Study Desk

'My father made me swear [an oath], saying, "Hear me, I am about to die; bury me in my tomb which I prepared for myself in the land of Canaan." So now let me go up [to Canaan], please, and bury my father; then I will return.'"

When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they mourned there with a great lamentation (expressions of mourning for the deceased) and [extreme demonstrations of] sorrow [according to Egyptian custom]; and Joseph observed a seven-day mourning for his father.

When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "This is a grievous mourning for the Egyptians." Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim (mourning of Egypt); it is west of the Jordan.

So Jacob's sons did for him as he had commanded them;

for his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite.

When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph carries a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to him?"

'You are to say to Joseph, "I beg you, please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong."' Now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? [Vengeance is His, not mine.]

"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present outcome, that many people would be kept alive [as they are this day].

"So now, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and support you and your little ones." So he comforted them [giving them encouragement and hope] and spoke [with kindness] to their hearts.

He said to his people, "Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are too many and too mighty for us [they greatly outnumber us].

So they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with hard labor. And the sons of Israel built Pithom and Raamses as storage cities for Pharaoh.

So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, "Why have you done this thing, and allowed the boy babies to live?"

And because the midwives feared God [with profound reverence], He established families and households for them.

The woman conceived and gave birth to a son; and when she saw that he was [especially] beautiful and healthy, she hid him for three months [to protect him from the Egyptians].

Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and call a wet-nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?"

Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed him.

They said, "An Egyptian saved us from the shepherds. He even drew water [from the well] for us and watered the flock."

She gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom (stranger); for he said, "I have been a stranger in a foreign land."

Now it happened after a long time [about forty years] that the king of Egypt died. And the children of Israel (Jacob) groaned and sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out. And their cry for help because of their bondage ascended to God.