1Israel traveled with all his possessions, came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac.
2God spoke to Israel in visions during the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He replied, “Here I am.”
3God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation.
4I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will also surely bring you back up again. Joseph will be with you when you die.”
5Jacob left Beersheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had sent for him.
6They took their livestock and their possessions, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and came to Egypt—Jacob and all his descendants with him.
7His sons, his grandsons, his daughters, and his granddaughters—he brought all his descendants with him to Egypt.
8These are the names of Israel's children who came to Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.
9Reuben’s sons were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10Simeon’s sons were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, who was the son of a Canaanite woman.
11Levi’s sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12Judah’s sons were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; however, Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. Perez’s sons were Hezron and Hamul.
13Issachar’s sons were Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron.
14Zebulun’s sons were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15These were the children Leah had with Jacob in Paddan Aram, along with his daughter Dinah. In total, there were thirty-three sons and daughters.
16Gad’s sons were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
17Asher’s sons were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. Beriah’s sons were Heber and Malchiel.
18These were the sixteen descendants of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah, and who bore these children to Jacob.
19Rachel, Jacob’s wife, had two sons: Joseph and Benjamin.
20Joseph had two sons in Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim. Their mother was Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On.
21Benjamin’s sons were Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
22These fourteen people were Rachel’s descendants, born to Jacob.
23Dan’s son was Hushim.
24Naphtali’s sons were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25These seven people were Bilhah’s descendants, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel, and who bore these children to Jacob.
26All of Jacob's direct descendants who came with him into Egypt, not including the wives of his sons, totaled sixty-six people.
27Joseph’s two sons, born in Egypt, made the total number of people in Jacob’s household who came to Egypt seventy.
28Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to show the way to Goshen, and so they arrived in the land of Goshen.
29Joseph got his chariot ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. When Joseph appeared before him, he hugged him around the neck and cried there for a long time.
30Israel said to Joseph, “Now I can die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.”
31Joseph said to his brothers and his father’s household, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh. I will tell him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who lived in the land of Canaan, have come to me.’
32“These men are shepherds; they have always taken care of livestock, and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and everything they own.”
33“When Pharaoh calls for you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’”
34You must say, ‘Your servants have raised livestock from childhood until now, both we and our ancestors.’ Tell them this so you can settle in the land of Goshen, because Egyptians consider all shepherds detestable.