Chapter 37:
Jacob's family
still lives in the land of Canaan. Joseph is Jacob's favorite son. His brothers
know that he is the favorite, and they're jealous. Then Joseph has a dream that
he will rule over his brothers.
Joseph's brothers
decide to get rid of him. They tie up Joseph and sell him to some travelers who
are going to Egypt. Then they tell Jacob "Joseph was killed by a wild animal."
Chapter 38:
Jacob's son Judah
visits the house of Hirah in the city of Adullam (a city in the
southern part of Canaan). While there, Judah meets and takes a wife, named
Bathshua. She is the daughter of Shua. Judah and Bathshua have three sons: Er,
Onan, and Shelah.
Er grows up, and takes a
wife, named Tamar. Er is wicked, so God kills him. Er dies without Tamar giving him a son. According to
custom, if the husband dies without getting a child, then the husband's brother
must have sex with the wife, so that the wife will bear a child. The child will
be legally the child of the dead husband. Judah tells his second son, Onan, to do his duty as the
husband's brother, and have sex with Tamar so that Er can have a child. Onan
doesn't like this. The baby won't legally be his own. So whenever he has sex with Tamar, he
spills his semen on
the ground so that Tamar won't get pregnant. God doesn't like this, and kills
Onan.
Judah tells Tamar "Live in your father's
house as a widow until my last remaining son, Shelah, grows up." She does
so. But when Shelah grows up, Judah does not give him to Tamar because he is
afraid that Shelah will die like his brothers. Soon after this, Bathshua dies.
Judah
and Hirah go to the town of Timnath (also called Timnah) to sheer their sheep. Tamar hears of this.
She disguises herself as a prostitute, and waits on the road to Timnath, at the
place where the road forks. On the
way to Timnath, Judah sees Tamar in disguise. He doesn't know that she is his
ex-daughter-in-law; he thinks that she is a prostitute. He asks her to service him.
As payment, he will give her an animal from his flock. He will send it to her.
The "prostitute" asks for a pledge until he sends her the animal. The
pledge will be Judah's seal and its cord, and his staff. Judah agrees, and they
have sex.
Later, Judah sends Hirah to the fork in
the road to find the prostitute and give her the animal. Hirah goes there, but
can't find her. He asks around, but no luck. He returns to Judah, and tells him
what happened. Judah say "Let her keep the pledge. If we keep searching,
word will get out that I picked up a prostitute, and we will get a bad name."
Three months later, Judah is told that Tamar had sex out of marriage, and is now
pregnant. Judah says "She shall be burned at the stake." But when
Tamar is brought to Judah, she shows him the seal, cord, and staff that Judah
gave her. This proves that Tamar was the prostitute that had serviced Judah.
Judah figures that Tamar is more in the right than he is, because he did not
send Shelah to her. Later, Tamar gives birth to twins: Perez and Zerah.
Chapter 39:
Joseph is brought
to Egypt and sold as a slave to Potiphar, the captain of the guard for the Egyptian
pharaoh. Joseph serves Potiphar, and does a good job. Potiphar soon makes Joseph
the overseer of the house. Potiphar's wife seduces Joseph, but Joseph declines
her (right). Then the wife falsely accuses Joseph of rape. Joseph is put in prison.
Chapter 40:
The pharaoh's butler
and baker are put in prison, along with Joseph. While in prison, they have
dreams at night that they can't understand. They ask Joseph to interpret them.
Joseph says "The dreams predict your future. The baker will be executed.
The butler will be released. Butler, when you are released, ask the pharaoh to
get me out of here." Soon the butler is released. But he forgets about Joseph.
Chapter 41:
The pharaoh has a
dream, and he needs someone to interpret it. The butler remembers Joseph. Joseph is
brought to see the pharaoh. He interprets the dream: "There will be seven
years of plentiful food, followed by seven years of famine. Gather up the food
of these good years, and save it. Then Egypt will be able to survive the seven
years of famine." The pharaoh can see that God is with Joseph. So he
appoints Joseph to gather the food. Joseph is given the rank and authority of
viceroy, a position of power. The pharaoh also gives Joseph a new name, Zaphnath-Paaneah.
Finally, he gives Joseph a wife, a woman named Asenath. Asenath bears Joseph two
sons, named Manasseh and Ephraim.
During
the seven good years, he gathers food. Then during the seven bad years, there is
famine everywhere. But Egypt has plenty of food, and Joseph is in charge of it.
People come from other lands to buy food.
Chapter 42:
When the famine
comes, it also affects the land of Canaan. So Joseph's brothers go to Egypt to buy
food. They leave the youngest brother, Benjamin, at home.
In Egypt, they go to Zaphnath-Paaneah (Joseph) for food. They don't recognize Zaphnath-Paaneah
as their brother Joseph. But Joseph recognizes
them. He knows that they are his brothers.
Joseph tells the brothers "I think you are spies." The brothers say "We are not spies.
We are honest brothers, although our youngest brother Benjamin is back
home." Joseph says "If you are not spies, then you will bring your
youngest brother Benjamin with you the next time you come here." He puts
brother Simeon in jail as a hostage to make sure that they come back with
Benjamin. Then he sells them grain. The brothers return home, and tell Jacob
what happened.
Chapter 43:
Jacob is
reluctant to let Benjamin join the brothers on the next trip to Egypt
to buy food. He is afraid Benjamin will be hurt. Judah takes responsibility
for Benjamin, and the brothers leave.
They arrive in
Egypt with Benjamin. Joseph acts "now convinced" that the brothers are
not spies. He brings out Simeon. Joseph invites the brothers to his house for
the evening. That evening, the brothers eat, drink, and party.
Chapter 44:
During the party,
Joseph tells his steward "Fill up their packs with as much food as they can
carry. But put my silver goblet at the top of Benjamin's pack." The steward
does so.
The next morning, the brothers leave for
home. They don't get very far before Joseph tells the steward to chase them. The
steward catches up to the brothers, and says "Why have you stolen
Zaphnath-Paaneah's silver goblet?" The brothers say "We have not
stolen his silver goblet. Search our packs. If the goblet is found in one of our
brothers' packs, then that brother shall die, and we shall all become your
slaves." The steward searches the packs, and finds the goblet in Benjamin's
pack.
The brothers are taken back to Joseph. They
say "We shall be your slaves." Joseph says "You don't have to do
that. The brother who was
found with the goblet shall be my slave, but the rest of you can go
home." Judah says "No! We can't go home with out Benjamin. That
would kill our father Israel (Jacob). Make me your slave instead, but let
Benjamin go home."
Chapter 45:
Joseph reveals
his true identity to his brothers (right). "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold
into Egypt. Don't be distressed. It wasn't you, but God who sent me here. He
sent me here ahead of you to save your lives. There have been two years of famine,
and there are five more to go. God sent me ahead of you to ensure that you will
have descendants. Now I am a prominent man in Egypt. Go back home to Canaan, and
bring the whole family here to Egypt to live. You shall live in the region of
Goshen, nearby here. I will take care of you, and see that you are not reduced
to poverty. There are still five years of famine to come."
The brothers return home and tell Jacob what has happened. Jacob is surprised to
hear that Joseph is still alive, and is a prominent man in Egypt. He agrees to
move the family to Egypt.
Chapter 46:
Jacob's entire
family moves to the region of Goshen in Egypt. Jacob and Joseph are reunited.
Chapter 47:
Joseph introduces
his family to the pharaoh. The family settles in the area of Raamses (also
called Rameses).
The famine in Egypt
continues. People run out of money. They must trade cattle, land, and finally
slave services for food. But they survive the famine.
Jacob realizes that he is dying. Joseph promises that he will bury Jacob in Canaan.
Chapter 48:
Joseph introduces
his sons Manasseh and Ephraim to Jacob. Jacob blesses them. But when Jacob
blesses them, he deliberately gives preference to the younger son, Ephraim.
Joseph doesn't like this. He asks Jacob to give preference to Manasseh because
Manasseh is the older son. Jacob refuses. He says "Manasseh will become
great, but Ephraim will become greater than he."
Chapter 49:
On his deathbed,
Jacob speaks to his sons one last time. He says "Please bury me with my
forefathers, in the cave
on the plot of land at Machpelah, where Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah,
where Isaac was buried with his wife Rebekah, and where I buried my first wife,
Leah." Then he dies.
Chapter 50:
The brothers go
to Canaan, and bury Jacob in the cave of Machpelah. Then they return to Egypt.
Joseph forgives his brothers for selling him into slavery, and they are
sorry.
Years later, Joseph dies.
On his deathbed, he tells his family "Someday God will bring you out of this
land and back to the land of Canaan, which he swore to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob."
End of Summary
Overall Summary Part1: Adam and Eve Part 2: Noah Part 3: Abraham Part 4: Jacob Part 5: Joseph