The Lord’s Faithfulness Endures Forever

1 Then Joseph ^vfell on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to ^wembalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 Forty days were required for it, for that is how many are required for embalming. And the Egyptians ^xwept for him seventy days.

4 And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, ^y“If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, 5 ‘My father made me swear, saying, “I am about to die: in my tomb ^zthat I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there shall you bury me.” Now therefore, let me please go up and bury my father. Then I will return.’” 6 And Pharaoh answered, “Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear.” 7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left ^ain the land of Goshen. 9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It was a very great company. 10 When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, ^bthey lamented there with a very great and grievous lamentation, and he ^cmade a mourning for his father seven days. 11 When the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning by the Egyptians.” Therefore the place was named Abel-mizraim;¹ it is beyond the Jordan. 12 Thus his sons did for him as he had commanded them, 13 for ^dhis sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, which Abraham ^ebought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. 14 After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.

God’s Good Purposes

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “It may be that Joseph will hate us and pay us back for all the evil that we did to him.” 16 So they sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this command before he died: 17 ‘Say to Joseph, “Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.”’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of ^fthe God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 His brothers also came and ^gfell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for ^ham I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but ⁱGod meant it for good, to bring it about that many people² should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; ^jI will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

The Death of Joseph

22 So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s house. Joseph lived 110 years. 23 And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children ^kof the third generation. The ^lchildren also of Machir the son of Manasseh were ^mcounted as Joseph’s own.³ 24 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but ⁿGod will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land ^othat he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” 25 Then ^pJoseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” 26 So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They ^qembalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.