- Gen 44:18-47:27
- Ezek 37:15-37:28
- Luk 6:12-16
Vayigash means “and he drew near.”
| Berĕshith (Genesis) 44:18-47:27 |
Yahuḏah Pleads for Binyamin
Berĕshith (Genesis) Chapter 44
18 Then Yahuḏah approached Yosěph and said, “Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my master. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19 My master asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’
20 And we answered, ‘We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age. The boy’s brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’
21 Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so that I can see him for myself.’
22 So we said to my master, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.’
23 But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your younger brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’
24 Now when we returned to your servant my father, we relayed your words to him.
25 Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us some food.’
26 But we answered, ‘We cannot go down there unless our younger brother goes with us. So if our younger brother is not with us, we cannot see the man.’
27 And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 When one of them was gone, I said: “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. 29 Now if you also take this one from me and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray hair down to She’ol in sorrow.’
30 So if the boy is not with us when I return to your servant, and if my father, whose life is wrapped up in the boy’s life, 31 sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hair of your servant our father down to She’ol in sorrow. 32 Indeed, your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father, saying, ‘If I do not return him to you, I will bear the guilt before you, my father, all my life.’
33 Now please let your servant stay here as my master’s slave in place of the boy. Let him return with his brothers. 34 For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the misery that would overwhelm him.”
Berĕshith (Genesis) Chapter 45
Yosěph Reveals His Identity
1Then Yosěph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me!”
So none of them were with Yosěph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 But he wept so loudly that the Mitsrites heard him, and Pharaoh’s household soon heard of it.
3 Yosěph said to his brothers, “I am Yosěph! Is my father still alive?”
But they were unable to answer him, because they were terrified in his presence.
4 Then Yosěph said to his brothers, “Please come near me.” And they did so.
“I am Yosěph, your brother,” he said, “the one you sold into Mitsrayim! 5 And now, do not be distressed or angry with yourselves that you sold me into this place, because it was to save lives that Alahym sent me before you. 6 For the famine has covered the land these two years, and there will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. 7 Alahym sent me before you to preserve you as a remnant on the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but Alahym, who has made me a father to Pharaoh—master of all his household and ruler over all the land of Mitsrayim.
Yosěph Sends for His Father
9 Now return quickly to my father and tell him, ‘This is what your son Yosěph says: Alahym has made me master of all Mitsrayim. Come down to me without delay. 10 You shall settle in the land of Goshen and be near me—you and your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything you own. 11 And there I will provide for you, because there will be five more years of famine. Otherwise, you and your household and everything you own will come to destitution.’
12 Behold! You and my brother Binyamin can see that I, Yosěph, am the one speaking with you. 13 Tell my father about all my splendor in Mitsrayim and everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.”
14 Then Yosěph threw his arms around his brother Binyamin and wept, and Binyamin wept as they embraced. 15 Yosěph kissed each of his brothers as he wept over them. And afterward his brothers talked with him.
Pharaoh Invites Ya‛aqoḇ to Mitsrayim
16 When the news reached Pharaoh’s house that Yosěph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and his servants were pleased.
17 Pharaoh said to Yosěph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do as follows: Load your animals and return to the land of Kena‛an. 18 Then bring your father and your families and return to me. I will give you the best of the land of Mitsrayim, and you shall eat from the fat of the land.’ 19 You are also directed to tell them: ‘Take wagons from the land of Mitsrayim for your young children and your wives and bring your father and come back. 20 But pay no regard to your belongings, for the best of all the land of Mitsrayim is yours.’ ”
21 So the sons of Yasharal did as they were told. Yosěph gave them wagons as Pharaoh had instructed, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. 22 He gave new garments to each of them, but to Binyamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. 23 And he sent to his father the following: ten donkeys loaded with the best of Mitsrayim, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and provisions for his father’s journey.
24 Then Yosěph sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way!”
The Revival of Ya‛aqoḇ
25 So the brothers went up out of Mitsrayim and came to their father Ya‛aqoḇ in the land of Kena‛an. 26 “Yosěph is still alive,” they said, “and he is ruler over all the land of Mitsrayim!”
But Ya‛aqoḇ was stunned, for he did not believe them. 27 However, when they relayed all that Yosěph had told them, and when he saw the wagons that Yosěph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Ya‛aqoḇ was revived.
28 “Enough!” declared Yasharal. “My son Yosěph is still alive! I will go to see him before I die.”
Berĕshith (Genesis) Chapter 46
Ya‛aqoḇ’s Journey to Mitsrayim
1So Yasharal set out with all that he had, and when he came to Be’ěrsheḇa, he offered sacrifices to the Alahym of his father Yitsḥaq. 2 And that night Alahym spoke to Yasharal in a vision: “Ya‛aqoḇ, Ya‛aqoḇ!” He said.
“Here I am,” replied Ya‛aqoḇ.
3 “I am Alahym,” He said, “the Alahym of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Mitsrayim, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down with you to Mitsrayim, and I will surely bring you back. And Yosěph’s own hands will close your eyes.”
5 Then Ya‛aqoḇ departed from Be’ěrsheḇa, and the sons of Yasharal took their father Ya‛aqoḇ in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him, along with their children and wives. 6 They also took the livestock and possessions they had acquired in the land of Kena‛an, and Ya‛aqoḇ and all his offspring went to Mitsrayim.
Those Who Went to Mitsrayim (Exodus 1:1–7)
7 Ya‛aqoḇ took with him to Mitsrayim his sons and grandsons, and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.
The Children of Lě’ah
8 Now these are the names of the sons of Yasharal (Ya‛aqoḇ and his descendants) who went to Mitsrayim: Re’uḇěn, Ya‛aqoḇ’s firstborn.
9 The sons of Re’uḇěn: Ḥanoḵ, and Pallu, and Ḥetsron, and Karmi.
10 The sons of Shim‛on: Yemu’al, and Yamin, and Ohaḏ, and Yaḵin, and Tsoḥar, and Sha’ul, son of a Kena‛anite woman.
11 The sons of Luiy: Gěrshon, Qehath, and Merari.
12 The sons of Yahuḏah: Ěr, and Onan, and Shělah, and Perets, and Zeraḥ – but Ěr and Onan died in the land of Kena‛an.
And the sons of Perets were Ḥetsron and Ḥamul.
13 The sons of Yissasḵar: Tola, and Puw‛ah, and Yoḇ, and Shimron.
14 The sons of Zeḇulun: Sereḏ, and Ělon, and Yaḥle’al.
15 These are the sons of Lě’ah born to Ya‛aqoḇ in Paddan Aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah. The total number of sons and daughters was thirty-three.
The Children of Zilpah
16 The sons of Gaḏ: Tsiphyon and Ḥaggi, Shuni and Etsbon, Ěri and Aroḏi, and Arěli.
17 The children of Ashěr: Yimnah, and Yishwah, and Yishwi, and Beri‛ah, and Seraḥ, their sister.
And the sons of Beri‛ah: Ḥeḇer and Malki’ěl.
18 These are the sons of Ya‛aqoḇ born to Zilpah—whom Laḇan gave to his daughter Lě’ah—sixteen in all.
The Children of Raḥěl
19 The sons of Ya‛aqoḇ’s wife Raḥěl: Yosěph and Binyamin.
20 Menashsheh and Ephrayim were born to Yosěph in the land of Mitsrayim by Asenath daughter of Poti-Pherah, priest of On.
21 The sons of Binyamin: Belah, and Beḵer, and Ashběl, Gěra and
Na‛aman, Ěḥi and Rosh, Muppim and Ḥuppim, and Ard.
22 These are the sons of Raḥěl born to Ya‛aqoḇ—fourteen in all.
The Children of Bilhah
23 The son of Dan: Ḥushim.
24 The sons of Naphtali: Yaḥtse’ěl, and Guni, and Yětser, and Shillěm.
25 These are the sons of Ya‛aqoḇ born to Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel—seven in all.
26 All those belonging to Ya‛aqoḇ who came to Mitsrayim—his direct descendants, besides the wives of Ya‛aqoḇ’s sons—numbered sixty-six persons. 27 And with the two sons who had been born to Yosěph in Mitsrayim, the members of Ya‛aqoḇ’s family who went to Mitsrayim were seventy in all.
Ya‛aqoḇ Arrives in Mitsrayim
28 Now Ya‛aqoḇ had sent Yahuḏah ahead of him to Yosěph to get directions to Goshen. When Ya‛aqoḇ’s family arrived in the land of Goshen, 29 Yosěph prepared his chariot and went there to meet his father Yasharal. Yosěph presented himself to him, embraced him, and wept profusely.
30 Then Yasharal said to Yosěph, “Finally I can die, now that I have seen your face and know that you are still alive!”
31 Yosěph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and inform Pharaoh: ‘My brothers and my father’s household from the land of Kena‛an have come to me. 32 The men are shepherds; they raise livestock, and they have brought their flocks and herds and all that they own.’
33 When Pharaoh summons you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you are to say, ‘Your servants have raised livestock ever since our youth—both we and our fathers.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen, since all shepherds are detestable to the Mitsrites.”
Berĕshith (Genesis) Chapter 47
Ya‛aqoḇ Settles in Goshen
1So Yosěph went and told Pharaoh: “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all they own, have come from the land of Kena‛an and are now in Goshen.”
2 And he chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh.
3 “What is your occupation?” Pharaoh asked Yosěph’s brothers.
“Your servants are shepherds,” they replied, “both we and our fathers.”
4 Then they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live in the land for a time, because there is no pasture for the flocks of your servants, since the famine in the land of Kena‛an has been severe. So now, please allow your servants to settle in the land of Goshen.”
5 Pharaoh said to Yosěph, “Now that your father and brothers have come to you, 6 the land of Mitsrayim is before you; settle your father and brothers in the best part of the land. They may dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know of any talented men among them, put them in charge of my own livestock.”
7 Then Yosěph brought in his father Ya‛aqoḇ and presented him before Pharaoh, and Ya‛aqoḇ blessed Pharaoh.
8 “How many years have you lived?” Pharaoh asked.
9 “My travels have lasted 130 years,” Ya‛aqoḇ replied. “My years have been few and hard, and they have not matched the years of the travels of my fathers.”
10 Then Ya‛aqoḇ blessed Pharaoh and departed from his presence.
11 So Yosěph settled his father and brothers in the land of Mitsrayim and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 Yosěph also provided his father and brothers and all his father’s household with food for their families.
The Famine Continues
13 There was no food, however, in all that region, because the famine was so severe; the lands of Mitsrayim and Kena‛an had been exhausted by the famine. 14 Yosěph collected all the money to be found in the land of Mitsrayim and the land of Kena‛an in exchange for the grain they were buying, and he brought it into Pharaoh’s palace. 15 When the money from the lands of Mitsrayim and Kena‛an was gone, all the Mitsrites came to Yosěph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our funds have run out!”
16 “Then bring me your livestock,” said Yosěph. “Since the money is gone, I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Yosěph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their flocks and herds, and their donkeys. Throughout that year he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock.
18 When that year was over, they came to him the second year and said, “We cannot hide from our master that our money is gone and all our livestock belongs to you. There is nothing left for our master except our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Purchase us and our land in exchange for food. Then we, along with our land, will be slaves to Pharaoh. Give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”
20 So Yosěph acquired for Pharaoh all the land in Mitsrayim; the Mitsrites, one and all, sold their fields because the famine was so severe upon them. The land became Pharaoh’s, 21 and Yosěph reduced the people to servitude from one end of Mitsrayim to the other. 22 However, he did not acquire the priests’ portion of the land, for it had been given to them by Pharaoh. They ate the rations that Pharaoh supplied; so they did not sell their land.
23 Then Yosěph said to the people, “Now that I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh this day, here is seed for you to sow in the land. 24 At harvest time, you are to give a fifth of it to Pharaoh, and four-fifths will be yours as seed for the field and food for yourselves and your households and children.”
25 “You have saved our lives,” they said. “We have found favor in our master’s eyes, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.” 26 So Yosěph established a law that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh, and it is in effect in the land of Mitsrayim to this day. Only the priests’ land does not belong to Pharaoh.
The Yasharalites Prosper in Goshen
27 Now the Yasharalites settled in the land of Mitsrayim, in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and became fruitful and increased greatly in number. 28 And Ya‛aqoḇ lived in the land of Mitsrayim seventeen years, and the length of his life was 147 years.
| Yehezqĕl (Ezekiel) 37:15-37:28 |
One Nation with One Sovereign
Yehezqĕl (Ezekiel) Chapter 37
15 Again the word of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 came to me, saying, 16 “And you, son of man, take a single stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Yahuḏah and to the Yasharalites associated with him.’ Then take another stick and write on it: ‘Belonging to Yosěph—the stick of Ephrayim—and to all the house of Yasharal associated with him.’ 17 Then join them together into one stick, so that they become one in your hand.
18 When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you explain to us what you mean by these?’ 19 you are to tell them that this is what the Master 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 says: ‘I will take the stick of Yosěph, which is in the hand of Ephrayim, and the tribes of Yasharal associated with him, and I will put them together with the stick of Yahuḏah. I will make them into a single stick, and they will become one in My hand.’
20 When the sticks on which you write are in your hand and in full view of the people, 21 you are to tell them that this is what the Master 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 says: ‘I will take the Yasharalites out of the nations to which they have gone, and I will gather them from all around and bring them into their own land. 22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Yasharal, and one king will rule over all of them. Then they will no longer be two nations and will never again be divided into two kingdoms.
23 They will no longer defile themselves with their idols or detestable images, or with any of their transgressions. I will save them from all their apostasies by which they sinned, and I will cleanse them. Then they will be My people, and I will be their Alahym. 24 My servant Daud will be sovereign over them, and there will be one shepherd for all of them. They will follow My ordinances and keep and observe My statutes.
25 They will live in the land that I gave to My servant Ya‛aqoḇ , where your fathers lived. They will live there forever with their children and grandchildren, and My servant Daud will be their prince forever. 26 And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary among them forever. 27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their Alahym, and they will be My people. 28 Then the nations will know that I, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 , am setting Yasharal apart, when My set apart place is among them forever.’ ”
| Luqas (Luke) 6:12-16 |
The Twelve Emmisaries
Luqas (Luke) Chapter 6
12 In those days 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤔𐤅𐤏 went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to Alahym. 13 When daylight came, He called His taught ones to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated as emissaries: 14 Shim‛on whom He also named Kěpha, and his brother Andri, Ya‛aqoḇ and Yoḥanan, Philip and Bartholomi; 15 Mattithyahu and T’oma, Ya‛aqoḇ the son of Alphai and Shim‛on called the Zealot; 16Yahuḏah the son of Ya‛aqoḇ and Yahuḏah from Qerioth, who became a traitor.
