Mourning and Burial for Jacob 1 UDB Joseph fell on his father's face and he cried over him and kissed him. BSB BSB: Then Joseph fell upon his father’s face, wept over him, and kissed him.
2 UDB Joseph commanded his servants who prepared the dead for burial to embalm his father's body. BSB BSB: And Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So they embalmed him,
3 UDB It took forty days to embalm Jacob's body because that is the amount of time that was always required for them to embalm a body. The people of Egypt cried for seventy days because of Jacob's death. BSB BSB: taking the forty days required to complete the embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
4 UDB When the time of mourning was finished, Joseph said to the king's officials, "If you are pleased with me, please take this message to the king: BSB BSB: When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please tell Pharaoh that
5 UDB 'When my father was about to die, he told me to solemnly promise that I would bury his body in the land of Canaan, in the tomb that he himself had prepared. So please let me go up to Canaan and bury my father's body. Then I will return.'" BSB BSB: my father made me swear an oath when he said, ‘I am about to die. You must bury me in the tomb that I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.’ Now let me go and bury my father, and then return.”
6 UDB After they gave the king the message, he replied, "Tell Joseph, 'Go up and bury your father's body, as you swore that you would do.'" BSB BSB: Pharaoh replied, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”
7 UDB So Joseph went up to Canaan to bury his father's body. All the king's officials, all the king's advisors, and all the elders in Egypt went with him. BSB BSB: Then Joseph went to bury his father, and all the servants of Pharaoh accompanied him—the elders of Pharaoh’s household and all the elders of the land of Egypt—
8 UDB His family's small children and their sheep and goats and their cattle stayed in the region of Goshen. But all the rest of Joseph's family and his brothers and his father's family went with him. BSB BSB: along with all of Joseph’s household, and his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children and flocks and herds were left in Goshen.
9 UDB Men riding in chariots and on horses also went along. It was a huge group. BSB BSB: Chariots and horsemen alike went up with him, and it was an exceedingly large procession.
10 UDB They went to the east side of the Jordan River and arrived at Atad. There was a place there where people threshed the grain to separate the wheat from the chaff. There they mourned loudly for Jacob for a long time. Joseph performed mourning ceremonies for his father for seven days. BSB BSB: When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, which is across the Jordan, they lamented and wailed loudly, and Joseph mourned for his father seven days.
11 UDB When the Canaanite people who lived there saw them mourning like that, they said, "This is a sad mourning place for the people of Egypt!" So they named the place Abel Mizraim, which sounds like the Hebrew words that mean "mourning of the Egyptians." BSB BSB: When the Canaanites of the land saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a solemn ceremony of mourning by the Egyptians.” Thus the place across the Jordan is called Abel-mizraim.
12 UDB Then Jacob's sons did for him what their father had commanded. BSB BSB: So Jacob’s sons did as he had charged them.
13 UDB They crossed the Jordan River and carried Jacob's body into the land of Canaan. They buried it in the cave in the field at Machpelah, east of Mamre town. That was the field that Abraham had bought from Ephron, who was one of the Heth people, to use as a burial place. BSB BSB: 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.
14 UDB After he had buried his father, Joseph and his brothers and all the others who had gone up to Canaan with him for the funeral returned to Egypt. BSB BSB: After Joseph had buried his father, he returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone with him to bury his father.
Joseph Comforts His Brothers 15 UDB After Jacob died, Joseph's brothers became worried. They realized what might happen. They said, "What will happen if Joseph is carrying hatred for us and wants to take revenge on us because of all the evil things we did to him many years ago?" BSB BSB: 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.”
16 UDB So they sent someone to tell this to Joseph for them: "Before our father died, he told us this: BSB BSB: So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Before he died, your father commanded,
17 UDB 'Say to Joseph, Please forgive your older brothers for the evil thing that they did to you, for their terrible sin against you, because what they did to you was very wrong.' So now we, who are servants of your father's God, ask you, please forgive us for what we did to you." Joseph cried when he received their message. BSB BSB: ‘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.
18 UDB Then his older brothers themselves came and threw themselves on the ground in front of Joseph, and one of them said, "Please listen. We will be your servants." BSB BSB: His brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, “We are your slaves!”
19 UDB But Joseph replied to them, "Do not be afraid! God is the one who punishes people; am I God? BSB BSB: But Joseph replied, “Do not be afraid. Am I in the place of God?
21 UDB So I say again, do not be afraid! I will make sure that you and your children have enough to eat." In this way he reassured them as he spoke to them. BSB BSB: Therefore do not be afraid. I will provide for you and your little ones.” So Joseph reassured his brothers and spoke kindly to them.
The Death of Joseph 22 UDB Joseph lived with his father's family in Egypt until he was 110 years old. BSB BSB: Now Joseph and his father’s household remained in Egypt, and Joseph lived to the age of 110.
23 UDB He lived long enough to see Ephraim's children and grandchildren. The children of Joseph's grandson Machir, who was Manasseh's son, were born before Joseph died, and they were recognized as being his descendants. BSB BSB: 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.
24 UDB One day Joseph said to his older brothers, "I am about to die. But God will certainly help you. He will lead your descendants up out of this land and take them to Canaan, the land that he solemnly promised to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." BSB BSB: 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.”
25 UDB Then Joseph said, "When God enables you to do that, you must take my body up from here to Canaan." He made his older brothers solemnly promise to do that. BSB BSB: 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.”
26 UDB So Joseph died in Egypt when he was 110 years old. His body was embalmed and put in a coffin there. BSB BSB: So Joseph died at the age of 110. And they embalmed his body and placed it in a coffin in Egypt.