6. The king answered, “Keep your promise. Go and bury your father.”
7. So Joseph went to bury his father. All the king’s officers, the elders of his court and all the elders of Egypt went with Joseph.
8. Everyone who lived with Joseph and his brothers went with him. And everyone who lived with his father also went. They left only their children, their flocks and their herds in the land of Goshen.
9. Men in chariots and on horses also went with Joseph. It was a very large group.
10. They went to the threshing floor of Atad, east of the Jordan River. There they cried loudly and bitterly for Jacob, also called Israel. Joseph’s time of sorrow continued for seven days.
11. The people that lived in Canaan saw the sadness at the threshing floor of Atad. They said, “Those Egyptians are showing great sorrow!” So now that place is named Sorrow of the Egyptians.
12. So Jacob’s sons did what their father commanded.
13. They carried his body to the land of Canaan. They buried it in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre. Abraham had bought this cave and field from Ephron the Hittite. He bought the cave to use as a burial place.
14. After Joseph buried his father, he returned to Egypt. His brothers and everyone who had gone with him to bury his father also returned.
15. After Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph is still angry with us? We did many wrong things to him. What if he plans to pay us back?”
16. So they sent a message to Joseph. It said, “Your father gave this command before he died.
17. He said to us, ‘You have done wrong. You have sinned and done evil to Joseph. Tell Joseph to forgive you, his brothers.’ So now, Joseph, we beg you to forgive our wrong. We are the servants of the God of your father.” When Joseph received the message, he cried.