2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, |
3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. |
4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. |
5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child. |
6 And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years. |
7 And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said God: and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place. |
8 And he gave him the covenant of circumcision: and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs. |
9 And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt: but God was with him, |
10 And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house. |
11 Now there came a dearth over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan, and great affliction: and our fathers found no sustenance. |
12 But when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent out our fathers first. |
13 And at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren; and Joseph's kindred was made known unto Pharaoh. |
14 Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls. |
15 So Jacob went down into Egypt, and died, he, and our fathers, |
16 And were carried over into Sychem, and laid in the sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of Emmor the father of Sychem. |
17 But when the time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people grew and multiplied in Egypt, |
18 Till another king arose, which knew not Joseph. |
19 The same dealt subtilly with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children, to the end they might not live. |
