BERĔSHITH 50 (Genesis 50)

1 And Yosĕph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him, and kissed him.

2 And Yosĕph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Yisra’ĕl.

3 And forty days were completed for him, for so are completed the days of embalming. And the Mitsrites wept for him seventy days.

4 And when the days of weeping for him were past, Yosĕph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, “If, now, I have found favour in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying,

5 ‘My father made me swear, saying, “See, I am dying, bury me in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Kena’an.” And now, please let me go up and bury my father, and return.’ ”

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

7 And Yosĕph 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 Mitsrayim,

8 and all the house of Yosĕph, and his brothers, and his father’s house. 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 it was a very great company.

10 And they came to the threshing-floor of Ataḏ, which is beyond the Yardĕn, and they lamented there with a great and very heavy lamentation. And he observed seven days of mourning for his father.

11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Kena’anites, saw the mourning at the threshing-floor of Ataḏ, they said, “This is a grievous mourning for the Mitsrites.” That is why its name was called Aḇĕl Mitsrayim, which is beyond the Yardĕn.

12 And his sons did to him as he had commanded them,

13 for his sons brought him to the land of Kena’an, and buried him in the cave of the field of Maḵpĕlah, before Mamrĕ, which Aḇraham bought with the field from Ephron the Ḥittite as property for a burial site.

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

15 And when Yosĕph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Yosĕph hates us, and pays us back all the evil which we did to him?”

16 And they sent word to Yosĕph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying,

17 ‘This is what you are to say to Yosĕph, “I beg you, please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did evil to you.” ’ And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the Elohim of your father.” And Yosĕph wept when they spoke to him.

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

19 And Yosĕph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of Elohim?

20 “And you, you intended evil against me, but Elohim intended it for good, in order to do it as it is this day, to keep a great many people alive.

21 “And now, do not fear, I provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

22 And Yosĕph dwelt in Mitsrayim, he and his father’s household. And Yosĕph lived one hundred and ten years.

23 And Yosĕph saw Ephrayim’s children to the third generation. The children of Maḵir, son of Menashsheh, were also brought up on Yosĕph’s knees.

24 And Yosĕph said to his brothers, “I am dying, but Elohim shall certainly visit you and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Ya’aqoḇ.”

25 And Yosĕph made the children of Yisra’ĕl swear, saying, “Elohim shall certainly visit you, and you shall bring up my bones from here.”

26 And Yosĕph died, being one hundred and ten years old. And they embalmed him, and he was placed in a coffin in Mitsrayim.