Jacob and Joseph died ... Israel became slaves ... Moses was born

And Israel grew into a strong and wealthy nation in the land of Egypt. All 12 tribes with all their offspring and possessions lived in the best part of Egypt, called Rameses, as Pharaoh commanded.

At the time of his death, Jacob already lived for 17 years in Egypt, and his children buried him in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, where Jacob's wife Leah, Abraham and Sarah and Isaac and Rebecca were also put to rest.

And then it came to pass that the 12 sons of Jacob and that generation all died.

And the children of Israel (Jacob) were fruitful, and increased and multiplied abundantly.  The land was filled with them.

But Pharaoh died and the new king that came to power didn't know anything about Joseph and the Israelites history.

He was deeply worried about their astonishing numbers, in case of war times.  So he tasked his taskmaster to turn the Israel nation into slaves, and made the Israelites built the treasure cities Pithon and Raamses. They cruelly made the Israelites built everything that the Egypt king commanded, like the pyramids.

But the more the Egyptians tried to destroy Israel, the more their numbers grew.  They treated the Israelites like animals, and commanded the midwives to kill all the newborn Israel boy babies, but not the girls, as a last resort to get control over the nation.

But the midwives feared God and saved the boys as well.

The new Pharaoh (new king) was extremely angry over this, and then he commanded all his people to kill every newborn Israel boy baby that they know off, but not the girls.

But there was a man of the house of Levi (one of the 12 tribes of Isreal) that took a daughter of Levi as his wife, and she conceived a boy, and she kept him hidden for 3 months.

When he grew to big to hide, she built a little ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch.  She then put the child in it, and laid it in the flags by the river's bank.  And his sister watched over him all the while to see what would happen to him.

The daughter of Pharaoh came to the river to wash herself, while her maidens walked on the riverbank.  She suddenly saw the little ark among the flags, and she sent her maidens to fetch it. She opened it and saw the baby boy, and he started to cry.  She knew it was a Hebrew (Israel) child.

Then his sister approached her and asked Pharaoh's daughter if she should fetch a Hebrew midwife to take care of the baby.  The princess agreed and his sister brought his mother to the princess.  And his mother took him and nursed him.

When he grew, she took him to the princess, and he became her son.  She called him Moses.

Source: Exodus 1

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Joseph Sees His Father Again ... How It Came To Pass That The Israelites Lived In Egypt

Joseph's brothers left for their journey to bring Israel to his son, Joseph, whom then lived in Egypt and whom was the right hand to Pharaoh.

They finally reached Canaan and came unto Israel [Jacob], their father.  And then they told him the amazing news, saying: 'Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.'

And Jacob's heart fainted, for he didn't believe them.

So they told all the words that Joseph had spoken to them, and when Jacob saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob revived, and he said: 'It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive, and I will go and see him before I die'.

So Israel began his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.

That night God came to him in a vision and called to him: 'Jacob, Jacob'.  And Jacob answered: 'Here am I'.  The Lord then said to him: 'I am God, the God of thy father.  Fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will there make of thee a great nation.  I will go down with thee into Egypt, and I will also surely bring thee up again; and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.'

Joseph rose up from Beer-sheba; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt ... Jacob, and all his seed with him.  All the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt were 310.

Jacob then sent Judah before him to Joseph, to direct him to Goshen ... Jacob was to meet Joseph there.

When Joseph got word that it was time to meet his father again, after all the years that had gone by, he made his chariot ready, and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen, and presented himself unto him;  and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.

And Israel said unto Joseph: 'Now, let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.'

Joseph said to his family that he would go to Pharaoh to inform him that they had arrived.  He also told them to tell Pharaoh, when they meet him, that they had raised and traded cattle, because sheperds were an abomination in Egypt.

Then Joseph went to meet with Pharaoh and told him that his family had reached Goshen.  He even took five of his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.

When Pharaoh asked them about themselves they told him what Joseph had told them to tell him.

Pharaoh then turned to Joseph and said to him: 'Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee.  The land of Egypt is before thee;  in the best of the land make thy father and thy brethren to dwell;  and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.'

And Joseph brought in his father and set him before Pharaoh;  and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh said unto Jacob: 'How old art thou?'

And Jacob said unto Pharaoh: 'The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years;  few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.'

And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

And Joseph placed his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh commanded.

And Joseph nourished his father, and his brothers, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families.

Source: Genesis 46

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Jacob Allow Benjamin To Go To Joseph

And Jacob [Israel] informed his sons that there is no way that Benjamin is going with them to Egypt, because they have already cost him one son, Joseph.  He was not prepared to loose another son.  Reuben then said to his father that he can kill both Ruben's sons if he didn't bring Benjamin back to his father.  But Jacob denied him his request.  He told Ruben that losing another son would surely kill him.

But famine was sore in the land.  And when all the corn was eaten that they brought from Egypt, Jacob ordered them to go back to Egypt to get more food.  They reminded him that Joseph insisted that Benjamin must come with them, otherwise travelling to Egypt would be for nothing.  They also told them that Joseph also queried if their father was still alive.

Israel gave in and told them if that was the only way to get food, then it was how it must be.  They could take Benjamin with them.  He also ordered them to take gifts to Joseph and double their money, including the money that was returned to them on the previous occasion.  He also spoke the Lord's mercy over them.

And so they took off with the presents, the money and Benjamin and travelled to Egypt.  They finally stood before Joseph.

And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house: 'Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready, for these men shall dine with me at noon.'

And the men did as Joseph said, and brought his brothers into the house.

But they were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house, and his servants gave them water and washed their feet, and they gave their donkeys food. 

And the brothers made ready to present Joseph at noon, for they have heard that they would eat bread there.

And when Joseph came home, they offered him the presents that they brought with them, and they bowed before his feet.

He, in return, ask them about their welfare and their father's welfare ... asking if he was still alive.

They replied that Jacob was in good wealth and bowed again before Joseph.

Joseph then lifted up his eyes and then he saw Benjamin, his mother's son.  He then ask the other brothers if Benjamin was the younger brother that they have spoken of.

Joseph then quietly went to his chambers and weep.  After he washed his face, he went out told them to eat.

The next morning, before they leave, Joseph ordered that his personal silver cup should be hidden in Benjamin's sack.  While they were deep into their journey, Joseph's servants caught up with them, informing them that Joseph's cup was stolen and that they are going to search the brother's sacks.  And then they found the cup in Benjamin's sack.

They returned the men to the city.  The brother's pleaded with Joseph to let Benjamin go with them, that he was innocent.  They told Joseph that if they had to get home without Benjamin, their father would die of sorrow, because he had already lost one son.

And then Joseph could not hold the truth to himself anymore.  He ordered his men to leave him, until he was alone with his brothers.  He made himself known to his brothers: 'I am Joseph, and is my father still alive?'  He brothers couldn't answer him, and just look at him in disbelief.

He asked them to came closer and said to them: 'Be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me.  For God did send me before you to preserve life.  So it was not you that sent me, but God'.  'Now go back to my father and tell him that I'm still alive, and that God made me lord of all of Egypt. and that all of you and everything that you have must come to me.  I will give you the the land of Goshen to dwell in.  And I will take care of you for the next 5 years until the famine will be over'.

Joseph then fell upon Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

When Farao heard that Joseph had reunited with his family, he and his house was very pleased.  He promised Joseph that he would take the best of care of Joseph's family, sending the best of wagons to go get Joseph's family, with presents for all.


Source:  Genesis Chapter 45

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Joseph's Brothers Came To Him For Food

When Jacob [Israel] saw that there were food in Egypt, he turn to his sons and ask them why are they just standing around and looking at each other, doing nothing.

He then said to them: 'Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt.  Get down there and buy food for us, so that we won't die.'

So 10 of Joseph's brother started their journey to Egypt to buy food.

But Jacob didn't send Benjamin with them, because he feared for Benjamin's safety.

And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for famine was in the land of Canaan.

And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he that sold to all the people of the land ... and Joseph's brothers came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

Joseph immediately recognised his brothers, but made himself strange unto them.

He said unto them: 'From where are you?.'  And they say: 'From the land of Canaan to buy food.'

Joseph remembered his dream where his brother would bow down to him, and said unto them: 'You are spies.  You came to see the nakedness of the land that you came to.'

And they said to him: 'No, my lord, we are only here to buy food, as your servants. We are are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are not spies.'

And he said unto them: 'No, you are here as spies.'

And they said: 'Thy servants are 12 brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.'

And Joseph said unto them: 'You will prove to me that you are not spies.  You will go nowhere until your youngest brother comes to me.  Send of you to fetch your brother, and the rest of you will be put in prison, that your words may be proved, if there is any proof in what you say ... or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies.'

And he put them all together in a ward for 3 days.

And Joseph said unto them the 3rd day: 'This will do, and live ... for I fear God.  If you are true men, let one of your brother be bound in the house of your prison ... go, carry corn for the hunger of your houses.  But bring your youngest brother to me; so shall your words be verified, and you shall not die.'

And they said one to another: 'We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.'

And Reuben answered them: 'Did I not spoke unto you, saying: Do not sin against the child, and you would not hear? Therefore, behold also his blood is required.'

They didn't know that Joseph could understand every word they say, because he was using an interpreter to speak to them.

And Joseph turned away from them and wept bitterly.

When he came back, he choose Simeon and bound him before his brother's eyes. He set the other brothers free.

The Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way.

So they started their journey back to Canaan.

Along the way the brothers stopped to feed there donkeys, and as one of them open his sack to feed his donkey, he nearly got a heart attack!

There in his sack were all his money, easy to see for anybody that would have looked.

He immediately alerted his brother and a great fear was in all their hearts.  And they said to one another: 'What is this that God hath done unto us?'

The dreaded journey eventually ended as they reached their father, and then they told him the whole story: 'The man, who is the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

And we said unto him that we are true men and not spies ... that we are 12 brothers, sons of our father; that one is not, and that the youngest stayed home with our father in the land of Canaan.

And the man said to us: 'Hereby shall I know that you are true men; leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone.

And bring your youngest brother to me, then I shall know that you are not spies, but true men. So shall I deliver your brother, and you shall freely travel the land.'

And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack; and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.



Source: Genesis 42

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Joseph Became Pharaoh's Right Hand Man

Everything returned to normal, after the execution of Pharaoh's chief baker, and Joseph remained in prison ... for another 2 full years.

At the end of the 2 years, Pharaoh one night dreamed.

He dreamed that he was standing next to a river.  And, behold, there came up out of the river 7 well favoured oxen and fatfleshed ... and they fed in the meadow.

And, behold, 7 other oxen came up after them out of the river, ill favoured and leanfleshed, and stood by the other oxen upon the brink of the river.

And the ill favoured and leanfleshed oxen did eat up the 7 well favoured and fat oxen. Just then Pharaoh woke up. He went back to sleep and he dreamed for the second time.

And, behold, 7 ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.

And, behold, 7 thin ears devoured the 7 rank and full ears.

Pharaoh again woke up, and was very glad that it was just a dream.

But when he woke the next morning, he was troubled by the dreams. So he sent for all the magicians in Egypt, as well as all the wise men.

He told them his 2 dreams, but none of them could tell him what it meant.

Suddenly the chief butler spoke unto Pharaoh, saying: 'Pharaoh was angry at me and the chief baker and had put us in prison, two years ago. We dreamed a dream one night, I and he ... we dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.

And there was with us a young man, a Hebrew ... servant to the captain of the guard.  We told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams, to each manaccording to his dreams he did interpret ... and it came to pass.'

Pharaoh immediately sent for Joseph ... Joseph shaved himself and changed his rainment, before his meeting with Pharaoh.

Upon their meeting, Pharaoh immediately told Joseph about his 2 dreams.

When Pharaoh finished his story, Joseph answered him:

'The dream of Pharaoh is one.  God had shown Pharaoh what He is about to do:

The 7 good oxen are 7 good years, and the 7 good ears are 7 years ... the dream is one.

And the 7 thin and ill favoured oxen and the 7 empty ears shall be 7 years of famine.

Behold, there come 7 years of great plenty thoughout Egypt, and then shall arise after them 7 years of famine.

And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of the famine following.'

Joseph then continued: 'Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.  Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the 5th part of the land of Egypt in the 7 plenteous years.

Let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.

And that food shall be for store to the land against the 7 years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land perish not through the famine.'

And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.

Pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph that he made Joseph his overseer over the Egyptians and said to him: 'Thou shalt be over my house, and according to thy word shall all my people be ruled.  Only in the throne will I be greater than thou.'

Pharaoh then took of his ring and gave it to Joseph, and from thereon Joseph always rode at Pharaoh's side.

He also called Joseph by the name Zaphnath-Paaneah and gave him a wife called Asenath, the daughter of the priest of On.  He had 2 sons and he called them Manasseh and Ephraim.  At that time Joseph was 30 years old.

So Joseph made sure that Egypt gather all the food possible in the 7 fat years, and before the famine hit the land.

And when the hunger came all over the earth, Egypt had food ... and all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn ... because the famine was so sore in all the countries.

Source: Genesis 41

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Joseph Got Thrown Into Prison [Pothiphar's Wife Lied] ... And He Interpreted His First Two Dreams In Prison

So, his brothers sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites, and they in return sold Joseph to Potiphar ... Pharaoh's right hand man.

But The Lord was with Joseph and made him a prosperous man ... while he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.

Potiphar saw that The Lord was with Joseph and that everything that Joseph touched, turned into gold for him.

So Joseph found grace in his master's eyes ... and Potiphar made Joseph the overseer of his house, and all that he had put into his hand ... and The Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake.  And the blessing of The Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.

Potiphar trusted Joseph completely, because Joseph was a goodly person and well favoured.

But when Potiphar's wife saw the handsome Joseph, she immediately wanted him, and she tried her best to seduce him.  When she grasped his robe, he tore loose from her grip and ran like hell.

She then called the guard and cried that Joseph was trying to rape her.

He was thrown into prison ... but God made everybody in the prison like him, even the keeper of the prison found grace in God's eyes.

While Joseph was in prison, the baker and the butler of the king of Egypt offended their king ... and Pharaoh's wrath was against his two head officers, the chief of the butlers, and the chief of the bakers.

So he threw them both in prison ... the same prison where Joseph was.

And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them ... and they continued a season in ward.

Then, one night they both dreamed a personal dream.

When they woke up the next morning, Joseph could see that they both were very sad, and he asked them what was going on.

They told him about their dreams, and that they couldn't understand what it meant, and that they were worried.

He then urged them to tell their dreams to him, because only The Lord could answer them to the meaning of the dreams.

The chief butler then told his dream to Joseph: 'In my dream, behold, a vine was before me.  And in the vine were three branches, and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth, and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes.  And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, and pressed them in Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.'

And Joseph said unto him: 'This is the interpretation of it:  The three branched are three days.  Yet, within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, restore thee unto thy place ... and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his butler.

But think on me when it shall be well with thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house ... for indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.'

When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph: 'I also was in my dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my head.  And the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh ... and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head.'

And Joseph answered and said: 'This is the interpretation thereof ... The three baskets are three days.  Yet, within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree, and the birds shall eat thy flesh from thee.'

And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants, and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants.

And he restored the chief butler unto his butlership again, and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.

But he hanged the chief baker ... as Joseph interpreted to them.


Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgave him.



Source: Genesis 40

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Joseph Got Sold By His Jealous Brothers

The Twelve Tribes of Israel [Jacob] were as follows:

The sons of Israel and Leah ... Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun,
The sons of Israel and Zilpah, Leah's handmaid ... Gad and Asher,
The sons of Israel and Rachel ... Joseph and Bejamin,
The sons of Israel and Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid ... Dan and Naphtali.

Esau had five sons that was bared to him in the land of Canaan ... Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jaalam and Korah.

Esau later left Canaan and moved on to Mount Seir, because the land could no longer bear to feed the number of cattle that Esau and his brother

Israel had together.

As time passed, Israel's son Joseph grew into a fine young man that made his father proud.

When Joseph was 17 he took care of the flocks, together with his brothers, the sons of Zilpah and Bilhah. 

He told his father everything that they did ... and they got very angry at him for putting them in a bad light in Israel's eyes.

Israel loved Joseph the most and he lovingly made a coat of many colors for Joseph, which Joseph proudly wore wherever he went ... he loved his coat that his father made especially for him.

When his brothers saw that Israel loved Joseph more than anything else, they started to hate Joseph even more.

Then Joseph dreamed a dream ... and told it to his brothers.

He told them his dream: 'For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright ... and behold, your sheaves stood round about, making abeisance to my sheaf.

His brothers didn't like this dream at all. They asked him what he meant ... that they will have to bow before him?

So they took the story to their father, Israel ... and Joseph told the dream again to his father and brothers.

His father rebuked Joseph and said to him: 'What is this dream that thou hast dreamed?  Shall I and thy mother and thy brothers indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?'

And his brother envied him, but his father observed what was said, and he was thinking about the dream.

Still fuming, Joseph's brother went to Shechem to feed their father's flock.

After a few days Israel called Joseph, confirming with him that his brothers was at Shechem to feed the flock. He then asked Joseph to go to his brothers and the flock to see how things are going ... and then he must get back to Israel to report.

So Joseph immediately started his journey from the safety of Hebron to Shechem.

When he got to Shechem, he started looking for his brothers and the flock, but he couldn't find them.  He eventually came upon a lone man and asked him if he had seen his brothers.

The man confirmed that he had ... they went on further to Dothan, where there is more feed for the animals.

Joseph went to Dothan and he found them there.

When his brothers saw him coming from afar, they were fed up with him and decided to kill him and throw him in the first pit they could find ... they wanted to get rid of the pest in their lives ... they would then tell Israel that some wild animal had killed Joseph and eaten him. 

They snickered and wandered what would then become of his dreams.

Luckily Reuben overheard this conspiracy and stopped them from killing Joseph.

He said to them: 'Let us not kill him.  Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him.' ... that he might rid Joseph out of their hands, to come back for him later and take Joseph back to his father. They then throw Joseph in a pit

So when Joseph reached them, they grabbed him and took of his coat of many colors.  They then cast him in the pit ... but the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

They then satisfied sat down to eat a little something, and when they looked up, they saw a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels, bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

And Judah said to his brothers: 'What profit is it if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood?  Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmeelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.' ... and his brothers accepted his proposal.

So they got Joseph out of the pit ... and sold him for 20 pieces of silver to the Ishmeelites and they took Joseph with them to Eqypt.

When Reuben later returned to get Joseph out of the pit, to take him back to his father, he found that Joseph was missing. He demanded from his brothers to tell him where Joseph was, but they covered up what they did by dipping Joseph's coat of colors in lamb's blood and brought it back to their father.  They told him that it was all that they have found.

Israel confirmed that it was the coat of many colors that he made for Joseph and said a wild beast must have killed his beloved son. 

Israel was beyond himself with grieve ... he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins ... and mourned for his son for a very long time.

All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him ... but he was beyond comfort.

He told them that he would go to his grave mourning for his lost child.

And Joseph was sold, in Egypt, to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.



Source: Genesis 37

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