1 So Jacob set out for Egypt with all his possessions. And when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac.
2 During the night God spoke to him in a vision. âJacob! Jacob!â he called. âHere I am,â Jacob replied.
3 âI am God, the God of your father,â the voice said. âDo not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make your family into a great nation.
4 I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring you back again. You will die in Egypt, but Joseph will be with you to close your eyes.â
5 So Jacob left Beersheba, and his sons took him to Egypt. They carried him and their little ones and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had provided for them.
6 They also took all their livestock and all the personal belongings they had acquired in the land of Canaan. So Jacob and his entire family went to Egyptâ
7 sons and grandsons, daughters and granddaughtersâall his descendants.
8 These are the names of the descendants of Israelâthe sons of Jacobâwho went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacobâs oldest son.
9 The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul. (Shaulâs mother was a Canaanite woman.)
11 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (though Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
13 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.
14 The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15 These were the sons of Leah and Jacob who were born in Paddan-aram, in addition to their daughter, Dinah. The number of Jacobâs descendants (male and female) through Leah was thirty-three.
16 The sons of Gad were Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
17 The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Their sister was Serah. Beriahâs sons were Heber and Malkiel.
18 These were the sons of Zilpah, the servant given to Leah by her father, Laban. The number of Jacobâs descendants through Zilpah was sixteen.
19 The sons of Jacobâs wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
20 Josephâs sons, born in the land of Egypt, were Manasseh and Ephraim. Their mother was Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On.
21 Benjaminâs sons were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
22 These were the sons of Rachel and Jacob. The number of Jacobâs descendants through Rachel was fourteen.
23 The son of Dan was Hushim.
24 The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25 These were the sons of Bilhah, the servant given to Rachel by her father, Laban. The number of Jacobâs descendants through Bilhah was seven.
26 The total number of Jacobâs direct descendants who went with him to Egypt, not counting his sonsâ wives, was sixty-six.
27 In addition, Joseph had two sons who were born in Egypt. So altogether, there were seventy members of Jacobâs family in the land of Egypt.
28 As they neared their destination, Jacob sent Judah ahead to meet Joseph and get directions to the region of Goshen. And when they finally arrived there,
29 Joseph prepared his chariot and traveled to Goshen to meet his father, Jacob. When Joseph arrived, he embraced his father and wept, holding him for a long time.
30 Finally, Jacob said to Joseph, âNow I am ready to die, since I have seen your face again and know you are still alive.â
31 And Joseph said to his brothers and to his fatherâs entire family, âI will go to Pharaoh and tell him, âMy brothers and my fatherâs entire family have come to me from the land of Canaan.
32 These men are shepherds, and they raise livestock. They have brought with them their flocks and herds and everything they own.ââ
33 Then he said, âWhen Pharaoh calls for you and asks you about your occupation,
34 you must tell him, âWe, your servants, have raised livestock all our lives, as our ancestors have always done.â When you tell him this, he will let you live here in the region of Goshen, for the Egyptians despise shepherds.â