Study Desk

So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, 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 I am."

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

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

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

And Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face, and behold, God has let me see your children as well!"

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

So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will pronounce blessing, saying, 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!'" And so he put Ephraim before Manasseh.

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

From the God of your father who helps you, And by the Almighty who blesses you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

'This is what you shall say to Joseph: "Please forgive, I beg you, the offense of your brothers and their sin, for they did you wrong."' And now, please forgive the offense of the servants of the God of your father." And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

"As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to keep many people alive.

Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die, but God will assuredly take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."

Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, "God will assuredly take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here."

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

So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty.

And because the midwives feared God, He established households for them.

Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage ascended to God.

So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

And God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.