Ur and Onan had died in the land of Canaan the sons of Perez were Hezran and Hamul the sons of Izakar Tola, Hulva, Iob and Shimran the sons of Zebulun Serid, Ilan and Jalail the sons of Leah whom she brought to Jacob in Padden Aram and his daughter Daina all the souls of his sons and his daughters were 33 the sons of Gad, Zifian Hegai, Shuni, Esban Eri, Arodi and Areli the sons of Asher Imna, Ishva Ishvi, Berea and Sera their sister the sons of Berea Heber and Melchiel these are the sons of Zilpa and his daughter and these she brought to Jacob even 16 souls the sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife Joseph and Benjamin to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born in Manasseh and Ephraim whom Asenath, the daughter of Potipharah Priest of On, bore to him the sons of Benjamin Bela, Bekker, Ashbel Gera, Naaman, Ehie Rosh Mupim, Kupim and Ard these are the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob all the souls were 14 the son of Dan, Husham the sons of Naftali Jazeel, Gooni, Jayzer and Shilin these are the sons of Bilhah whom Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter and these she brought to Jacob all the souls were 7 all the souls who came with Jacob into Egypt who were his direct descendants besides Jacob's sons, wives all the souls were 66 the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two souls all the souls of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were 70 he sent Judah before him to Joseph to show the way before him to Goshen and they came into the land of Goshen Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen he presented himself to him and fell on his neck Israel said to Joseph now let me die since I have seen your face that you are still alive Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's house I will go up and speak with Pharaoh and will tell him my brothers and my father's house who were in the land of Cayman have come to me these men are shepherds for they have been keepers of livestock and they have brought their flocks to you and will say what is your occupation that you shall say your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now both we and our fathers that you may dwell in the land of Goshen for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians Chapter 47 then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh and said my father and my brothers with their flocks, their herds and all that they own they are in the land of Goshen from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh Pharaoh said to his brothers what is your occupation they said to Pharaoh your servants are shepherds both we and our fathers they said to Pharaoh we have come to live as foreigners in the land for there is no pasture for your servants flocks for the famine is severe in the land of Cayman now therefore please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen Pharaoh spoke to Joseph saying your father and your brothers have come to you the land of Egypt is before you make your father and your brothers dwell in the best of the land let them dwell in the land of Goshen if you know any able men among them then put them in charge of my livestock Joseph brought in Jacob his father and set him before Pharaoh and Jacob blessed Pharaoh Pharaoh said to Jacob how many are the days of the years of your life Jacob said to Pharaoh the days of the years of my pilgrimage are 130 years few and evil have been the days of the years of my life and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh Joseph placed his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt in the best of the land in the land of Ramses as Pharaoh had commanded he nourished his father, his brothers and all of his father's household with bread according to their families there was no bread in all the land for the famine was very severe so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the grain which they bought and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said give us bread for why should we die in your presence, for our money fails Joseph said give me your livestock and I will give you food for your livestock if your money is gone they brought their livestock to Joseph and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for their horses and for the flocks and for the herds and for the donkeys and he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock for that year when that year was ended they came to him the second year and said to him we will not hide from my lord how our money is all spent and the herds of livestock are my lords there is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands why should we die before your eyes both we and our land buy us and our land for bread and we and our land shall be servants to Pharaoh give us seed that we may live and not die and that the land won't be desolate so Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh for the Egyptians sold every man his field because the famine was severe on them and the land became pharaohs as for the people he moved them to the cities from one end of the border of Egypt even to the other end of it only he didn't buy the land of the priests for the priests had a portion from Pharaoh and ate their portion which Pharaoh gave them that is why they didn't sell their land then Joseph said to the people behold I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh behold here is seed for you and you shall sow the land it will happen at the harvests that you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh and four parts will be your own for seed of the field for your food for them of your households and for food for your little ones they said you have saved our lives let us find favor in the sight of my lord and we will be Pharaoh's servants Joseph made it a statute concerning to this day that Pharaoh should have the fifth only the land of the priests alone didn't become pharaohs Israel lived in the land of Egypt in the land of Goshen and they got themselves possessions therein and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years so the days of Jacob the years of his life were 147 years the time drew near that Israel must die and he called his son Joseph he said to him if now I have found favor in your sight please put your hand under my thigh and deal kindly and truly with me please don't bury me in Egypt but when I sleep with my fathers you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place he said I will do as you have said he said swear to me and he swore to him Israel bowed himself on the bed's head he said to Joseph behold your father is sick he took with him his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim someone told Jacob and said behold your son Joseph comes to you and Israel strengthened himself and sat on the bed Jacob said to Joseph God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me and said to me behold I will make you fruitful and multiply you and will give this land to your seed after you for an everlasting possession now your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you into Egypt are mine Ephraim and Manasseh even as Reuben and Simeon will be mine your issue whom you became the father of after them will be yours they will be called after the name of their brothers in their inheritance as for me when I came from Padan Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way when there was still some distance to come to Ephraim and I buried her there on the way to Ephraim the same as Bethlehem Israel saw Joseph's sons and said who are these Joseph said to his father these are my sons whom God has given me here he said please bring them to me and I will bless them now the eyes of Israel were dim for age so that he couldn't see he brought them near to him and he kissed them and embraced them Israel said to Joseph I didn't think I would see your face and behold God has let me see your seed also Joseph brought them out from between his knees and he bowed himself with his face to the earth Joseph took them both Ephraim in his right hand towards Israel's left hand and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand and brought them near to him Israel stretched out his right hand to Abraham's head who was the younger and his left hand on Manasseh's head guiding his hands knowingly for Manasseh was the first born he blessed Joseph and said the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk the God who has fed me all my life long to this day the angel who has redeemed me from all evil blessed the lads and let my name be named on them and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim it displeased him he held up his father's hand to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head Joseph said to his father not so my father for this is the first born put your right hand on his head his father refused and said I know my son I know he also will become a people and he also will be great his younger brother will be greater than he and his seed will become a multitude of nations he blessed them that day saying in you will Israel blessed saying God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh he said Ephraim before Manasseh Israel said to Joseph behold I am dying but God will be with you and bring you again to the land of your fathers moreover I have given you one portion above your brothers the land of the Amorite with my sword and with my bowl Chapter 49 Jacob called to his sons and said gather yourselves together that I may tell you that which will happen to you in the days to come assemble yourselves and hear you sons of Jacob listen to Israel your father Reuben you are my first born my might in the beginning of my strength excelling in dignity and excelling in power boiling over as water you shall not excel because you went up to your father's bed then defiled it you went up to my couch Simeon and Levi are brothers their swords are weapons of violence my soul don't come into their council my glory don't be united to their assembly for in their anger they killed men in their self will they hamstrung cattle cursed be their anger for it was fierce and their wrath for it was cruel divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel Judah your brothers will praise you your hand will be on the neck of your enemies your father's sons will bow down before you Judah is a lion's cub from the prey my son you have gone up he stooped down he crouched as a lion as a lioness who will rouse him up the scepter will not depart from Judah nor the rulers staff from between his feet until he comes to whom it belongs to him will the obedience of the people's be finding his fold to the vine his donkey's colt to the choice vine he has washed his garments in wine his robes in the blood of grapes his eyes will be red with wine his teeth white with milk Zebulun will dwell at the haven of the sea he will be for a haven of ships his border will be on Sidon Izakar is a strong donkey lying down between the saddlebags he saw a resting place and it was good the land that it was pleasant he bows his shoulder to the burden and becomes a servant doing forced labor Dan will judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel Dan will be a serpent in the way an adder in the path that bites the horse's heels so that his rider falls backward I have waited for your salvation Yahweh a troop will press on Gad but he will press on their heel Asher's food will be rich he will yield royal dainties Naftali is a doe set free who bears beautiful fawns Joseph is a fruitful vine a fruitful vine by a spring his branches run over the wall the archers have sorely grieved him shot at him and persecute him but his bow remained strong the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob from there is the shepherd the stone of Israel even by the god of your father who will help you by the almighty who will bless you with blessings from heaven above blessings of the deep that lies below blessings of the breasts and of the womb the blessings of your father have prevailed above the blessings of your ancestors above the boundaries of the ancient hills they will be on the head of Joseph on the crown of the head of him who is separated from his brothers Benjamin is a ravenous wolf in the morning he will devour the prey at evening he will divide the spoil all these are the twelve tribes of Israel and this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them he blessed everyone according to his blessing he instructed them and said to them I am to be gathered to my people bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite in the cave that is in the field in the cave that is in the field of Makpala which is before Mamre in the land of Canaan which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial place there they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife and there I buried Leah the field and the cave that is therein which was purchased from the children of Heth when Jacob made an end of charging his sons he gathered up his feet into the bed he yielded up the spirit and it was gathered to his people Chapter 50 Joseph fell on his father's face wept on him and kissed him Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father and the physicians embalmed Israel forty days were fulfilled for him for that is how many the days it takes to embalm the Egyptians wept for him for seventy days when the days of weeping for him were passed Joseph spoke to the house of Pharaoh saying if now I have found favor in your eyes please speak in the ears of Pharaoh saying my father made me swear saying behold I am dying bury me in my grave which I have dug for myself in the land of Canaan now therefore please let me go up and bury my father and I will come again Pharaoh said go up and bury your father just like he made you swear Joseph went up to bury his father and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh the elders of his house all the elders of the land of Egypt all the house of Joseph his brothers and his father's house only their little ones their flocks and their herds they left in the land of Goshen there went up with him both chariots and horsemen it was a very great company they came to the threshing floor of Atad which is beyond the Jordan and there they lamented with very great he mourned for his father seven days when the inhabitants of the land the Canaanites saw the mourning in the floor of Atad they said this is a grievous morning by the Egyptians therefore its name was called Abel Miserain which is beyond the Jordan his sons did to him just as he commanded them for his sons carried him into the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Makpala which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a burial site from Ephron the Hittite before Mamre Joseph returned to Egypt he and his brothers and all that went up with him to bury his father after he buried his father when Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead they said it may be that Joseph will hate us and will fully pay us back for all of the evil which we did to him they sent a message to Joseph saying your father commanded before he died saying you shall tell Joseph please forgive the disobedience of your brothers and their sin because they did evil to you now please forgive the disobedience of the servants of the God of your father Joseph wept when they spoke to him his brothers also went and fell down before his face and they said behold we are your servants Joseph said to them don't be afraid for am I in the place of God as for you you meant evil against me but God meant it for good and he was like a child he was as good as this day to save many people alive now therefore don't be afraid I will nourish you and your little ones he comforted them and spoke kindly to them Joseph lived in Egypt he and his father's house Joseph lived 110 years Joseph saw Ephraim's children to the third generation the children also of Mathur the son of Manasseh were born on Joseph's knees they were not dying but God will surely visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel saying God will surely visit you and you shall carry up my bones from here so Joseph died being 110 years old and they embalmed him and he was put in a coffin in Egypt end of the book of Genesis