Genesis 50

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 Joseph threw himself on his father's face and wept over him as he kissed him.	1 Joseph, realizing this, fell upon his father’s face, weeping and kissing him.
2 Then he ordered the physicians in his service to embalm his father. When they embalmed Israel,	2 And he instructed his servant physicians to embalm his father with aromatics.
3 they spent forty days at it, for that is the full period of embalming; and the Egyptians mourned him for seventy days.	3 And while they were fulfilling his orders, forty days passed. For this was the method of embalming dead bodies. And Egypt wept for him for seventy days.
4 When that period of mourning was over, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh's courtiers. "Please do me this favor," he said, "and convey to Pharaoh this request of mine.	4 And when the time for mourning was fulfilled, Joseph spoke to the family of Pharaoh: “If I have found favor in your sight, speak to the ears of Pharaoh.
5 Since my father, at the point of death, made me promise on oath to bury him in the tomb that he had prepared for himself in the land of Canaan, may I go up there to bury my father and then come back?"	5 For my father made me swear, saying: ‘See, I am dying. You shall bury me in my sepulcher which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.’ Therefore, I shall go up and bury my father, and then return.”
6 Pharaoh replied, "Go and bury your father, as he made you promise on oath."	6 And Pharaoh said to him, “Go up and bury your father, just as he made you swear.”
7 So Joseph left to bury his father; and with him went all of Pharaoh's officials who were senior members of his court and all the other dignitaries of Egypt,	7 So as he went up, all the elders of the house of Pharaoh went with him, along with every patriarch in the land of Egypt,
8 as well as Joseph's whole household, his brothers, and his father's household; only their children and their flocks and herds were left in the region of Goshen.	8 and the house of Joseph with his brothers, except their little ones and flocks and also the herds, which they left behind in the land of Goshen.
9 Chariots, too, and charioteers went up with him; it was a very large retinue.	9 Likewise, he had in his company chariots and horsemen. And it became a crowd without restraint.
10 When they arrived at Goren-ha-atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they held there a very great and solemn memorial service; and Joseph observed seven days of mourning for his father.	10 And they arrived at the threshing place of Atad, which is situated beyond the Jordan. There they spent seven full days celebrating the funeral rites with a great and vehement lamentation.
11 When the Canaanites who inhabited the land saw the mourning at Goren-ha-atad, they said, "This is a solemn funeral the Egyptians are having." That is why the place was named Abel-mizraim. It is beyond the Jordan.	11 And when the inhabitants of the land of Canaan had seen this, they said, “This is a great Lamentation for the Egyptians.” And for this reason, the name of that place was called, “The Lamentation of Egypt.”
12 Thus Jacob's sons did for him as he had instructed them.	12 And so, the sons of Jacob did just as he had instructed them.
13 They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, facing on Mamre, the field that Abraham had bought for a burial ground from Ephron the Hittite.	13 And carrying him into the land of Canaan, they buried him in the double cave, which Abraham had bought along with its field, from Ephron the Hittite, as a possession for burial, opposite Mamre.
14 After Joseph had buried his father he returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all who had gone up with him for the burial of his father.	14 And Joseph returned into Egypt with his brothers and all those of his company, having buried his father.
15 Now that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers became fearful and thought, "Suppose Joseph has been nursing a grudge against us and now plans to pay us back in full for all the wrong we did him!"	15 Now that he was dead, his brothers were afraid, and they said to one another: “Perhaps now he may remember the injury that he suffered and requite us for all the evil that we did to him.”
16 So they approached Joseph and said: "Before your father died, he gave us these instructions:	16 So they sent a message to him, saying: “Your father instructed us before he died,
17 'You shall say to Joseph, Jacob begs you to forgive the criminal wrongdoing of your brothers, who treated you so cruelly.' Please, therefore, forgive the crime that we, the servants of your father's God, committed." When they spoke these words to him, Joseph broke into tears.	17 that we should say these words to you from him: ‘I beg you to forget the wickedness of your brothers, and the sin and malice that they practiced against you.’ Likewise, we petition you to release the servants of the God of your father from this iniquity.” Hearing this, Joseph wept.
18 Then his brothers proceeded to fling themselves down before him and said, "Let us be your slaves!"	18 And his brothers went to him. And reverencing prostrate on the ground, they said, “We are your servants.”
19 But Joseph replied to them: "Have no fear. Can I take the place of God?	19 And he answered them: “Do not be afraid. Are we able to resist the will of God?
20 Even though you meant harm to me, God meant it for good, to achieve his present end, the survival of many people.	20 You devised evil against me. But God turned it into good, so that he might exalt me, just as you presently discern, and so that he might bring about the salvation of many peoples.
21 Therefore have no fear. I will provide for you and for your children." By thus speaking kindly to them, he reassured them.	21 Do not be afraid. I will pasture you and your little ones.” And he consoled them, and he spoke mildly and leniently.
22 Joseph remained in Egypt, together with his father's family. He lived a hundred and ten years.	22 And he lived in Egypt with all his father’s house; and he survived for one hundred and ten years. And he saw the sons of Ephraim to the third generation. Likewise, the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born onto Joseph’s knees.
23 He saw Ephraim's children to the third generation, and the children of Manasseh's son Machir were also born on Joseph's knees.	23 After these things happened, he said to his brothers: “God will visit you after my death, and he will make you ascend from this land into the land which he swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
24 Joseph said to his brothers: "I am about to die. God will surely take care of you and lead you out of this land to the land that he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."	24 And when he had made them swear and had said, “God will visit you; carry my bones with you from this place,”
25 Then, putting the sons of Israel under oath, he continued, "When God thus takes care of you, you must bring my bones up with you from this place."	25 he died, having completed one hundred and ten years of his life. And having been embalmed with aromatics, he was laid to rest in a coffin in Egypt.
26 Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. He was embalmed and laid to rest in a coffin in Egypt.