Genesis 50 - GOD’S WORD Translation (GW)

Joseph Buries His Father

50 Joseph threw himself on his father, cried over him, and kissed him. 2 Then Joseph ordered the doctors in his service to embalm his father. So the doctors embalmed Israel. 3 The embalming was completed in the usual time—40 days. The Egyptians mourned for him 70 days.

4 When the time of mourning for Jacob was over, Joseph spoke to the Pharaoh’s palace staff. He said, “Please speak directly to Pharaoh. Tell him, 5 ‘My father made me swear an oath. He said, “I’m about to die. Bury me in the tomb I bought for myself in Canaan.” Please let me go there and bury my father; then I’ll come back.’ ”

6 Pharaoh replied, “Go and bury your father, as you have promised him.”

7 So Joseph left to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials, the leaders in his palace staff, and all the leaders of Egypt went with him. 8 Joseph’s household, his brothers, and his father’s household also went with him. (Only their children, their flocks, and their cattle were left in Goshen.) 9 Chariots and horsemen went with him. It was a very large group.

10 When they came to the threshing floor [a] of Atad, which is on the east side of the Jordan River, they began a great and solemn ceremony to mourn Jacob’s death. Joseph took seven days to mourn his father’s death. 11 When the Canaanites living there saw the funeral ceremonies at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “These funeral ceremonies are taken very seriously by the Egyptians.” That’s why that place on the east side of the Jordan was named Abel Mizraim [Egyptian Funeral Ceremonies].

12 Jacob’s sons did for him what he had told them to do. 13 They carried him back to Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, east of Mamre. Abraham had bought this tomb from Ephron the Hittite.

14 After Joseph had buried his father, he went back to Egypt along with his brothers and everyone who had gone there with him to bury his father.

Joseph Forgives His Brothers

15 Joseph’s brothers realized what their father’s death could mean. So they thought, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us? What if he decides to pay us back for all the evil we did to him?” 16 They sent a messenger to Joseph to say, “Before your father died, he commanded us, 17 ‘This is what you should say to Joseph, “I’m begging you to forgive the crime and the sin your brothers committed against you. What they did to you was very evil.” ’ So now, please forgive our crime, because we are servants of your father’s God.” Joseph cried when he got their message.

18 Then his brothers also came and immediately bowed down in front of him. “We are your slaves!” they said.

19 Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I can’t take God’s place. 20 Even though you planned evil against me, God planned good to come out of it. This was to keep many people alive, as he is doing now. 21 Don’t be afraid! I will provide for you and your children.” In this way he reassured them, setting their minds at ease.

22 Joseph and his father’s family stayed in Egypt. Joseph lived to be 110 years old. 23 He saw his grandchildren, Ephraim’s children. Even the children of Machir, son of Manasseh, were adopted by Joseph at birth.

24 At last Joseph said to his brothers, “I’m about to die. God will definitely take care of you and take you out of this land to the land he swore with an oath to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” 25 Joseph made Israel’s sons swear an oath. He said, “God will definitely take care of you. So be sure to carry my bones back with you.”

26 Joseph died when he was 110 years old. His body was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Footnotes

  1. 50:10 A threshing floor is an outdoor area where grain is separated from its husks.

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Genesis 50 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

50 And Joseph falleth on his father's face, and weepeth over him, and kisseth him; 2 and Joseph commandeth his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father, and the physicians embalm Israel; 3 and they fulfil for him forty days, for so they fulfil the days of the embalmed, and the Egyptians weep f...
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Genesis 50 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

50 Which thing Joseph saw, and he fell on his father’s face, and wept, and kissed him; 2 and he commanded his servants, (the) leeches, that they should anoint his father with sweet smelling spiceries. (and he commanded the physicians, his servants, to anoint his father with sweet smelling spices.) 3...
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Genesis 50 - World English Bible (WEB)

50 1 Joseph fell on his father’s face, wept on him, and kissed him. 2 Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father; and the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 Forty days were used for him, for that is how many the days it takes to embalm. The Egyptians wept for Israel for sevent...
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Genesis 50 - The Voice (VOICE)

50 As his father passed on, Joseph threw himself onto his father’s face, crying and kissing him. 2 Then Joseph told the physicians in his service to embalm his father and prepare him for the journey. So the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 It took 40 days to embalm him because that’s how long it take...
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Genesis 50 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Lamentation for Jacob50 Joseph fell upon his father’s face, wept over him and kissed him. 2 Then Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father, so the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 They took 40 days for him, because that is how long embalming takes, and Egypt wept 70 days. 4 Wh...
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Genesis 50 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

50 Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him, and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel; 3 forty days were required for it, for so many are required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy...
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Genesis 50 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

50 Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him, and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel; 3 forty days were required for it, for so many are required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy...
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Genesis 50 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

50 Then Joseph threw himself on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him. 2 Joseph commanded the physicians in his service to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel; 3 they spent forty days in doing this, for that is the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept f...
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Genesis 50 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

50 Then Joseph threw himself on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him.(A)2 Joseph commanded the physicians in his service to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel;(B)3 they spent forty days doing this, for that is the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept fo...
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Genesis 50 - New Living Translation (NLT)

50 Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. 2 Then Joseph told the physicians who served him to embalm his father’s body; so Jacob[a] was embalmed. 3 The embalming process took the usual forty days. And the Egyptians mourned his death for seventy days. 4 When the period o...
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Genesis 50 - New Life Version (NLV)

50 Then Joseph threw himself upon his father, and cried over him and kissed him. 2 Joseph told his servants the doctors to make his father ready to be buried. So the doctors made Israel ready. 3 Forty days were needed for this. For this is how much time it took for making the body ready to be buri...
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Genesis 50 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Burial of Jacob50 Then Joseph (A)fell on his father’s face and (B)wept over him, and kissed him. 2 And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to (C)embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. 3 Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embal...
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Genesis 50 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

50 Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. 2 Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, 3 taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seve...
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Genesis 50 - New International Version (NIV)

50 Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him.(A) 2 Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him,(B) 3 taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him ...
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Genesis 50 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

50 Joseph threw himself on his father’s body. He wept over him and kissed him. 2 Then Joseph talked to the doctors who served him. He told them to prepare the body of his father Israel to be buried. So the doctors prepared it. 3 They took 40 days to do it. They needed that much time to prepare a b...
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Genesis 50 - New English Translation (NET)

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