Chapter 46
2 God spoke to Israel in a vision at night, 'Jacob, Jacob,' he said. 'Here I am,' he replied.
3 'I am El, God of your father,' he said. 'Do not be afraid of going down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.
4 I shall go down to Egypt with you and I myself shall bring you back again, and Joseph's hand will close your eyes.'
5 So Jacob left Beersheba. Israel's sons conveyed their father Jacob, their little children and their wives in the waggons Pharaoh had sent to fetch him.
6 Taking their livestock and all that they had acquired in Canaan, they arrived in Egypt -- Jacob and all his offspring.
7 With him to Egypt, he brought his sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters -- all his offspring.
8 These were the names of the Israelites, Jacob and his descendants, who arrived in Egypt: Reuben, Jacob's first-born,
9 and the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.
10 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of the Canaanite woman.
11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
12 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (Er and Onan had died in Canaan), and Hezron and Hamul sons of Perez.
13 The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Jashub and Shimron.
14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon and Jahleel.
15 These were the sons that Leah had borne to Jacob in Paddan-Aram, besides his daughter Dinah; in all, his sons and daughters numbered thirty-three.
16 The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.
17 The sons of Asher: Jimnah, Jishvah, Jishvi, Beriah, with their sister Serah; the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.
18 These were the sons of Zilpah whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah; she bore these to Jacob -- sixteen persons.
19 The sons of Rachel wife of Jacob: Joseph and Benjamin.
20 Born to Joseph in Egypt were: Manasseh and Ephraim sons of Asenath, daughter of Potiphera priest of On.
21 The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.
22 These were the sons that Rachel bore to Jacob -- fourteen persons in all.
23 The sons of Dan: Hushim.
24 The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.
25 These were the sons of Bilhah whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel; she bore these to Jacob -- seven persons in all.
26 Altogether, the members of Jacob's family who arrived with him in Egypt -- his own issue, not counting the wives of Jacob's sons -- numbered sixty-six all told.
27 With Joseph's sons born to him in Egypt -- two persons -- the members of Jacob's family who went to Egypt totalled seventy.
28 Israel sent Judah ahead to Joseph, so that Judah might present himself to Joseph in Goshen. When they arrived in Goshen,
29 Joseph had his chariot made ready and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as he appeared he threw his arms round his neck and for a long time wept on his shoulder.
30 Israel said to Joseph, 'Now I can die, now that I have seen you in person and seen you still alive.'
31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and his father's family, 'I shall go back and break the news to Pharaoh. I shall tell him, "My brothers and my father's family who were in Canaan have come to me.
32 The men are shepherds and look after livestock, and they have brought their flocks and cattle and all their possessions."
33 Thus, when Pharaoh summons you and asks, "What is your occupation?",
34 you are to say, "Ever since our boyhood your servants have looked after livestock, we and our fathers before us," so that you can stay in the Goshen region -- for the Egyptians have a horror of all shepherds.'