Chapter 50

  And when Joseph saw this, he fell upon his father's face weeping and kissing him.  

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  And he commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father.  

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  And while they were fulfilling his commands, there passed forty days: for this was the manner with bodies that were embalmed, and Egypt mounted for him seventy days.  

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  And the time of the mourning being expired, Joseph spoke to the family of Pharao: If I have found favour in your sight, speak in the ears of Pharao:  

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  For my father made me swear to him, saying: Behold I die: thou shalt bury me in my sepulchre which I have digged for myself in the land of Chanaan. So I will go up and bury my father, and return.  

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  And Pharao said to him: Go up and bury thy father according as he made thee swear.  

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  So he went up, and there went with him all the ancients of Pharao's house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,  

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  And the house of Joseph with his brethren, except their children, and their flocks and herds, which they left in the land of Gessen.  

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  He had also in his train chariots and horsemen: and it was it great company.  

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  And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is situated beyond the Jordan: where celebrating the exequies with a great and vehement lamentation, they spent full seven days.  

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  And when the inhabitants of Chanaan saw this, they said: This is a great mourning to the Egyptians. And there- fore the name of that place was called, The mourning of Egypt.  

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  So the sons of Jacob did as he had commanded them.  

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  And carrying him into the land of Chanaan, they buried him in the double cave which Abraham had bought together with the held for a possession of a buryingplace, of Ephron the Hethite over against Mambre.  

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  And Joseph returned into Egypt with his brethren, and all that were in his company, after he had buried his father.  

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  Now he being dead, his brethren were afraid, and talked one with another : Lest perhaps he should remember the wrong he suffered, and requite us all the evil that we did to him.  

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  And they sent a message to him, saying: Thy father commanded us before he died,  

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  That we should say thus much to thee from him: I beseech thee to forget the wickedness of thy brethren, and the sin and malice they practiced against thee: we also pray thee, to forgive the servants of the God of thy father this wickedness. And when Joseph heard this, he wept.  

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  And his brethren came to him: and worshipping prostrate on the ground they said: We are thy servants.  

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  And he answered them: Fear not: can we resist the will of God?  

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  You thought evil against me: but God turned it into good, that he might exalt me, as at present you see, and might save many people.  

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  Fear not: I will feed you and your children. And he comforted them, and spoke gently and mildly.  

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  And he dwelt in Egypt with all his father's house: and lived a hundred and ten years. And he saw the children of Ephraim to the third generation. The children also of Machir the son of Ma-nasses were born on Joseph's knees.  

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  After which he told his brethren: God will visit you after my death, and will make you go up out of this land, to the land which he swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  

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  And he made them swear to him, saying: God will visit you, Carry my bones with you out of this place:  

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  And he died being a hundred and ten years old. And being embalmed he was laid in a coffin in Egypt.  

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