Genesis 50:1-21 ▼

1 And Joseph fell on the face of his father, and he wept over him, and he kissed him.

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

3 And forty days were fulfilled for him, for such are fulfilled are the days for the embalming; and the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.

4 And the days of his weeping passed, and Joseph spoke to the house of Pharaoh, saying, “If now I have found favor in your? eyes, speak, please, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying:

5 My father made me swear, saying, ‘Behold, I am dying; and in my grave that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.’ And now let me go up, please, and bury my father, and I will return.”

6 And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.”

7 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,

8 and all the house of Joseph, and his brothers, and the house of his father. Only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds they left in the land of Goshen.

9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and the camp was very large.

10 And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with great and very solemn lamentation, and he made seven days of mourning for his father.

11 And the inhabitant of the land, the Canaanite, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, and they said, “This is solemn mourning for the Egyptians.” Upon thus its name was called Abel-mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

12 And his sons did for him so, as he had commanded them.

13 And his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, the field that Abraham bought for a possession of a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, before the face of Mamre.

14 And Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers, and all who went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.

15 And the brothers of Joseph saw that their father was dead, and they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and he will surely return to us all the evil that we did to him.”

16 And they commanded to Joseph, saying, “Your father commanded before his death, saying,

17 ‘Thus you? shall say to Joseph: I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin, for they did to you evil.’ And now, please forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

18 And his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”

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

20 And you?—you? intended evil against me, God intended it for good, in order to bring about a day like this, to keep alive many people.

21 And now, fear not; I will provide for you? and your? little ones.” And he comforted them, and he spoke to their heart.