Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

1 Now Ya‘akov saw that there was grain in Egypt; so Ya‘akov said to his sons, “Why are you staring at each other?

2 Look,” he said, “I’ve heard that there’s grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us from there, so that we can stay alive and not die!”

3 Thus Yosef’s ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt,

4 except for Binyamin, Yosef’s brother. Ya‘akov did not send him with his brothers, because he was afraid something might happen to him.

5 The sons of Isra’el came to buy along with the others that came, since the famine extended to the land of Kena‘an.

6 Yosef was governor over the land; it was he who sold to all the people of the land. Now when Yosef’s brothers came and prostrated themselves before him on the ground,

7 Yosef saw his brothers and recognized them; but he acted toward them as if he were a stranger and spoke harshly with them. He asked them, “Where are you from?” They answered, “From the land of Kena‘an to buy food.”

8 So Yosef recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him.

9 Remembering the dreams he had had about them, Yosef said to them, “You are spies! You’ve come to spot our country’s weaknesses!”

10 “No, my lord,” they replied, “your servants have come to buy food.

11 We’re all the sons of one man, we’re upright men; your servants aren’t spies.”

12 “No,” he said to them, “you’ve come to spy out our country’s weaknesses.”

13 They said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Kena‘an; the youngest stayed with our father, and another one is gone.”

14 “Just as I said,” replied Yosef, “you’re spies!

15 Here’s how you can prove you’re not lying: as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave here unless your youngest brother comes here.

16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother. Meanwhile, you will be kept in custody. This will prove whether there is any truth in what you say. Otherwise, as Pharaoh lives, you are certainly spies.”

17 Then he put all of them together in prison for three days.

18 On the third day, Yosef said to them, “Do what I say, and stay alive, for I fear God.(v)

19 If you are upright men, let one of your brothers remain incarcerated in the prison you’re being kept in, while you go and carry grain back to relieve the famine in your homes.

20 But bring your youngest brother to me. In this way your statements will be verified, and you won’t die.”

So they did it.

21 They said to each other, “We are in fact guilty concerning our brother. He was in distress and pleaded with us; we saw it and wouldn’t listen. That’s why this distress has come upon us now.”

22 Re’uven answered them, “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t wrong the boy’? But you wouldn’t hear of it. Now comes the reckoning for his blood!”

23 They had no idea that Yosef understood them, since an interpreter was translating for them.

24 Yosef turned away from them and wept; then he returned and spoke to them. He took Shim‘on from among them and put him in prison before their eyes.

25 Next he ordered that their containers be filled with grain, that every man’s money be put back in his pack and that they be given provisions for the journey. When these things had been done for them,

26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys and departed.

27 But at camp that night, as one of them opened his pack to give fodder to his donkey, he noticed his money — there it was, just inside his pack.

28 He said to his brothers, “My money has been restored — there it is, right in my pack!” At that, their hearts sank; they turned, trembling, to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

29 They returned to Ya‘akov their father in the land of Kena‘an and told him all that had happened to them.

30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly with us. He took us for spies in his country.

31 We said to him, ‘We are upright men, we’re not spies;

32 we are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is gone, and the youngest stayed with our father in the land of Kena‘an.’

33 But the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘Here is how I will know that you are upright men: leave one of your brothers with me, take grain to relieve the famine in your homes, and go on your way;

34 but bring your youngest brother to me. By this I will know that you aren’t spies, but are upright men; then I will return your brother to you; and you will do business in the land.’”

35 Next, as they emptied their packs, there was each man’s bag of money in his pack; and when they and their father saw their bags of money, they became afraid.

36 Ya‘akov their father said to them, “You have robbed me of my children! Yosef is gone, Shim‘on is gone, now you’re taking Binyamin away — it all falls on me!”

37 Re’uven said to his father, “If I don’t bring him back to you, you can kill my own two sons! Put him in my care; I will return him to you.”

38 But he replied, “My son will not go down with you. His brother is dead, and he alone is left. If anything were to happen to him while traveling with you, you would bring my gray hair down to Sh’ol with grief.”

1 But the famine was severe in the land;

2 so when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.”

3 Y’hudah said to him, “The man expressly warned us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’

4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food;

5 but if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”

6 Isra’el said, “Why did you bring such trouble my way by telling the man you had another brother?”

7 They answered, “The man kept questioning us about ourselves and about our kinsmen. He asked, ‘Is your father still alive?’ ‘Do you have another brother?’ and we answered according to the literal meaning of his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

8 Y’hudah said to Isra’el his father, “Send the boy with me; and we will make preparations and leave; so that we may stay alive and not die, both we and you, and also our little ones.

9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me responsible. If I fail to bring him to you and present him to your face, let me bear the blame forever.

10 Except for our lengthy delay, we would have been there again by now.”

11 Their father Isra’el answered them, “If that’s how it is, do this: take in your containers some of the land’s best products, and bring the man a gift — some healing resin, a little honey, aromatic gum, opium, pistachio nuts and almonds.

12 Take twice the amount of money with you; and return the money that came back with you in your packs — it could have been an oversight.

13 Yes, and take your brother too; and get ready; and go again to the man.

14 MayEl Shaddaigive you favor in the man’s sight, so that he will release to you your other brother as well as Binyamin. As for me, if I must lose my children, lose them I will.”

15 The men took that gift, and they took twice the money with them, and Binyamin; then they prepared, went down to Egypt and stood before Yosef.

(vi)

16 When Yosef saw Binyamin with them, he said to his household manager, “Take the men inside the house, kill the animals and prepare the meat. These men will dine with me at noon.”

17 The man did as Yosef ordered and brought the men into Yosef’s house.

18 Upon being ushered inside Yosef’s house, the men became fearful. They said, “It’s because of the money that was returned in our packs the first time that we have been brought inside — so that he can use it as an excuse to attack us, take us as slaves and seize our donkeys too.”

19 So they approached the manager of Yosef’s household and spoke to him at the entrance of the house:

20 “Please, my lord, the first time we indeed came down to buy food;

21 but when we got to camp, we opened our packs, and there inside our packs was each man’s money, the full amount. We have brought it back with us;

22 moreover, we have brought down other money to buy food. We have no idea who put our money in our packs.”

23 “Stop worrying,” he replied, “don’t be afraid. Your God and the God of your father put treasure in your packs. As for your money — I was the one who received it.” Then he brought Shim‘on out to them.

24 The man brought the men into Yosef’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet, and he provided fodder for their donkeys.

25 Then they got their gift ready for Yosef’s arrival at noon, for they had heard that they were going to eat a meal there.

26 When Yosef arrived home, they went in the house and presented him with the gift they had brought with them, then prostrated themselves before him on the ground.

27 He asked them how they were and inquired, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”

28 They answered, “Your servant our father is well; yes, he is still alive,” as they bowed in respect.

29 He looked up and saw Binyamin his brother, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?” and added, “May God be good to you, my son.”

(vii)

30 Then Yosef hurried out, because his feelings toward his brother were so strong that he wanted to cry; he went into his bedroom and there he wept.

31 Then he washed his face and came out, but he controlled himself as he gave the order to serve the meal.

32 They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians included at the meal by themselves — Egyptians don’t eat with Hebrews, because that is abhorrent to them.

33 So they sat there facing him, the firstborn in the place of honor, the youngest in last place; and the men expressed their amazement to each other.

34 Each was given his serving there in front of him, but Binyamin’s portion was five times as large as any of theirs. So they drank and enjoyed themselves with him.

1 Then he ordered the manager of his household, “Fill the men’s packs with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money just inside his pack.

2 And put my goblet, the silver one, just inside the pack of the youngest, along with his grain money.” He did what Yosef told him to do.

3 At daybreak the men were sent off with their donkeys;

4 but before they were far from the city Yosef said to his manager, “Up, go after the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?

5 Isn’t this the goblet my lord drinks from, indeed the one he uses for divination? What you have done is evil!’”

6 So he caught up with them and said these words to them.

7 They replied, “Why does my lord speak this way? Heaven forbid that we should do such a thing!

8 Why, the money we found inside our packs we brought back to you from the land of Kena‘an! So how would we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house?

9 Whichever one of us the goblet is found with, let him be put to death — and the rest of us will be my lord’s slaves!”

10 He replied, “Fine; let it be as you have said: whichever one it is found with will be my slave. But the rest of you will be blameless.”

11 Then each hurried to put his pack down on the ground, and each one opened his pack.

12 He searched, starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and the goblet was found in the pack belonging to Binyamin.

13 At this, they tore their clothes from grief. Then each man loaded up his donkey and returned to the city.

(A: Maftir)

14 Y’hudah and his brothers arrived at Yosef’s house. He was still there, and they fell down before him on the ground.(S: Maftir)

15 Yosef said to them, “How could you do such a thing? Don’t you know that a man such as myself can learn the truth by divination?”

16 Y’hudah said, “There’s nothing we can say to my lord! How can we speak? There’s no way we can clear ourselves! God has revealed your servants’ guilt; so here we are, my lord’s slaves — both we and also the one in whose possession the cup was found.”

17 But he replied, “Heaven forbid that I should act in such a way. The man in whose possession the goblet was found will be my slave; but as for you, go in peace to your father.”

Haftarah Mikketz: M’lakhim Alef (1 Kings) 3:15–4:1

B’rit Hadashah suggested reading for Parashah Mikketz: Acts 7:9–16 (specifically vv. 11–12)

Parashah 11: Vayigash (He approached) 44:18–47:27

18 Then Y’hudah approached Yosef and said, “Please, my lord! Let your servant say something to you privately; and don’t be angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself.

19 My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father? or a brother?’

20 We answered my lord, ‘We have a father who is an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one whose brother is dead; so that of his mother’s children he alone is left; and his father loves him.’

21 But you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, so that I can see him.’

22 We answered my lord, ‘The boy can’t leave his father; if he were to leave his father, his father would die.’

23 You said to your servants, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’

24 We went up to your servant my father and told him what my lord had said;

25 but when our father said, ‘Go again, and buy us some food,’

26 we answered, ‘We can’t go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go down, because we can’t see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

27 Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons:

28 the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he has been torn to pieces,” and I haven’t seen him since.

29 Now if you take this one away from me too, and something happens to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sh’ol with grief.’

30 So now if I go to your servant my father, and the boy isn’t with us — seeing how his heart is bound up with the boy’s heart —(ii)

31 when he sees that the boy isn’t with us, he will die; and your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sh’ol with grief.

32 For your servant himself guaranteed his safety; I said, ‘If I fail to bring him to you, then I will bear the blame before my father forever.’

33 Therefore, I beg you, let your servant stay as a slave to my lord instead of the boy, and let the boy go up with his brothers.

34 For how can I go up to my father if the boy isn’t with me? I couldn’t bear to see my father so overwhelmed by anguish.”

1 At last Yosef could no longer control his feelings in front of his attendants and cried, “Get everybody away from me!” So no one else was with him when Yosef revealed to his brothers who he was.

2 He wept aloud, and the Egyptians heard, and Pharaoh’s household heard.

3 Yosef said to his brothers, “I am Yosef! Is it true that my father is still alive?” His brothers couldn’t answer him, they were so dumbfounded at seeing him.

4 Yosef said to his brothers, “Please! Come closer.” And they came closer. He said, “I am Yosef, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

5 But don’t be sad that you sold me into slavery here or angry at yourselves, because it was God who sent me ahead of you to preserve life.

6 The famine has been over the land for the last two years, and for yet another five years there will be neither plowing nor harvest.

7 God sent me ahead of you to ensure that you will have descendants on earth and to save your lives in a great deliverance.(iii)

8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God; and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his household and ruler over the whole land of Egypt.

9 Hurry, go up to my father, and tell him, ‘Here is what your son Yosef says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt! Come down to me, don’t delay!

10 You will live in the land of Goshen and be near me — you, your children, your grandchildren, flocks, herds, everything you own.

11 I will provide for you there, so that you won’t become poverty-stricken, you, your household and all that you have; because five years of famine are yet to come.”’

12 Here! Your own eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Binyamin, that it is my own mouth speaking to you.

13 Tell my father how honored I am in Egypt and everything you have seen, and quickly bring my father down here!”

14 Then he embraced his brother Binyamin and wept, and Binyamin wept on his neck,

15 and he kissed all his brothers and wept on them. After that, his brothers talked with him.

16 The report of this reached Pharaoh’s house: “Yosef’s brothers have come”; and Pharaoh and his servants were pleased.

17 Pharaoh said to Yosef, “Tell your brothers, ‘Here is what you are to do. Load up your animals, go to the land of Kena‘an,

18 take your father and your families, and come back to me. I will give you good property in Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.

(iv)

19 “‘Moreover — and this is an order — do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt to carry your little ones and your wives, and bring your father, and come.

20 Don’t worry about your stuff, because everything good in the land of Egypt is yours.’”

21 The sons of Isra’el acted accordingly; and Yosef gave them wagons, as Pharaoh had ordered, and gave them provisions for their journey.

22 To each of them he gave a set of new clothes; but to Binyamin he gave seven-and-a-half pounds of silver and five sets of new clothes.

23 Likewise, to his father he sent ten donkeys loaded with the finest goods Egypt produced, as well as ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread and food for his father to eat on the return journey.

24 Thus he sent his brothers on their way, and they left; he said to them, “Don’t quarrel among yourselves while you’re traveling!”

25 So they went up out of Egypt, entered the land of Kena‘an and came to Ya‘akov their father.

26 They told him, “Yosef is still alive! He is ruler over the whole land of Egypt!” He was stunned at the news; he couldn’t believe them.

27 So they reported to him everything Yosef had said to them; but it was only when he saw the wagons which Yosef had sent to carry him that the spirit of Ya‘akov their father began to revive.(v)

28 Isra’el said, “Enough! My son Yosef is still alive! I must go and see him before I die.”

1 Isra’el took everything he owned with him on his journey. He arrived at Be’er-Sheva and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Yitz’chak.

2 In a vision at night God called to Isra’el, “Ya‘akov! Ya‘akov!” He answered, “Here I am.”

3 He said, “I am God, the God of your father. Don’t be afraid to go down to Egypt. It is there that I will make you into a great nation.

4 Not only will I go down with you to Egypt; but I will also bring you back here again, after Yosef has closed your eyes.”

5 So Ya‘akov left Be’er-Sheva; the sons of Isra’el brought Ya‘akov their father, their little ones and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry them.

6 They took their cattle and their possessions which they had acquired in the land of Kena‘an and arrived in Egypt, Ya‘akov and all his descendants with him —

7 his sons, grandsons, daughters, granddaughters and all his descendants he brought with him into Egypt.

8 These are the names of Isra’el’s children who came into Egypt, Ya‘akov and his sons: Re’uven Ya‘akov’s firstborn;

9 and the sons of Re’uven — Hanokh, Pallu, Hetzron and Karmi.

10 The sons of Shim‘on: Y’mu’el, Yamin, Ohad, Yakhin, Tzochar and Sha’ul the son of a Kena‘ani woman.

11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, K’hat and M’rari.

12 The sons of Y’hudah: ‘Er, Onan, Shelah, Peretz and Zerach; but ‘Er and Onan died in the land of Kena‘an. The sons of Peretz were Hetzron and Hamul.

13 The sons of Yissakhar: Tola, Puvah, Yov and Shimron.

14 The sons of Z’vulun: Sered, Elon and Yachle’el.

15 These were the children of Le’ah whom she bore to Ya‘akov in Paddan-Aram, with his daughter Dinah. In sum, his sons and daughters numbered thirty-three.

16 The sons of Gad: Tzifyon, Haggi, Shuni, Etzbon, ‘Eri, Arodi and Ar’eli.

17 The children of Asher: Yimnah, Yishvah, Yishvi, B’ri‘ah, and their sister Serach. The sons of B’ri‘ah were Hever and Malki’el.

18 These were the children of Zilpah, whom Lavan gave to Le’ah his daughter; she bore them to Ya‘akov — sixteen people.

19 The sons of Rachel Ya‘akov’s wife: Yosef and Binyamin.

20 To Yosef in the land of Egypt were born M’nasheh and Efrayim, whom Osnat the daughter of Poti-Fera priest of On bore to him.

21 The sons of Binyamin: Bela, Bekher, Ashbel, Gera, Na‘aman, Echi, Rosh, Mupim, Hupim and Ard.

22 These were the children of Rachel who were born to Ya‘akov — in sum, fourteen people.

23 The sons of Dan: Hushim.

24 The sons of Naftali: Yachtze’el, Guni, Yetzer and Shillem.

25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Lavan gave to Rachel his daughter; she bore them to Ya‘akov — in sum, seven people.

26 All the people belonging to Ya‘akov coming into Egypt, his direct descendants (not counting Ya‘akov’s sons’ wives), totaled sixty-six.

27 The sons of Yosef, born to him in Egypt, were two in number. Thus all the people in Ya‘akov’s family who entered Egypt numbered seventy.

(vi)

28 Ya‘akov sent Y’hudah ahead of him to Yosef, so that the latter might guide him on the road to Goshen; thus they arrived in the land of Goshen.

29 Yosef prepared his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet Isra’el his father. He presented himself to him, embraced him and wept on his neck for a long time.

30 Then Isra’el said to Yosef, “Now I can die, because I have seen your face and seen that you are still alive.”

31 Yosef said to his brothers and his father’s family, “I’m going up to tell Pharaoh. I’ll say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s family, who were in the land of Kena‘an, have come to me.

32 The men are shepherds and keepers of livestock; they have brought their flocks, their herds and all their possessions.’

33 Now when Pharaoh summons you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’

34 tell him, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth until now, both we and our ancestors.’ This will ensure that you will live in the land of Goshen — for any shepherd is abhorrent to the Egyptians.”

1 Then Yosef went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and brothers have come from the land of Kena‘an with their flocks, livestock and all their possessions; right now they are in the land of Goshen.”

2 He took five of his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.

3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” They answered Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and our ancestors,”

4 and added, “We have come to live in the land, because in the land of Kena‘an there is no place to pasture your servant’s flocks, the famine is so severe there. Therefore, please, let your servants live in the land of Goshen.”

5 Pharaoh said to Yosef, “Your father and brothers have come to you,

6 and the land of Egypt lies before you. Have your father and brothers live on the best property in the country — let them live in the land of Goshen. Moreover, if you know that some of them are particularly competent, put them in charge of my livestock.”

7 Yosef then brought in Ya‘akov his father and presented him to Pharaoh, and Ya‘akov blessed Pharaoh.

8 Pharaoh asked Ya‘akov, “How old are you?”

9 and Ya‘akov replied, “The time of my stay on earth has been 130 years; they have been few and difficult, fewer than the years my ancestors lived.”

10 Then Ya‘akov blessed Pharaoh and left his presence.

(vii)

11 Yosef found a place for his father and brothers and gave them property in the land of Egypt, in the best region of the country, in the land of Ra‘amses, as Pharaoh had ordered.

12 Yosef provided food for his father, his brothers and all his father’s household, taking full care of even the youngest.

13 There was no food anywhere, for the famine was very severe, so that both Egypt and Kena‘an grew weak from hunger.

14 Yosef collected all the money there was in Egypt and Kena‘an in exchange for the grain they bought, and put the money in Pharaoh’s treasury.

15 When all the money in Egypt had been spent, and likewise in Kena‘an, all the Egyptians approached Yosef and said, “Give us something to eat, even though we have no money; why should we die before your eyes?”

16 Yosef replied, “Give me your livestock. If you don’t have money, I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.”

17 So they brought Yosef their livestock; and Yosef gave them food in exchange for the horses, flocks, cattle and donkeys — all that year he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock.

18 When that year was over, they approached Yosef again and said to him, “We won’t hide from my lord that all our money is spent, and the herds of livestock belong to my lord. We have nothing left, as my lord can see, but our bodies and our land.

19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we and our land will be enslaved to Pharaoh. But also give us seed to plant, so that we can stay alive and not die, and so that the land won’t become barren.”

20 So Yosef acquired all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh, as one by one the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine weighed on them so severely. Thus the land became the property of Pharaoh.

21 As for the people, he reduced them to serfdom city by city, from one end of Egypt’s territory to the other.

22 Only the priests’ land did he not acquire, because the priests were entitled to provisions from Pharaoh, and they ate from what Pharaoh provided them; therefore they did not sell their land.

23 Then Yosef said to the people, “As of today I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you to sow the land.

24 When harvest time comes, you are to give twenty percent to Pharaoh; eighty percent will be yours to keep for seed to plant in the fields, as well as for your food and for that of your households and your little ones.”

(Maftir)

25 They replied, “You have saved our lives! So if it pleases my lord, we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.”

26 Yosef made it a law for the country of Egypt, valid to this day, that Pharaoh should have twenty percent. Only the property belonging to the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.

27 Isra’el lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. They acquired possessions in it and were productive, and their numbers multiplied greatly.

Haftarah Vayigash: Yechezk’el (Ezekiel) 37:15–28

B’rit Hadashah suggested reading for Parashah Vayigash: Acts 7:9–16 (specifically vv. 13–15)

Parashah 12: Vayechi (He lived) 47:28–50:26

28 Ya‘akov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; thus Ya‘akov lived to be 147 years old.

29 The time came when Isra’el was approaching death; so he called for his son Yosef and said to him, “If you truly love me, please put your hand under my thigh and pledge that, out of consideration for me, you will not bury me in Egypt.

30 Rather, when I sleep with my fathers, you are to carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.” He replied, “I will do as you have said.”

31 He said, “Swear it to me,” and he swore to him. Then Isra’el bowed down at the head of his bed.

1 Awhile later someone told Yosef that his father was ill. He took with him his two sons, M’nasheh and Efrayim.

2 Ya‘akov was told, “Here comes your son Yosef.” Isra’el gathered his strength and sat up in bed.

3 Ya‘akov said to Yosef, “El Shaddaiappeared to me at Luz in the land of Kena‘an and blessed me,

4 saying to me, ‘I will make you fruitful and numerous. I will make of you a group of peoples; and I will give this land to your descendants to possess forever.’

5 Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Efrayim and M’nasheh will be as much mine as Re’uven and Shim‘on are.

6 The children born to you after them will be yours, but for purposes of inheritance they are to be counted with their older brothers.

7 “Now as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died suddenly, as we were traveling through the land of Kena‘an, while we were still some distance from Efrat; so I buried her there on the way to Efrat (also known as Beit-Lechem).”

8 Then Isra’el noticed Yosef’s sons and asked, “Whose are these?”

9 Yosef answered his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” Ya‘akov replied, “I want you to bring them here to me, so that I can bless them.”(ii)

10 Now Isra’el’s eyes were dim with age, so that he could not see. Yosef brought his sons near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them.

11 Isra’el said to Yosef, “I never expected to see even you again, but God has allowed me to see your children too!”

12 Yosef brought them out from between his legs and prostrated himself on the ground.

13 Then Yosef took them both, Efrayim in his right hand toward Isra’el’s left hand and M’nasheh in his left hand toward Isra’el’s right hand, and brought them near to him.

14 But Isra’el put out his right hand and laid it on the head of the younger one, Efrayim, and put his left hand on the head of M’nasheh — he intentionally crossed his hands, even though M’nasheh was the firstborn.

15 Then he blessed Yosef: “The God in whose presence my fathers Avraham and Yitz’chak lived, the God who has been my own shepherd all my life long to this day,

16 the angel who has rescued me from all harm, bless these boys. May they remember who I am and what I stand for, and likewise my fathers Avraham and Yitz’chak, who they were and what they stood for. And may they grow into teeming multitudes on the earth.”

(iii)

17 When Yosef saw that his father was laying his right hand on Efrayim’s head, it displeased him, and he lifted up his father’s hand to remove it from Efrayim’s head and place it instead on M’nasheh’s head.

18 Yosef said to his father, “Don’t do it that way, my father; for this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”

19 But his father refused and said, “I know that, my son, I know it. He too will become a people, and he too will be great; nevertheless his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will grow into many nations.”

20 Then he added this blessing on them that day: “Isra’el will speak of you in their own blessings by saying, ‘May God make you like Efrayim and M’nasheh.’” Thus he put Efrayim ahead of M’nasheh.

21 Isra’el then said to Yosef, “You see that I am dying, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your ancestors.

22 Moreover, I am giving to you ash’khem[shoulder, ridge, share, city of Sh’khem] more than to your brothers; I captured it from the Emori with my sword and bow.”

1 (iv)Then Ya‘akov called for his sons and said,

“Gather yourselves together, and I will tell you

what will happen to you in theacharit-hayamim.

2 Assemble yourselves and listen, sons of Ya‘akov;

pay attention to Isra’el your father.

3 “Re’uven, you are my firstborn,

my strength, the firstfruits of my manhood.

4 Though superior in vigor and power

you are unstable as water, so your superiority will end,

because you climbed into your father’s bed

and defiled it — he climbed onto my concubine’s couch!

5 “Shim‘on and Levi are brothers,

related by weapons of violence.

6 Let me not enter their council,

let my honor not be connected with their people;

for in their anger they killed men,

and at their whim they maimed cattle.

7 Cursed be their anger, for it has been fierce;

their fury, for it has been cruel.

I will divide them in Ya‘akov

and scatter them in Isra’el.

8 “Y’hudah, your brothers will acknowledge you,

your hand will be on the neck of your enemies,

your father’s sons will bow down before you.

9 Y’hudah is a lion’s cub;

my son, you stand over the prey.

He crouches down and stretches like a lion;

like a lioness, who dares to provoke him?

10 The scepter will not pass from Y’hudah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his legs,

until he comes to whom [obedience] belongs;

and it is he whom the peoples will obey.

11 Tying his donkey to the vine,

his donkey’s colt to the choice grapevine,

he washes his clothes in wine,

his robes in the blood of grapes.

12 His eyes will be darker than wine,

his teeth whiter than milk.

13 “Z’vulun will live at the seashore,

with ships anchoring along his coast

and his border at Tzidon.

14 “Yissakhar is a strong donkey

lying down in the sheep sheds.

15 On seeing how good is settled life

and how pleasant the country,

he will bend his back to the burden,

and submit to forced labor.

16 “Dan will judge his people

as one of the tribes of Isra’el.

17 Dan will be a viper on the road,

a horned snake in the path

that bites the horse’s heels

so its rider falls off backward.

18 I wait for your deliverance,Adonai.

(v)

19 “Gad [troop]— a troop will troop on him,

but he will troop on their heel.

20 “Asher’s food is rich —

he will provide food fit for a king.

21 “Naftali is a doe set free

that bears beautiful fawns.

22 “Yosef is a fruitful plant,

a fruitful plant by a spring,

with branches climbing over the wall.

23 The archers attacked him fiercely,

shooting at him and pressing him hard;

24 but his bow remained taut;

and his arms were made nimble

by the hands of the Mighty One of Ya‘akov,

from there, from the Shepherd, the Stone of Isra’el,

25 by the God of your father, who will help you,

byEl Shaddai, who will bless you

with blessings from heaven above,

blessings from the deep, lying below,

blessings from the breasts and the womb.

26 The blessings of your father are more powerful

than the blessings of my parents,

extending to the farthest of the everlasting hills;

they will be on the head of Yosef,

on the brow of the prince among his brothers.

(vi)

27 “Binyamin is a ravenous wolf,

in the morning devouring the prey,

in the evening still dividing the spoil.”

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Isra’el, and this is how their father spoke to them and blessed them, giving each his own individual blessing.

29 Then he charged them as follows: “I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave that is in the field of ‘Efron the Hitti,

30 the cave in the field of Makhpelah, by Mamre, in the land of Kena‘an, which Avraham bought together with the field from ‘Efron the Hitti as a burial-place belonging to him —

31 there they buried Avraham and his wife Sarah, there they buried Yitz’chak and his wife Rivkah, and there I buried Le’ah —

32 the field and the cave in it, which was purchased from the sons of Het.”

33 When Ya‘akov had finished charging his sons, he drew his legs up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.