Study Desk

God spoke to him in a vision at night and called, "Jacob, Jacob!" "Yes, here I am," he answered.

"I am God, the God of your father," he said. "Do not be afraid to go to Egypt; I will make your descendants a great nation there.

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

Joseph answered, "These are my sons, whom God has given me here in Egypt." Jacob said, "Bring them to me so that I may bless them."

Jacob said to Joseph, "I never expected to see you again, and now God has even let me see your children."

Then he blessed Joseph: "May God, whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac served, bless these boys! May God, who has led me to this very day, bless them!

So he blessed them that day, saying, "The Israelites will use your names when they pronounce blessings. They will say, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.'" In this way Jacob put Ephraim before Manasseh.

Then Jacob said to Joseph, "As you see, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will take you back to the land of your ancestors.

But his bow remains steady, And his arms are made strong By the power of the Mighty God of Jacob, By the Shepherd, the Protector of Israel.

It is your father's God who helps you, The Almighty God who blesses you With blessings of rain from above And of deep waters from beneath the ground, Blessings of many cattle and children,

he told us to ask you, ‘Please forgive the crime your brothers committed when they wronged you.' Now please forgive us the wrong that we, the servants of your father's God, have done." Joseph cried when he received this message.

But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid; I can't put myself in the place of God.

You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good, in order to preserve the lives of many people who are alive today because of what happened.

He said to his brothers, "I am about to die, but God will certainly take care of you and lead you out of this land to the land he solemnly promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

Then Joseph asked his people to make a vow. "Promise me," he said, "that when God leads you to that land, you will take my body with you."

But the midwives were God-fearing and so did not obey the king; instead, they let the boys live.

Because the midwives were God-fearing, God was good to them and gave them families of their own. And the Israelites continued to increase and become strong.

Years later the king of Egypt died, but the Israelites were still groaning under their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry went up to God,

God said, "Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.

I am the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." So Moses covered his face, because he was afraid to look at God.