Jacob, Joseph & Egypt

So Jacob’s sons did as he had charged them.

They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah in the field near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.

After Joseph had buried his father, he returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone with him to bury his father.

When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge? Then he will surely repay us for all the evil that we did to him.”

So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Before he died, your father commanded,

‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I beg you, please forgive the transgression and sin of your brothers, for they did you wrong.’ So now, Joseph, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”

But Joseph replied, “Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God?

As for you, what you intended against me for evil, God intended for good, in order to accomplish a day like this—to preserve the lives of many people.

Therefore do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones.” So Joseph reassured his brothers and spoke kindly to them.

Now Joseph and his father’s household remained in Egypt, and Joseph lived to the age of 110.

He saw Ephraim’s sons to the third generation, and indeed the sons of Machir son of Manasseh were brought up on Joseph’s knees.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely visit you and bring you up from this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

And Joseph made the sons of Israel take an oath and said, “God will surely attend to you, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”

So Joseph died at the age of 110. And they embalmed his body and placed it in a coffin in Egypt.