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Genesis 42-44
Genesis Chapter 42
1Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, âWhy do you look at one another?â 2He said, âBehold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy for us from there, so that we may live, and not die.â 3Josephâs ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4But Jacob didnât send Benjamin, Josephâs brother, with his brothers; for he said, âLest perhaps harm happen to him.â 5The sons of Israel came to buy among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6Joseph was the governor over the land. It was he who sold to all the people of the land. Josephâs brothers came, and bowed themselves down to him with their faces to the earth. 7Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but acted like a stranger to them, and spoke roughly with them. He said to them, âWhere did you come from?â They said, âFrom the land of Canaan, to buy food.â 8Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didnât recognize him. 9Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them, and said to them, âYou are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land.â 10They said to him, âNo, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11We are all one manâs sons; we are honest men. Your servants are not spies.â 12He said to them, âNo, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land!â 13They said, âWe, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is today with our father, and one is no more.â 14Joseph said to them, âIt is like I told you, saying, âYou are spies!â 15By this you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go out from here, unless your youngest brother comes here. 16Send one of you, and let him get your brother, and you shall be bound, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you, or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies.â 17He put them all together into custody for three days. 18Joseph said to them the third day, âDo this, and live, for I fear God. 19If you are honest men, then let one of your brothers be bound in your prison; but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses. 20Bring your youngest brother to me; so will your words be verified, and you wonât die.â They did so. 21They said to one another, âWe are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldnât listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us.â 22Reuben answered them, saying, âDidnât I tell you, saying, âDonât sin against the child,â and you wouldnât listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required.â 23They didnât know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them. 24He turned himself away from them, and wept. Then he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes. 25Then Joseph gave a command to fill their bags with grain, and to restore each manâs money into his sack, and to give them food for the way. So it was done to them. 26They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed from there. 27As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey food in the lodging place, he saw his money. Behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. 28He said to his brothers, âMy money is restored! Behold, it is in my sack!â Their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, âWhat is this that God has done to us?â 29They came to Jacob their father, to the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30âThe man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country. 31We said to him, âWe are honest men. We are no spies. 32We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is today with our father in the land of Canaan.â 33The man, the lord of the land, said to us, âBy this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way. 34Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. So I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.â â 35As they emptied their sacks, behold, each manâs bundle of money was in his sack. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 36Jacob, their father, said to them, âYou have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.â 37Reuben spoke to his father, saying, âKill my two sons, if I donât bring him to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him to you again.â 38He said, âMy son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left. If harm happens to him along the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.â
Genesis Chapter 43
1The famine was severe in the land. 2When they had eaten up the grain which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them, âGo again, buy us a little more food.â 3Judah spoke to him, saying, âThe man solemnly warned us, saying, âYou shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.â 4If youâll send our brother with us, weâll go down and buy you food; 5but if you donât send him, we wonât go down, for the man said to us, âYou shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.â â 6Israel said, âWhy did you treat me so badly, telling the man that you had another brother?â 7They said, âThe man asked directly concerning ourselves, and concerning our relatives, saying, âIs your father still alive? Have you another brother?â We just answered his questions. Is there any way we could know that he would say, âBring your brother downâ?â 8Judah said to Israel, his father, âSend the boy with me, and weâll get up and go, so that we may live, and not die, both we, and you, and also our little ones. 9Iâll be collateral for him. From my hand will you require him. If I donât bring him to you, and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever; 10for if we hadnât delayed, surely we would have returned a second time by now.â 11Their father, Israel, said to them, âIf it must be so, then do this: Take from the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry down a present for the man, a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts, and almonds; 12and take double money in your hand, and take back the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. 13Take your brother also, get up, and return to the man. 14May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.â 15The men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and got up, went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 16When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, âBring the men into the house, and butcher an animal, and prepare; for the men will dine with me at noon.â 17The man did as Joseph commanded, and the man brought the men to Josephâs house. 18The men were afraid, because they were brought to Josephâs house; and they said, âBecause of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time, weâre brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, attack us, and seize us as slaves, along with our donkeys.â 19They came near to the steward of Josephâs house, and they spoke to him at the door of the house, 20and said, âOh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food. 21When we came to the lodging place, we opened our sacks, and behold, each manâs money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. We have brought it back in our hand. 22We have brought down other money in our hand to buy food. We donât know who put our money in our sacks.â 23He said, âPeace be to you. Donât be afraid. Your God, and the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks. I received your money.â He brought Simeon out to them. 24The man brought the men into Josephâs house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet. He gave their donkeys fodder. 25They prepared the present for Josephâs coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there. 26When Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves down to the earth before him. 27He asked them of their welfare, and said, âIs your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he yet alive?â 28They said, âYour servant, our father, is well. He is still alive.â They bowed down humbly. 29He lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin, his brother, his motherâs son, and said, âIs this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?â He said, âGod be gracious to you, my son.â 30Joseph hurried, for his heart yearned over his brother; and he sought a place to weep. He entered into his room, and wept there. 31He washed his face, and came out. He controlled himself, and said, âServe the meal.â 32They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians donât eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. 33They sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth, and the men marveled with one another. 34He sent portions to them from before him, but Benjaminâs portion was five times as much as any of theirs. They drank, and were merry with him.
Genesis Chapter 44
1He commanded the steward of his house, saying, âFill the menâs sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each manâs money in his sackâs mouth. 2Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sackâs mouth of the youngest, with his grain money.â He did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. 3As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. 4When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, âUp, follow after the men. When you overtake them, ask them, âWhy have you rewarded evil for good? 5Isnât this that from which my lord drinks, and by which he indeed divines? You have done evil in so doing.â â 6He overtook them, and he spoke these words to them. 7They said to him, âWhy does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing! 8Behold, the money, which we found in our sacksâ mouths, we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan. How then should we steal silver or gold out of your lordâs house? 9With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lordâs slaves.â 10He said, âNow also let it be according to your words. He with whom it is found will be my slave; and you will be blameless.â 11Then they hurried, and each man took his sack down to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12He searched, beginning with the oldest, and ending at the youngest. The cup was found in Benjaminâs sack. 13Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey, and returned to the city. 14Judah and his brothers came to Josephâs house, and he was still there. They fell on the ground before him. 15Joseph said to them, âWhat deed is this that you have done? Donât you know that such a man as I can indeed do divination?â 16Judah said, âWhat will we tell my lord? What will we speak? How will we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my lordâs slaves, both we and he also in whose hand the cup is found.â 17He said, âFar be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup is found, he will be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.â 18Then Judah came near to him, and said, âOh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lordâs ears, and donât let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even as Pharaoh. 19My lord asked his servants, saying, âHave you a father, or a brother?â 20We said to my lord, âWe have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loves him.â 21You said to your servants, âBring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.â 22We said to my lord, âThe boy canât leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.â 23You said to your servants, âUnless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will see my face no more.â 24When we came up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25Our father said, âGo again and buy us a little food.â 26We said, âWe canât go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down: for we may not see the manâs face, unless our youngest brother is with us.â 27Your servant, my father, said to us, âYou know that my wife bore me two sons. 28One went out from me, and I said, âSurely he is torn in pieces;â and I havenât seen him since. 29If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.â 30Now therefore when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us; since his life is bound up in the boyâs life; 31it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol. 32For your servant became collateral for the boy to my father, saying, âIf I donât bring him to you, then I will bear the blame to my father forever.â 33Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy, my lordâs slave; and let the boy go up with his brothers. 34For how will I go up to my father, if the boy isnât with me?âlest I see the evil that will come on my father.â
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Sign in Create an accountScripture text: World English Bible, Catholic Edition (WEBC) — public domain