Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. And God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night.
God: Jacob, Jacob.
Jacob: I am here.
God: I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down into Egypt, because I will make a great nation of you there. I will go down with you into Egypt, and I will surely bring you up again. And Joseph shall put his hand on your eyes when you die.
Jacob left Beersheba, and his sons him and their little ones and their wives in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. They took their cattle, and their belongings, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt. Jacob, and all his seed with him came into Egypt? He brought his sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters, and all his seed with him into Egypt.
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These are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt:
Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.
And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.
And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.
And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zerah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.
And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.
And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.
These be the sons of Leah, which she bore to Jacob in Padanaram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three.
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And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.
And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister:
and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel.
These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob, even sixteen souls.
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The sons of Rachel Jacob’s wife; Joseph, and Benjamin.
And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bore to him.
And the sons of Benjamin were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.
These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.
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And the sons of Dan; Hushim.
And the sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.
These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: all the souls were seven.
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All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six; And the sons of Joseph, which were born of him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were seventy.
Jacob sent Judah before him to Joseph, so he could direct them to Goshen. And they came into the land of Goshen.
Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet Israel his father and presented himself to him. Joseph embraced his father around his neck and wept on his neck a good while.
Israel (to Joseph): Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.
Joseph (to his brothers and to his father’s house): I will go up, and show Pharaoh, and say to him, My brothers, and my father’s house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come to me; And the men are shepherds, for their trade has been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have. When Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? That you shall say, Our trade has been about livestock from our youth until now, both we and also our fathers: that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
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Comments:
The number of people that came with Jacob to Egypt was sixty- six. All the people of Jacob’s house who were in Egypt would include Joseph, his two sons and Jacob himself. With these included, the total number is seventy souls.
Notice:
• Benjamin is not a young boy at this time. He is a grown man with ten sons.
• None of Jacob’s wives are with them. They probably have all died. The sons’ wives are mentioned.
• Dinah is still in her father’s house. Since she was not a virgin, she was probably not suitable for marriage. (Genesis 34)
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