Jacob, Joseph & Egypt

Aser, his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield dainties to kings.

Nephthali, a hart let loose, and giving words of beauty.

Joseph is a growing son, a growing son and comely to behold: the daughters run to and fro upon the wall;

But they that held darts, provoked him, and quarrelled with him, and envied him.

His bow rested upon the strong, and the bands of his arms and his hands were loosed, by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob: thence he came forth a pastor, the stone of Israel.

The God of thy father shall be thy helper, and the Almighty shall bless thee with the blessings of heaven above, with the blessings of the deep that lieth beneath, with the blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

The blessings of thy father are strengthened with the blessings of his fathers: until the desire of the everlasting hills should come: may they be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the Nazarite among his brethren.

Benjamin a ravenous wolf, in the morning shall eat the prey, and in the evening shall divide the spoil.

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: these things their father spoke to them, and he blessed every one with their proper blessings.

And he charged them, saying: I am now going to be gathered to my people: bury me with my fathers in the double cave, which is in the field of Ephron the Hethite,

Over against Mambre, in the land of Chanaan, which Abraham bought together with the field, of Ephron the Hethite, for a possession to bury in.

There they buried him, and Sara his wife: there was Isaac buried with Rebecca, his wife: there also Lia doth lie buried.

And when he had ended the commandments, wherewith he instructed his sons, he drew up his feet upon the bed, and died: and he was gathered to his people.

And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

And when Joseph saw this, he fell upon his father's face, weeping and kissing him.

And he commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father.

And while they were fulfilling his commands, there passed forty days: for this was the manner with bodies that were embalmed, and Egypt mourned for him seventy days.

And the time of the mourning being expired, Joseph spoke to the family of Pharao: If I have found favour in your sight, speak in the ears of Pharao:

For my father made me swear to him, saying: Behold I die; thou shalt bury me in my sepulchre which I have digged for myself in the land of Chanaan. So I will go up and bury my father, and return.

And Pharao said to him: Go up and bury thy father according as he made thee swear.

So he went up, and there went with him all the ancients of Pharao's house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt.

And the house of Joseph with his brethren, except their children, and their flocks and herds, which they left in the land of Gessen.

He had also in his train chariots and horsemen: and it was a great company.

And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is situated beyond the Jordan: where celebrating the exequies with a great and vehement lamentation, they spent full seven days.

And when the inhabitants of Chanaan saw this, they said: This is a great mourning to the Egyptians. And therefore the name of that place was called, The mourning of Egypt.