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Monday, January 27, 2025

Chapter 50: On the death of Jacob his father what Joseph does and promises

Genesis 50: 1 - 26 (CEB Study Bible)

Common English Bible, transl. 2013

Joseph fell across his father's body,

wept over him, and kissed him.  Joseph

then ordered the physicians in his service

to embalm his father, and the physicians

embalmed Israel.  They mourned for him

40 days because that is the period required

for embalming.  Then the Egyptians mourned

him for 70 days.  After the period of

mourning had passed, Joseph spoke to

Pharaoh's household, "If you approve my

request, give Pharaoh this message:  My

father made me promise, telling me, 'I'm

about to die.  You must bury me in the tomb 

that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.'

Now, let me leave and let me bury my father,

and then I will return."

Pharaoh replied, "Go, bury your father as you

promised."

So Joseph left to bury his father.  All of Pharaoh's

servants went with him, together with the

elder statesmen in his household and all of the

elder statesmen in the land of Egypt.  Joseph's

entire household, his brothers, and his father's

household.  Only the children, flocks, and

cattle ramined in the land of Goshen.  Even

chariots and horsemen went with him; it

was a huge collection of people.  When they

arrived at the threshing flood of Atad on the 

other side of the Jordan River, they observed

a solemn, deeply sorrowful period of

mourning.  He grieved 7 days for his father.

When the Canaanites who lived in the land saw

the observance of grief on Atad's threshing

floor, they said, "This is a solemn observance of

grief by the Egyptians." . . .Israel's sons did 

for him just as he had ordered.  His sons carried

him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the

cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, which

Abraham had purchased as burial property from

Ephron the Hittite.  Then Joseph returned to

Egypt, he, his brothers, and everyone who left

with him to bury his father.

When Joseph's brothers realized that their

father was now dead, they said, "What if

Joseph bears a grudge against us, and wants

to pay us back seriously for all of the terrible 

things we did to him?"

So they approached  Joseph and said, "Your

father gave you orders before he died, telling

us, 'This is what you should say to Joseph,

Please, forgive your brothers' sins & misdeeds,

for they did terrible things to you.  Now, please

forgive the sins of the servants of your father's

God.'

Joseph wept when they spoke to hi.

His brothers wept too, fell down in front of him,

and said, "We're here as your slaves."

But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid.

Am I God?

You planned something bad for me,

but GOD Produced Something Good from it,

in order to save the lives of many people, just

as he's doing today.  Now, don't be afraid.  I

will take care of you and your children."

So he put them at ease and spoke reassuringly

to them.

Thus Joseph lived in Egypt, he and his father's

household.  Joseph lived 110 years and saw

Ephraim's grandchildren.  The children of

Machir, Manasseh's son, were also born on

Joseph's knees.  Joseph said to his brothers,

"I'm about to die.  God will certainly take

care of you and bring you out of this land to

the land he promised to Abraham, to Isaac, and

to Jacob."  Joseph made Israel's sons promise,

"When God takes care of you, you must bring

up my bones out of here."  Joseph died when 

he was 110 years old.  They embalmed him

and placed him in a coffin in Egypt.

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