# Day 37

# The Death of Joseph

Genesis 47:27–50:26

Israel and his children lived in Goshen, which had rich farmland. Israel lived almost 150 years. As he was dying, he blessed his twelve sons, saying, “Don’t bury me in Egypt. Bury me in Canaan with my father, Isaac, and grandfather, Abraham.”

And so there was a great funeral for Jacob. Israel’s children carried his body to Canaan. There he was buried in the cave at Machpelah near Mamre.

When Jacob’s sons came back to Egypt, they were afraid. “Is Joseph still mad that we sold him?” they worried. They sent him a message: “Please forgive us for our crime.”

“What you did was bad,” Joseph told them. “But God used it for good. Look at all the children of Israel. Don’t worry. I’ll always provide for you and your families.”

Joseph lived 110 years. Before he died, he said to his brothers, “God will come and take you back to Canaan. Instead, when you go, carry my bones back with you.” So they kept Joseph’s stone coffin. They knew that someday they would carry it back to their own land.

Questions: Where did Jacob want to be buried? What did Joseph want to happen to his bones?