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Pentateuch · WORLD ENGLISH BIBLE

Genesis 45

Beginnings, creation, human rebellion, covenant, and the family of Abraham.

Old Testament

Genesis 45

1Then Joseph couldn’t control himself before all those who stood before him, and he called out, “Cause everyone to go out from me!” No one else stood with him, while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

2He wept aloud. The Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard.

3Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Does my father still live?” His brothers couldn’t answer him; for they were terrified at his presence.

4Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” They came near. He said, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

5Now don’t be grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.

6For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are yet five years, in which there will be no plowing and no harvest.

7God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on the earth, and to save you alive by a great deliverance.

8So now it wasn’t you who sent me here, but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

9Hurry, and go up to my father, and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says, “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me. Don’t wait.

10You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you will be near to me, you, your children, your children’s children, your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.

11There I will provide for you; for there are yet five years of famine; lest you come to poverty, you, and your household, and all that you have.”’

12Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaks to you.

13You shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. You shall hurry and bring my father down here.”

14He fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.

15He kissed all his brothers, and wept on them. After that his brothers talked with him.

16The report of it was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” It pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.

17Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals, and go, travel to the land of Canaan.

18Take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.’

19Now you are commanded to do this: Take wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.

20Also, don’t concern yourselves about your belongings, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.”

21The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.

22He gave each one of them changes of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing.

23He sent the following to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and provision for his father by the way.

24So he sent his brothers away, and they departed. He said to them, “See that you don’t quarrel on the way.”

25They went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father.

26They told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” His heart fainted, for he didn’t believe them.

27They told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them. When he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob, their father, revived.

28Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

READ IN CONTEXT

Before applying this chapter

Beginnings, creation, human rebellion, covenant, and the family of Abraham. Read Genesis 45 within the complete Genesis overview, and use the contextual Bible reading guide before forming a personal application. Chapter divisions aid navigation, but the literary unit may begin earlier or continue into the next chapter.

Observe first

Mark repeated words, changes of speaker, commands, promises, contrasts, questions, and the relationship between paragraphs.

Apply responsibly

Distinguish description from command and immediate audience from later readers before forming a personal application.

TEXT-DERIVED READING NOTES

What to notice in Genesis 45

Genesis 45 contains 28 verses and about 678 words in this translation. These observations come from the chapter itself; they are prompts for close reading, not claims about its only possible meaning.

The opening movement

Verse 1 begins: “Then Joseph couldn’t control himself before all those who stood before him, and he called out, “Cause everyone to go out from me!” No one else stood with him, while…” Ask what situation, voice, image, or argument this opening establishes for everything that follows.

The closing movement

Verse 28 closes: “Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”” Compare the ending with the opening and note what changed, resolved, intensified, or remained open.

Vocabulary worth tracing

Recurring or prominent content words include joseph, father, egypt, land, brothers, sent. Follow where each word appears and whether its meaning shifts with the speaker or setting.

COMMON QUESTIONS

About Genesis 45

Which Bible translation is shown here?+

This page reproduces the World English Bible Protestant edition (WEBP), a modern-English translation dedicated to the public domain.

How should I cite a specific verse?+

Use the book, chapter, and verse—for example, Genesis 45:1—and name the World English Bible if the wording matters. Each verse number above is a direct anchor link.

Does the chapter number define the complete literary unit?+

Not always. Chapter and verse numbers were added for navigation. Check the paragraphs, scenes, poetic stanzas, or argument before and after this chapter.

A SMALL NEXT STEP

You do not have to have everything figured out.

Begin with one honest question, one passage read carefully, and one faithful next step.

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