Genesis 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.

1Jacob, also called Israel, set out with everything he owned. He came to a town called Beersheba. There he gave gifts to God, the God his father Isaac had worshiped.

2And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.

2That night God spoke to Israel in a dream. God called, "Jacob, Jacob!" Jacob answered, "I am here."

3And 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:

3God said, "I am God, the God your father worshiped. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt. There I will grow your family into a great nation."

4I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.

4"I will go down to Egypt with you. And I will surely bring you back again. Joseph will be there to close your eyes when you die."

Note"Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes" was a way of saying Joseph would be there when Jacob died. A son gently closed a parent's eyes after death.

5And 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.

5So Jacob left Beersheba. His sons carried their father in the wagons that Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had sent. They brought their wives and their little children too.

6And 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:

6They took their animals and all they had gotten in the land of Canaan. So Jacob and his whole family went to Egypt.

7His sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.

7He brought his sons and his sons' sons. He brought his daughters and his sons' daughters. His whole family came with him to Egypt.

8And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.

8Here are the names of Jacob's family who went to Egypt. Reuben was Jacob's oldest son.

9And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.

9Reuben's sons were Hanoch, Phallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

10And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.

10Simeon's sons were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul. Shaul's mother was a woman from Canaan.

11And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

11Levi's sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

12And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.

12Judah's sons were Er, Onan, Shelah, Pharez, and Zarah. Er and Onan had already died back in Canaan. Pharez's sons were Hezron and Hamul.

13And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.

13Issachar's sons were Tola, Phuvah, Job, and Shimron.

14And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.

14Zebulun's sons were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.

15These be the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padanaram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three.

15These were the sons Leah had with Jacob in Padanaram. She also had a daughter named Dinah. Her sons and daughters came to thirty-three people.

16And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.

16Gad's sons were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.

17And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel.

17Asher's children were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and their sister Serah. Beriah's sons were Heber and Malchiel.

18These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.

18These sons came from Zilpah, who had children with Jacob. Laban had given Zilpah to his daughter Leah. They came to sixteen people.

19The sons of Rachel Jacob’s wife; Joseph, and Benjamin.

19Rachel was also Jacob's wife. Her sons were Joseph and Benjamin.

20And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.

20Joseph's two sons were born in Egypt. They were Manasseh and Ephraim. Their mother was Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, a priest in the city of On.

21And the sons of Benjamin were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.

21Benjamin's sons were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.

22These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.

22These sons came from Rachel, who had children with Jacob. They came to fourteen people.

23And the sons of Dan; Hushim.

23Dan's son was Hushim.

24And the sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.

24Naphtali's sons were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

25These are the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls were seven.

25These sons came from Bilhah, who had children with Jacob. Laban had given Bilhah to his daughter Rachel. They came to seven people.

26All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six;

26Sixty-six of Jacob's own children and grandchildren went with him to Egypt. This count does not include the wives of Jacob's sons.

NoteThe KJV says "threescore and six" and "threescore and ten." A score is twenty, so those numbers are sixty-six and seventy.

27And 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 threescore and ten.

27Joseph already had two sons born in Egypt. Counting them, Jacob's whole family in Egypt came to seventy people.

28And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.

28Jacob sent Judah on ahead to Joseph. Judah was to ask the way to Goshen. Then the family arrived in the land of Goshen.

29And 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.

29Joseph got his chariot ready, a cart pulled by horses. He rode to Goshen to meet his father Israel. He hugged him and cried on his shoulder a long time.

30And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.

30Israel said to Joseph, "Now I am ready to die. I have seen your face, and you are still alive."

31And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father’s house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father’s house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;

31Joseph said to his brothers and his father's family, "I will go and tell Pharaoh. I will say, 'My brothers and my father's family have come to me from Canaan.'"

32And 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.

32"I will tell him, 'These men keep sheep and other animals. That is their work. They have brought their flocks and herds and everything they own.'"

NoteIn the KJV, "cattle" means farm animals of every kind, mostly sheep and goats here, not just cows.

33And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?

33"When Pharaoh calls you in, he will ask, 'What work do you do?'"

34That ye shall say, Thy servants’ 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.

34"Then say, 'We have kept animals since we were young, and our fathers did too.' Then Pharaoh will let you live in Goshen. Egyptians think shepherds are disgusting."