The wagons from Egypt arrive to carry everyone out of the wilderness. Israel offers sacrifices to God at the place Abraham planted the Tamarisk tree called Beersheba. God communicates with him assurances about going to Egypt. God tells Israel that his family will transform into a Nation. He promises to bring them back out again, but doesn’t say how or when. Israel’s eyes will close for the last time in Egypt. 

So Israel packs up all his family, including his sons, his daughter Dinah, his living wives and all their progeny of whom there are many by now. The Bible list them all out. 

At the time their history is oral, meaning repeated down the generations, with each new generation adding their own layer to the story. Sometimes a generation adds a new adventure or revelation, sometimes it’s just a name or twenty. 

Upon entry into Egypt, Ruben has four sons and Simeon, six. Levi has three. Judah had five, but two died, we already heard that story, plus two grandsons. Issachar had four and Zebulun had three sons. Gad had seven, and Asher had four sons, a daughter and two grandbabies. Dan had one son and Naphtali had four. Finally, Joseph had two children in Egypt already and the youngest Benjamin had ten kids. I didn’t write out all their names because of spelling. However if you want a deep-dive Bible name, there’s plenty to pick from, sixty-six actually. Seventy total descendants from Jacob not including unnamed or numbered daughters and daughters-in-law. Despite the promise of wealth in Egypt, they being all their animals and belongings with them. You can imagine the wagon train.

Joseph finally reunites with his Dad Jacob/Israel. He rides a chariot out to meet him to hug and cry for “quite a while.” They arrive in Egypt and Joseph presents them to Pharaoh who asks their occupation. They say shepherds, so they are sent to Goshen, near the Nile delta, because herdsmen are considered an abomination to the Egyptians. We are getting another hint of class separation from their new neighbors.