So Jacob set out for Egypt with all his possessions. And when he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father, Isaac.
During the night God spoke to him in a vision. "Jacob! Jacob!" he called. "Here I am," Jacob replied.
"I am God," the voice said, "the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will see to it that you become a great nation there.
I will go with you down to Egypt, and I will bring your descendants back again. But you will die in Egypt with Joseph at your side."
So Jacob left Beersheba, and his sons brought him to Egypt. They carried their little ones and wives in the wagons Pharaoh had provided for them.
They brought their livestock, too, and all the belongings they had acquired in the land of Canaan. Jacob and his entire family arrived in Egypt--
sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters--all his descendants.
These are the names of the Israelites, the descendants of Jacob, who went with him to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob's oldest son.
The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul. (Shaul's mother was a Canaanite woman.)
The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. (But Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan.) The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.
The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
These are the sons of Jacob who were born to Leah in Paddan-aram, along with their sister, Dinah. In all, Jacob's descendants through Leah numbered thirty-three.
The sons of Gad were Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Their sister was named Serah. Beriah's sons were Heber and Malkiel.
These sixteen were descendants of Jacob through Zilpah, the servant given to Leah by her father, Laban.
The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.
Joseph's sons, born in the land of Egypt, were Manasseh and Ephraim. Their mother was Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis.
Benjamin's sons were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
These fourteen were the descendants of Jacob and his wife Rachel.
The son of Dan was Hushim.
The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
These seven were the descendants of Jacob through Bilhah, the servant given to Rachel by her father, Laban.
So the total number of Jacob's direct descendants who went with him to Egypt, not counting his sons' wives, was sixty-six.
Joseph also had two sons who had been born in Egypt. So altogether, there were seventy members of Jacob's family in the land of Egypt.
Jacob sent Judah on ahead to meet Joseph and get directions to the land of Goshen. And when they all arrived there,
Joseph prepared his chariot and traveled to Goshen to meet his father. As soon as Joseph arrived, he embraced his father and wept on his shoulder for a long time.
Then Jacob said to Joseph, "Now let me die, for I have seen you with my own eyes and know you are still alive."
And Joseph said to his brothers and to all their households, "I'll go and tell Pharaoh that you have all come from the land of Canaan to join me.
And I will tell him, `These men are shepherds and livestock breeders. They have brought with them their flocks and herds and everything they own.'
So when Pharaoh calls for you and asks you about your occupation,
tell him, `We have been livestock breeders from our youth, as our ancestors have been for many generations.' When you tell him this, he will let you live here in the land of Goshen, for shepherds are despised in the land of Egypt."