Study Desk

When the Egyptians prepared the body in this special way, they waited 40 days before they buried the body. Then the Egyptians had a special time of sadness for Jacob. This time was 70 days.

‘When my father was near death, I made a promise to him. I promised that I would bury him in a cave in the land of Canaan. This is the cave that he prepared for himself. So please let me go and bury my father. Then I will come back here to you.'"

They went to Goren Atad, east of the Jordan River. There they had a long funeral service for Israel, which continued for seven days.

When the people who lived in Canaan saw the funeral service at Goren Atad, they said, "This is a time of great sorrow for those Egyptians." So now that place across the Jordan River is named Abel Mizraim.

After Jacob died, Joseph's brothers were worried. They were afraid that Joseph would still be mad at them for what they had done years before. They said, "Maybe Joseph still hates us for what we did."

He said, ‘Tell Joseph that I beg him to please forgive his brothers for the bad things they did to him.' So now Joseph, we beg you, please forgive us for the bad things we did to you. We are the servants of God, the God of your father." That message made Joseph very sad, and he cried.

Joseph died in Egypt when he was 110 years old. Doctors prepared his body for burial and put the body in a coffin in Egypt.

The Egyptians decided to make life hard for the Israelites, so they put slave masters over the people. These masters forced the Israelites to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses for the king. The king used these cities to store grain and other things.

They made life hard for the Israelites. They forced the Israelites to work hard at making bricks and mortar and to work hard in the fields. The Egyptians showed no mercy in all the hard work they made the Israelites do!

The king of Egypt called for the nurses and asked them, "Why did you do this? Why did you let the baby boys live?"

She became pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy. The mother saw how beautiful the baby was and hid him for three months.

She hid him for as long as she could. After three months she made a basket and covered it with tar so that it would float. Then she put the baby in the basket and put the basket in the river in the tall grass.

The king's daughter opened the basket and saw a baby boy. The baby was crying and she felt sorry for him. Then she noticed that it was one of the Hebrew babies.

The baby's sister was still hiding. She stood and asked the king's daughter, "Do you want me to go find a Hebrew woman who can nurse the baby and help you care for it?"

The king's daughter said to the mother, "Take this baby and feed him for me. I'll pay you to take care of him." So the woman took her baby and cared for him.

There was a priest there who had seven daughters. These girls came to that well to get water for their father's sheep. They were trying to fill the water trough with water.

The girls answered, "The shepherds chased us away, but an Egyptian rescued us. He got water for us and gave it to our animals."

A long time passed and that king of Egypt died. But the Israelites were still forced to work very hard. They cried for help, and God heard them.

I have heard the cries of the Israelites, and I have seen the way the Egyptians have made life hard for them.

"All the Hebrew women will ask their Egyptian neighbors and the Egyptian women living in their houses for gifts. And those Egyptian women will give them gifts of silver, gold, and fine clothing. Then you will put those gifts on your children. In this way you will take away the wealth of the Egyptians."