Joseph

13And 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.

There was no food anywhere. The hunger was so bad that the people of Egypt and Canaan grew weak.

14And 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.

People paid money to buy grain from Joseph. Joseph gathered up all the money in Egypt and Canaan. He brought it to Pharaoh's house.

15And 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.

At last the money ran out in Egypt and Canaan. All the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us food! Our money is gone. Must we die right in front of you?"

16And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.

Joseph said, "Then bring me your animals. If your money is gone, I will trade food for them."

17And 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.

So they brought their animals to Joseph. He gave them food and took their horses, sheep, cows, and donkeys. All that year he fed them in trade for their animals.

18When 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:

When that year ended, they came back the next year. They said, "Sir, we will not hide anything from you. Our money is spent. You already have our animals. All we have left is our own bodies and our land."

19Wherefore 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.

"Must we die while you watch, and our land go bare? Buy us and our land in trade for food. Then we and our land will belong to Pharaoh. Give us seed so we can live and the fields will not be empty."

20And 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.

So 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 land.

21And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.

Joseph moved the people into the cities. He did this everywhere, from one end of Egypt to the other.

22Only 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.

He did not buy the land of the priests, the men who served Egypt's gods. Pharaoh already gave them food to eat. So they did not have to sell their land.

23Then 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.

Then Joseph said to the people, "Today I have bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is seed. Go plant it in the ground."

24And 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.

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

25And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.

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

26And 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.

Joseph made this a law for all of Egypt: Pharaoh gets one part out of five. That law is still kept today. Only the priests' land did not become Pharaoh's.

27And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.

Jacob's family, also called Israel, lived in Egypt, in the land of Goshen. They got land of their own there. They had many children and grew into a big people.

28And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.

Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years. He was 147 years old in all.

29And 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:

The time was coming when Jacob would die. He called his son Joseph and said, "If you care for me, put your hand under my leg and promise. Be kind and keep your word to me. Please do not bury me in Egypt."

30But 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.

"When I die, carry my body out of Egypt. Bury me where my family is buried." Joseph said, "I will do just what you asked."

31And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head.

Jacob said, "Give me your word." So Joseph gave his word. Then Israel bowed his head at the top of his bed.

1And 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.

Later, someone told Joseph, "Your father is sick." So Joseph took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and went to him.

2And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.

Someone told Jacob, "Your son Joseph is here." Jacob, also called Israel, gathered his strength and sat up in bed.

3And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty came to me at a place called Luz, in the land of Canaan. He blessed me there.

4And 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.

"God said, 'I will give you many children, and they will grow into many peoples. I will give this land to your family after you, to keep for always.'

5And 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.

"Now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, were born here in Egypt before I came. They will count as my own sons, just like Reuben and Simeon.

6And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

"Any children born to you after them will be yours. They will share land under their brothers' names.

7And 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.

"When I was coming back from Paddan, your mother Rachel died in Canaan, on the road. We were still a short walk from Ephrath. I buried her there beside that road. Ephrath is the town now called Bethlehem."

8And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these?

Then Israel looked at Joseph's sons and asked, "Who are these boys?"

9And 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.

Joseph said, "They are my sons. God gave them to me here." His father said, "Please bring them to me. I want to bless them."

10Now 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.

Israel was very old, and his eyes were weak. He could barely see. Joseph brought the boys close, and Israel kissed them and hugged them.

11And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.

Israel said to Joseph, "I never thought I would see your face again. Now God has even let me see your children."

12And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

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

13And 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.

Joseph took both boys. He put Ephraim at Israel's left hand, and Manasseh at Israel's right hand. Then he led them close.

14And 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.

But Israel crossed his arms. He put his right hand on Ephraim's head, the younger boy. He put his left hand on Manasseh's head, the older boy. He did this on purpose.

15And 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,

Then he blessed Joseph. He said, "My fathers Abraham and Isaac walked with God. That same God has cared for me my whole life, right up to today.

16The 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.

"He is the angel who kept me safe from all harm. May he bless these two boys. May they carry my name, and the names of Abraham and Isaac. May their families grow into a great many people on the earth."

17And 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.

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

18And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.

Joseph said, "No, Father. This one is the older son. Put your right hand on his head."

19And 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.

But his father would not. He said, "I know, my son. I know. Manasseh's family will be great too. But his younger brother will be greater, and his family will become many nations."

20And 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.

That day Jacob blessed them. He said, "When people in Israel bless someone, they will say, 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.'" So he put Ephraim first, ahead of Manasseh.

21And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.

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

22Moreover 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.

"And I am giving you one piece of land more than your brothers get. I took it from the Amorites with my own sword and bow."

22Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:

"Joseph is like a healthy vine beside a spring of water. Its branches climb right over the wall."

23The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:

"Men with bows attacked him. They shot at him and hated him."

24But 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:)

"But he held his bow steady. The Mighty God of Jacob made his arms strong. That God is the Shepherd and the Rock of Israel."

25Even 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:

"Your father's God will help you. God Almighty will bless you. He gives good things from the heavens above and from the deep waters below. He gives children, and milk to feed them."

26The 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.

"My blessings for you are greater than the blessings of the old mountains. They are richer than the gifts of the hills that last forever. May they rest on Joseph's head. He stands out from his brothers."

1And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.

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

2And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians embalmed Israel.

Joseph told his doctors to get his father's body ready. So they made Israel's body ready to keep for a long time.

3And 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.

It took forty days to finish, which was the usual time. The Egyptians were sad and cried for him for seventy days.

4And 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,

When the sad days were over, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh's helpers. He said, "If you like me, please tell Pharaoh this for me."

5My 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.

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

6And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as he made thee swear.

Pharaoh said, "Go and bury your father, just as you promised him."

7And 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,

So Joseph went to bury his father. All of Pharaoh's helpers went with him. The leaders of Pharaoh's house went too, and the leaders of Egypt.

8And 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.

Everyone in Joseph's house went, and his brothers, and his father's family. Only the small children, the sheep, and the cattle stayed in Goshen.

9And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.

Chariots and men on horses went with him too. It was a very large group.

10And 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.

They came to the flat ground called Atad, across the Jordan River. There they cried loudly with deep sadness. Joseph mourned for his father seven days.

11And 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.

The Canaanites who lived there saw the crying at Atad. They said, "The Egyptians are very sad today." So the place was named Abel-mizraim, across the Jordan.

12And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them:

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

13For 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.

They carried him to 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 burying place.

14And 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.

After the burial, Joseph went back to Egypt. His brothers went too, and everyone else who had come along.

15And 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.

Joseph's brothers knew their father was dead. They said, "What if Joseph still hates us? He might pay us back for the bad things we did to him."

16And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying,

So they sent a message to Joseph. They said, "Before your father died, he told us something."

17So 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.

"He said, 'Tell Joseph this: Please forgive your brothers for the wrong they did to you.' So please forgive us. We serve the same God your father served." When Joseph heard this, he cried.

18And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.

Then his brothers came and bowed low in front of him. They said, "Look, we will be your servants."

19And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?

Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid. I am not God. It is not my place to punish you."

20But 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.

"You wanted to hurt me. But God turned it into something good. He did it to keep many people alive, just like today."

21Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

"So do not be afraid. I will feed you and your little children." Joseph comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

22And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father’s house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years.

Joseph stayed in Egypt with his father's family. Joseph lived to be one hundred and ten years old.

23And 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.

Joseph saw Ephraim's children, and their children's children. He also held the children of Machir on his knees. Machir was the son of Manasseh.

24And 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.

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

25And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.

Joseph made the sons of Israel promise something. He said, "God will surely come and help you. When he does, carry my bones away from here."

26So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

So Joseph died at one hundred and ten years old. They made his body ready to keep, and put it in a coffin in Egypt.

17And 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:

Pharaoh let the people go. God did not lead them on the road through Philistine land, even though it was shorter. God said, "If they see fighting, they may change their minds. Then they will go back to Egypt."

18But 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.

So God led them around another way, through the empty desert toward the Red Sea. The people of Israel marched out of Egypt ready for battle.

19And 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.

Moses took the bones of Joseph with him. Long ago Joseph had made the people promise this. He said, "God will surely come to help you. Then carry my bones away from here with you."