Study Desk

So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night, and said, "Jacob, Jacob." And he said, "Here am I."

Then he said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt; for I will there make of you a great nation.

And Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me,

Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." And he said, "Bring them to me, I pray you, that I may bless them."

And Israel said to Joseph, "I had not thought to see your face; and lo, God has let me see your children also."

And he blessed Joseph, and said, "The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has led me all my life long to this day,

So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, 'God make you as E'phraim and as Manas'seh'"; and thus he put E'phraim before Manas'seh.

Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you, and will bring you again to the land of your fathers.

by the God of your father who will help you, by God Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that couches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

'Say to Joseph, Forgive, I pray you, the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you.' And now, we pray you, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

But Joseph said to them, "Fear not, for am I in the place of God?

As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

And Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die; but God will visit you, and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."

Then Joseph took an oath of the sons of Israel, saying, "God will visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here."

But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live.

So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and grew very strong.

And because the midwives feared God he gave them families.

In the course of those many days the king of Egypt died. And the people of Israel groaned under their bondage, and cried out for help, and their cry under bondage came up to God.

And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.