1Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. 2Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, 3taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
4When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, 5‘My father made me swear an oath and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’ ”
6Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”
7So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials accompanied him—the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt— 8besides all the members of Joseph’s household and his brothers and those belonging to his father’s household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. 9Chariots and horsemen50:9 Or charioteers also went up with him. It was a very large company.
10When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father. 11When the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning.” That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim.50:11 Abel Mizraim means mourning of the Egyptians.
12So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them: 13They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. 14After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.
Joseph Reassures His Brothers
15When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” 16So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: 17‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
18His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.
19But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
The Death of Joseph
22Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived a hundred and ten years 23and saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph’s knees.50:23 That is, were counted as his
24Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” 25And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.”
26So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
安葬雅各
1約瑟伏在父親身上痛哭，親吻他， 2然後吩咐醫生用香料保存父親的遺體。醫生遵命而行， 3按照常例花了四十天處理屍體。埃及人為他哀悼七十天。
4哀悼的日子完了，約瑟對法老宮中的人說：「如果你們恩待我， 5請告訴法老，我父親死前要我起誓把他葬在迦南他自己預備好的墳地。請准許我到迦南去安葬我父親，我辦完喪事就回來。」 6法老說：「去按照你的誓言埋葬你父親吧。」 7於是，約瑟啟程去埋葬他的父親，隨行的有法老所有的臣僕和埃及所有的達官貴人， 8以及約瑟全家、他的眾弟兄和雅各的家眷，只有他們的孩子和牛羊仍然留在歌珊。 9隨行的還有大隊車輛和兵馬，人數眾多。 10他們來到約旦河附近的亞達麥場，在那裡痛哭哀悼。約瑟為父親守喪七天。 11迦南人看見他們在亞達麥場痛哭，就說：「埃及人在痛哭哀悼。」因此，約旦河附近的那個地方叫亞伯·麥西50·11 「亞伯·麥西」意思是「埃及人在哀哭」。。 12以色列的兒子們遵照父親的遺言， 13把父親的遺體帶回迦南，安葬在幔利附近、麥比拉田間的洞裡。洞和田地都是亞伯拉罕向赫人以弗崙買來作墳地的。 14葬禮之後，約瑟就跟眾弟兄和一切隨行的人返回埃及。
上帝的美好旨意
15約瑟的哥哥們見父親死了，就說：「約瑟會不會懷恨在心，因我們以前惡待他而報復我們呢？」 16於是，他們派人去對約瑟說：「你父親臨終時交待這樣的話給你， 17『從前你哥哥們惡待你，求你饒恕他們的罪惡和過犯。』我們是你父親的上帝的僕人，求你饒恕我們的罪惡。」約瑟聽見這些話，就哭了。 18約瑟的哥哥們來見他，俯伏在他面前，說：「我們是你的奴僕。」 19約瑟對他們說：「你們不要害怕，我豈能代替上帝？ 20從前你們是要加害於我，但上帝有祂的美意，祂藉此保全許多人的性命，正如今日的光景。 21因此，你們不要害怕，我會照顧你們和你們的兒女。」約瑟好言好語地寬慰他們。
約瑟去世
22約瑟和他父親全家住在埃及。約瑟享年一百一十歲。 23他看到了以法蓮的孫子，也曾把瑪拿西的兒子瑪吉的孩子抱在膝上。 24一天，約瑟對他的弟兄們說：「我快要死了，但上帝必看顧你們，帶你們離開這裡，回到祂起誓應許給亞伯拉罕、以撒和雅各的地方。」 25約瑟要以色列的子孫發誓把他的骸骨帶回迦南，又說：「上帝必看顧你們。」 26約瑟享年一百一十歲。他們把他的遺體用香料保存好，放在棺材裡，停放在埃及。
