Joseph

13There was no food anywhere in the land. The hunger was very bad. The land of Egypt and the land of Canaan were worn out by it.

And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.

14Joseph collected all the money in Egypt and in Canaan. People paid it to him for the grain they bought. Joseph brought that money to Pharaoh's house.

And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.

NoteThere were no coins yet. Money was small pieces of silver, weighed to see how much they were worth. The old words also say "corn." That meant grain like wheat, not the yellow corn we eat today.

15When the money in Egypt and Canaan was gone, all the Egyptians came to Joseph. They said, "Give us food! Why should we die right in front of you? Our money is gone."

And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.

16Joseph said, "Bring me your animals. Since your money is gone, I will give you food for them."

And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.

NoteThe old words say "cattle." Back then that word meant all farm animals: sheep, goats, donkeys, and cows.

17So they brought their animals to Joseph. He gave them food in trade for their horses, their sheep, their cows, and their donkeys. That whole year he fed them in trade for all their animals.

And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.

18When that year ended, they came to him the next year. They said, "We will not hide it from you, sir. Our money is spent. Our animals are yours now. Nothing is left for you but our bodies and our land.

When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:

19Why should we die while you watch, and our land die too? Buy us and our land, and give us food. Then we and our land will belong to Pharaoh. Give us seed so we can live and not die. Then the land will not go empty."

Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.

NoteSeed is grain saved to plant in the ground. It is not eaten. A farmer with no seed has nothing to grow next year. Being Pharaoh's servants meant they belonged to him and worked his land.

20So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. Every Egyptian sold his field, because the hunger was so bad. The land became Pharaoh's.

And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.

21As for the people, he moved them into the cities. He did this from one end of Egypt to the other end.

And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.

22Only the land of the priests he did not buy. Pharaoh gave them food, so they ate what he gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.

Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.

NoteA priest was a man who led people in worshiping their gods. In Egypt, priests worked at the temples and the king fed them.

23Then Joseph said to the people, "Today I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you. Now go and plant the land.

Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land.

24When the crops grow, give one part out of five to Pharaoh. The other four parts are yours. Use them for seed, and for food for yourselves, your families, and your little children."

And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.

NoteOne part out of five means one basket in every five baskets. The other four baskets stayed with the farmer.

25They said, "You have saved our lives. Please be kind to us, sir. We will be Pharaoh's servants."

And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.

26So Joseph made this a law in Egypt, and it is still the law today. One part out of five goes to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh's.

And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh’s.

Note"Still the law today" means the day this story was written down, long, long ago.

27Israel and his family lived in Egypt, in the part called Goshen. They got land of their own there. They had many children and grew into a very large family.

And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.

NoteIsrael was Jacob's other name. Here it means Jacob and his whole family together.

28Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years. In all, Jacob lived 147 years.

And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.

29The time came near for Israel to die. He called his son Joseph and said, "If you are pleased with me, put your hand under my leg. Promise to be kind and true to me. Please do not bury me in Egypt.

And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:

NotePutting your hand under someone's leg was an old way to make a promise. It showed the promise was very serious and would not be broken.

30When I lie down in death with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt. Bury me where they are buried." Joseph said, "I will do what you have said."

But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.

NoteJacob's family was buried in a cave back in Canaan. His grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac were buried there.

31Jacob said, "Make a promise to me." So Joseph made the promise. Then Israel bowed down at the head of his bed.

And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head.

NoteJacob was very old and weak, so he bowed where he lay. Bowing your head was a way to show thanks and respect.

1Some time later, someone told Joseph, "Your father is sick." Joseph took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with him.

And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

NoteJoseph was a ruler in Egypt. His father and brothers had moved there to live near him.

2Someone told Jacob, "Your son Joseph is coming to see you." So Israel, who is Jacob, gathered his strength and sat up on the bed.

And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.

NoteThis man has two names. God gave Jacob the second name, Israel. The story uses both names for him.

3Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz, in the land of Canaan. He blessed me there.

And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

Note"God Almighty" means God is stronger than anyone. Luz was a town in Canaan. Later people called it Bethel.

4He said to me, 'I will give you many children. Your family will grow into a great crowd of people. I will give this land to your family after you, to keep forever.'

And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.

NoteThe land is Canaan, where Jacob's family lived before they moved to Egypt.

5Now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, are mine. They were born to you in Egypt before I came to you here. They will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.

And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

NoteIn this family, each son got a share of the land. Jacob is saying these two grandsons count as his own sons. So they get a share too, like Joseph's older brothers Reuben and Simeon.

6Any children born to you after them will be yours. When land is handed out, they will be listed under their brothers' names.

And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

NoteLater the family's land was divided up. Each of Jacob's sons had a piece named after him.

7As for me, I was coming back from Padan when Rachel died beside me. It happened in the land of Canaan, on the road, not far from Ephrath. I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem."

And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.

NoteRachel was Jacob's wife and Joseph's mother. She died long ago, when Joseph was still a boy. Ephrath is the town later called Bethlehem.

8Israel looked at Joseph's sons. He asked, "Who are these?"

And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these?

9Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons. God gave them to me here." Jacob said, "Please bring them to me. I will bless them."

And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.

NoteTo bless someone is to speak good words over them. It asks God to be kind to them. A father's blessing mattered very much in this family.

10Israel's eyes were weak because he was old, and he could not see. Joseph brought the boys close to him. Jacob kissed them and hugged them.

Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.

11Israel said to Joseph, "I never thought I would see your face again. And now God has let me see your children too."

And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.

12Then Joseph took the boys from between his father's knees. He bowed down with his face to the ground.

And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

NoteThe boys stood close by their grandfather's knees. This showed they now belonged to his family. Joseph bowed low to show great respect.

13Joseph took both boys. He held Ephraim in his right hand, toward Israel's left hand. He held Manasseh in his left hand, toward Israel's right hand. He brought them close to his father.

And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near unto him.

NotePeople then thought the right hand was the stronger hand. The older son usually got the right hand.

14Israel reached out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head. Ephraim was the younger boy. He laid his left hand on Manasseh's head. He crossed his hands on purpose, though Manasseh was the older son.

And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.

NoteThe oldest son usually got the best blessing and the biggest share. Jacob crossed his arms on purpose. He gave the stronger hand to the younger boy.

15He blessed Joseph and said, "My fathers Abraham and Isaac walked with God. That same God has fed me all my life, right up to today.

And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,

NoteTo "walk with God" means to live close to God and obey him. Saying God "fed me" pictures God as a shepherd caring for his sheep.

16He is the Angel who has saved me from all harm. May he bless these boys. May they carry my name, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. May they grow into a great crowd of people on the earth."

The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

NoteAn angel is a messenger God sends. To "carry my name" means to be counted as part of Jacob's family.

17Joseph saw his father's right hand on Ephraim's head. This did not please him. He took hold of his father's hand to move it to Manasseh's head.

And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head.

18Joseph said to his father, "Not that way, my father. This one is the older son. Put your right hand on his head."

And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.

19But his father said no. He said, "I know, my son, I know. He will also become a people, and he will also be great. But his younger brother will be greater than he is. His family will become many nations."

And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.

Note"Nations" here means very large groups of people, like whole countries.

20That day he blessed them. He said, "The people of Israel will use your names when they bless. They will say, 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.'" So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.

And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

NotePeople would say these names when they wished good things for their children. Ephraim and Manasseh became the names used in that blessing.

21Israel said to Joseph, "Look, I am about to die. But God will be with you. He will bring you back to the land of your fathers.

And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.

Note"The land of your fathers" is Canaan. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had all lived there.

22And I have given you one piece of land more than your brothers. I took it from the Amorite with my sword and my bow."

Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.

NoteThe Amorites were a people who lived in Canaan then. Jacob gave Joseph an extra piece of land, more than his brothers got.

22"Joseph is a branch full of fruit. He is a branch full of fruit by a well of water. Its smaller branches climb over the wall."

Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:

NoteThis is a picture of a plant covered in fruit. It means Joseph's family will grow big.

23"Men with bows hurt him badly. They shot at him. They hated him."

The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:

NoteMen with bows are archers, who shoot arrows. Joseph's brothers and others hurt him badly.

24"But his bow stayed strong. The hands of the mighty God of Jacob made his arms strong. From there comes the shepherd, the stone of Israel."

But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

NoteCalling God a shepherd means he cares for people like a shepherd cares for sheep. Calling God a stone means he is strong and safe to lean on.

25"The God of your father will help you. The Almighty, the God who can do anything, will bless you. He gives blessings from the heavens above. He gives blessings from the deep water below. He gives blessings of children and of mother's milk."

Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

NoteThe deep water below means springs under the ground. That water helped the land grow food.

26"Your father's blessings are greater than the blessings of my parents before me. They are more than all the good things of the hills that last forever. Let them rest on Joseph's head. Let them rest on the head of the one who was set apart from his brothers."

The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

NoteThe hills that last forever are hills that have always stood there. Set apart means Joseph was taken away from his brothers. Later he became a leader over them.

1Joseph leaned over his father's face. He cried over him and kissed him.

And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.

NoteCrying over a dead person and kissing them was how people said goodbye.

2Joseph told the doctors who worked for him to embalm his father. That means treating the body so it would keep. So the doctors embalmed Israel, who was also called Jacob.

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

NoteTo embalm a body is to rub it with oils and salt. That kept the body from rotting. In Egypt this was done for important people. Israel was Jacob's other name, so both names mean the same man.

3It took forty days to finish, because that is how long embalming takes. The people of Egypt cried for him for seventy days.

And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of those which are embalmed: and the Egyptians mourned for him threescore and ten days.

NoteSeventy days is more than two months. In Egypt people cried out loud in public for that long when a great person died. It was a way to show honor.

4When the days of crying were over, Joseph spoke to the people of Pharaoh's house. Joseph said, "If you are pleased with me, please tell Pharaoh this for me.

And when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying,

NotePharaoh was the word for the king of Egypt. The King James says "if now I have found grace in your eyes." That means "if you are happy with me."

5My father made me promise. He said, 'Look, I am going to die. Bury me in the grave I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.' So please let me go and bury my father. Then I will come back."

My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.

NoteCanaan was the land far away where Jacob's family used to live. People there cut graves out of rock in a hillside. A man might get his grave ready long before he died.

6Pharaoh said, "Go and bury your father, just as he made you promise."

And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.

7So Joseph went to bury his father. All of Pharaoh's servants went with him. So did the leaders of Pharaoh's house and all the leaders of Egypt.

And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,

NoteThe King James calls them "elders." Elders were older men who were leaders and helped decide things.

8All of Joseph's family went too, and his brothers, and his father's family. They left only their little children, their sheep, and their cattle in the land of Goshen.

And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father’s house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.

NoteGoshen was the part of Egypt where Jacob's family lived. It had good grass for their animals.

9Chariots also went with him, which are carts pulled by horses. Men on horses went too. It was a very large group.

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

NoteThe chariots and horsemen were the king's soldiers. Pharaoh sent them along to show honor to Joseph's father.

10They came to the threshing floor of Atad, a flat place where grain is beaten. It is across the Jordan River. There they cried out loud with deep sadness. Joseph mourned for his father seven days.

And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days.

NoteA threshing floor was hard flat ground out in the open. Farmers beat grain there to knock the seeds loose. It was wide, so a big crowd could stand on it. The Jordan was the main river of that land.

11The people who lived in that land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the floor of Atad. They said, "This is a very sad mourning for the Egyptians." So the place was named Abel-mizraim. It is across the Jordan River.

And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abelmizraim, which is beyond Jordan.

NoteThe Canaanites were the people who already lived in the land of Canaan. The name Abel-mizraim means "the crying of the Egyptians" in their language.

12Jacob's sons did for him just what he had told them to do.

And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them:

13They carried him to the land of Canaan. They buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. Abraham had bought that field from Ephron the Hittite to use as a burial place.

For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.

NoteThis cave was the family burying place. Abraham had paid for it long before, and his wife Sarah was buried there. Isaac and Jacob's wife Leah were buried there too. A Hittite was a man from one of the groups living in that land.

14After he buried his father, Joseph went back to Egypt. His brothers went back too, and everyone else who had gone up with him.

And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.

15Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead. They said, "Maybe Joseph will hate us. He will surely pay us back for all the evil we did to him."

And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him.

NoteYears before, these brothers had sold Joseph to be a slave. Now they were afraid he would finally get even with them.

16So they sent a message to Joseph. It said, "Before your father died, he gave this order.

And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,

17He said, 'Tell Joseph this: Please forgive the wrong your brothers did, and their sin, for they did evil to you.' So now please forgive the wrong done by the servants of your father's God." When they spoke to him, Joseph cried.

So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him.

NoteThe King James word "trespass" means a wrong thing someone did to you. Asking forgiveness means asking a person not to hold it against you.

18His brothers also came and bowed down low in front of him. They said, "Look, we are your servants."

And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.

NoteBowing down low, with your face near the ground, showed great respect. Saying "we are your servants" meant they would do whatever he said.

19Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God?

And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?

Note"Am I in the place of God?" is a question that means no. Joseph was saying he was not God, so punishing them was not his job.

20You planned evil against me. But God meant it for good. He did it to keep many people alive, as you can see today.

But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

21So do not be afraid. I will feed you and your little children." He made them feel better and spoke kindly to them.

Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

NoteThe King James says "I will nourish you." That means he would give them food and take care of them.

22Joseph stayed in Egypt, and so did his father's family. Joseph lived to be one hundred ten years old.

And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father’s house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.

23Joseph saw Ephraim's children down to the third group of children after them. The children of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were also placed on Joseph's knees when they were born.

And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph’s knees.

NoteThe third group of children means his grandchildren's children. Putting a new baby on a grandfather's knees was a way of welcoming that child into the family.

24Joseph said to his brothers, "I am going to die. But God will surely come to you. He will bring you out of this land to the land he promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

Note"God will surely visit you" means God will come to help them. The land he promised was Canaan, where Jacob was just buried.

25Joseph made the sons of Israel promise. He said, "God will surely come to you. Then you must carry my bones up from here."

And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.

NoteJoseph wanted to be buried with his family in Canaan, not in Egypt. A body kept by embalming could be carried a long way, even many years later.

26So Joseph died. He was one hundred ten years old. They embalmed his body and put it in a coffin in Egypt. A coffin is a box for a dead body.

So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

17Pharaoh let the people go. God did not lead them by the road through the land of the Philistines, even though that road was near. For God said, "If the people see war, they may change their minds. Then they would go back to Egypt."

And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:

NoteThe Philistines were a strong people who lived by the sea. Their road was the short way, but there was fighting along it.

18Instead, God led the people around by another way. It went through the desert toward the Red Sea. The people of Israel went up out of Egypt ready for battle.

But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.

NoteThe desert here is dry, empty land with few plants and little water. Ready for battle means they marched in neat lines, like soldiers.

19Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. Joseph had made the people of Israel give a firm promise. He had said, "God will surely come to help you. Then you must carry my bones away from here with you."

And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.

NoteJoseph was a leader in Egypt long before this, and he died there. He asked his family to carry his bones home one day. They kept that promise now.