The mourning for Jacob, and his interment. Joseph’s kindness towards
his brethren. His death.
50:1. And when Joseph saw this, he fell upon his father’s face, weeping
and kissing him.
50:2. And he commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his
father.
50:3. And while they were fulfilling his commands, there passed forty
days: for this was the manner with bodies that were embalmed, and Egypt
mourned for him seventy days.
50:4. 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:
50:5. 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.
50:6. And Pharao said to him: Go up and bury thy father according as he
made thee swear.
50:7. 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.
50:8. And the house of Joseph with his brethren, except their children,
and their flocks and herds, which they left in the land of Gessen.
50:9. He had also in his train chariots and horsemen: and it was a
great company.
50:10. And they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is situated
beyond the Jordan: where celebrating the exequies with a great and
vehement lamentation, they spent full seven days.
50:11. And when the inhabitants of Chanaan saw this, they said: This is
a great mourning to the Egyptians. And therefore the name of that place
was called, The mourning of Egypt.
50:12. So the sons of Jacob did as he had commanded them.
50:13. And carrying him into the land of Chanaan, they buried him in
the double cave, which Abraham had bought together with the field for a
possession of a burying place, of Ephron, the Hethite, over against
Mambre.
50:14. And Joseph returned into Egypt with his brethren, and all that
were in his company, after he had buried his father.
50:15. 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.
50:16. And they sent a message to him, saying: Thy father commanded us
before he died,
50:17. 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
practised 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.
50:18. And his brethren came to him; and worshipping prostrate on the
ground, they said: We are thy servants.
50:19. And he answered them: Fear not: can we resist the will of God?
50:20. 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.
50:21. Fear not: I will feed you and your children. And he comforted
them, and spoke gently and mildly.
50:22. 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 sons of Manasses, were
born on Joseph’s knees.
50:23. 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.
50:24. And he made them swear to him, saying: God will visit you, carry
my bones with you out of this place:
50:25. And he died, being a hundred and ten years old. And being
embalmed, he was laid in a coffin in Egypt.