Jacob Goes Down to Egypt

When Jacob learned from his sons, on their return home, how things stood with Joseph — that he had not only escaped death, though Jacob had gone on mourning him all along, but was living in splendor and happiness, ruling Egypt jointly with the king, who had entrusted almost all his affairs to him — he found nothing in what he was told hard to believe. He thought of the greatness of God’s works and of God’s kindness to him, even though that kindness had lately been interrupted for a time. So he set out at once, and eagerly, on the journey to him. When he came to the Well of the Oath, he offered sacrifice to God. But he was afraid. The good life in Egypt might tempt his descendants to fall in love with the place and settle there, and stop thinking of moving back into the land of Canaan and possessing it, as God had promised them. Again, if this going down into Egypt was made without God’s will, his family might be destroyed there. And besides, he feared he might depart this life before he set eyes on Joseph. Turning these doubts over in his mind, he fell asleep. [a]

But God stood beside him and called him twice by name. When Jacob asked who he was, God said, “No — surely it is not right that you, Jacob, should not know the God who has always been the protector and helper of your forefathers, and after them of you yourself. When your father would have deprived you of the rule, I gave it to you. It was by my kindness that, when you were sent into Mesopotamia all alone, you won good wives and came back with many children and great wealth. Your whole family, too, has been kept safe by my providence. It was I who led Joseph your son, whom you had given up for lost, to the enjoyment of great prosperity, and I made him lord of Egypt, so that he differs little from a king. So now I come as your guide on this journey. I foretell to you that you will die in Joseph’s arms, and I tell you that your descendants will be in authority and glory for many ages, and that I will settle them in the land I have promised them.”

Encouraged by this dream, Jacob went on toward Egypt more cheerfully with his sons and all who belonged to them. There were seventy of them in all. At one time I did think it best not to set down the names of this family, chiefly because they are hard to pronounce; but on the whole I think it necessary to give them, to refute those who believe that we did not come originally from Mesopotamia but are Egyptians. [b]

Jacob had twelve sons, and of these Joseph had gone on ahead. We will therefore set down the names of Jacob’s children and grandchildren. Reuben had four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, Carmi. Simeon had six: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, Saul. Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, Merari. Judah had three sons: Shelah, Perez, Zerah; and through Perez two grandsons, Hezron and Hamul. Issachar had four sons: Tola, Puvah, Jashub, Shimron. Zebulun had three sons with him: Sered, Elon, Jahleel. So much for the descendants of Leah, with whom her daughter Dinah went. These are thirty-three.

Rachel had two sons. One of them, Joseph, also had two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. The other, Benjamin, had ten sons: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, Ard. These fourteen, added to the thirty-three counted before, make forty-seven; and this was Jacob’s legitimate line. Besides these, he had by Bilhah, Rachel’s maidservant, Dan and Naphtali. Naphtali had four sons who went with him: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem. Dan had an only son, Hushim. Added to those already named, these make fifty-four. Gad and Asher were the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maidservant. Gad had seven sons with him: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, Areli. Asher had a daughter and six male children, whose names were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, Heber and Malchiel. Adding these sixteen to the fifty-four completes the number of seventy given above — Jacob himself not being counted in it.

When Joseph learned that his father was coming — for his brother Judah had gone ahead and told him he was on his way — he went out to meet him, and they met at Heroopolis. Jacob nearly fainted at this great and unexpected joy. Joseph revived him, though he could not keep himself from being moved in the same way by the pleasure he now felt; yet he was not wholly overcome by his feelings, as his father was. After this he asked Jacob to travel on slowly, while he himself took five of his brothers and hurried to the king to tell him that Jacob and his family had come. The king was glad to hear it. He told Joseph to let him know what kind of life his brothers liked to lead, so that he might allow them to keep to it; and Joseph told him they were good shepherds and had been used to no other work but this. By this he made sure that they would not be separated but would live in one place and take care of their father; and also that they would be acceptable to the Egyptians, by doing nothing that the Egyptians did too — for the Egyptians were forbidden to have anything to do with keeping sheep. [i] When Jacob came to the king, he greeted him and wished his reign every prosperity. Pharaoh asked him how old he was now; and when Jacob answered that he was a hundred and thirty, the king marveled at the length of his life. When Jacob added that even so he had not lived as long as his forefathers, the king allowed him to live with his children in Heliopolis, for that was where the king’s shepherds had their pastures. [k]

The famine, however, grew worse among the Egyptians, and this heavy judgment pressed harder on them because the river did not flood the land — it did not rise to its former height — and God sent no rain on it. Nor had they made the least provision for themselves, so little did they know what to do. Joseph sold them grain for their money. When their money ran out, they bought grain with their cattle and their slaves; and anyone who had a small piece of land gave it up to buy food. In this way the king became owner of everything they had. They were moved, some to one place and some to another, so that possession of the country would be firmly secured to the king — except the lands of the priests, for their land remained in their own hands. Indeed, this terrible famine made slaves of their minds as well as their bodies, and in the end forced them to get enough food by such dishonorable means. [l]

But when the misery ended, and the river flooded the land, and the land brought forth its crops in plenty, Joseph went to every city, gathered its people together, and gave back to them, entire, the land which by their own consent the king might have kept for himself and enjoyed the produce of alone. He urged them to look on it as each one’s own property, to set to their farming cheerfully, and to pay the king as tribute a fifth of the produce of the land, which the king, when it was his own, had given back to them. The people were delighted to find themselves unexpectedly owners of their land, and carefully did what was required of them. By this means Joseph won greater authority for himself among the Egyptians, and greater love from them for the king. And this law, that they should pay a fifth of their produce as tribute, lasted until their later kings.