Genesis 43; Genesis 44; Genesis 45; Matthew 12:24-50

Genesis 43

1 Now the famine was severe in the land.

2 And when they had eaten up the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go again, buy us a little more food."

3 But Judah said to him, "The man solemnly warned us, saying, "You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.'

4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food;

5 but if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, "You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.' "

6 Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?"

7 They replied, "The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, "Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?' What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, "Bring your brother down'?"

8 Then Judah said to his father Israel, "Send the boy with me, and let us be on our way, so that we may live and not die—you and we and also our little ones.

9 I myself will be surety for him; you can hold me accountable for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

10 If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice."

11 Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry them down as a present to the man—a little balm and a little honey, gum, resin, pistachio nuts, and almonds.

12 Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the top of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight.

13 Take your brother also, and be on your way again to the man;

14 may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, so that he may send back your other brother and Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved."

15 So the men took the present, and they took double the money with them, as well as Benjamin. Then they went on their way down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon."

17 The man did as Joseph said, and brought the men to Joseph's house.

18 Now the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house, and they said, "It is because of the money, replaced in our sacks the first time, that we have been brought in, so that he may have an opportunity to fall upon us, to make slaves of us and take our donkeys."

19 So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and spoke with him at the entrance to the house.

20 They said, "Oh, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food;

21 and when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each one's money in the top of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it back with us.

22 Moreover we have brought down with us additional money to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks."

23 He replied, "Rest assured, do not be afraid; your God and the God of your father must have put treasure in your sacks for you; I received your money." Then he brought Simeon out to them.

24 When the steward had brought the men into Joseph's house, and given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder,

25 they made the present ready for Joseph's coming at noon, for they had heard that they would dine there.

26 When Joseph came home, they brought him the present that they had carried into the house, and bowed to the ground before him.

27 He inquired about their welfare, and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?"

28 They said, "Your servant our father is well; he is still alive." And they bowed their heads and did obeisance.

29 Then he looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, "Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!"

30 With that, Joseph hurried out, because he was overcome with affection for his brother, and he was about to weep. So he went into a private room and wept there.

31 Then he washed his face and came out; and controlling himself he said, "Serve the meal."

32 They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.

33 When they were seated before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, the men looked at one another in amazement.

34 Portions were taken to them from Joseph's table, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

Genesis 44

1 Then he commanded the steward of his house, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the top of his sack.

2 Put my cup, the silver cup, in the top of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain." And he did as Joseph told him.

3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys.

4 When they had gone only a short distance from the city, Joseph said to his steward, "Go, follow after the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, "Why have you returned evil for good? Why have you stolen my silver cup?

5 Is it not from this that my lord drinks? Does he not indeed use it for divination? You have done wrong in doing this.' "

6 When he overtook them, he repeated these words to them.

7 They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing!

8 Look, the money that we found at the top of our sacks, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan; why then would we steal silver or gold from your lord's house?

9 Should it be found with any one of your servants, let him die; moreover the rest of us will become my lord's slaves."

10 He said, "Even so; in accordance with your words, let it be: he with whom it is found shall become my slave, but the rest of you shall go free."

11 Then each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack.

12 He searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

13 At this they tore their clothes. Then each one loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.

14 Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house while he was still there; and they fell to the ground before him.

15 Joseph said to them, "What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that one such as I can practice divination?"

16 And Judah said, "What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; here we are then, my lord's slaves, both we and also the one in whose possession the cup has been found."

17 But he said, "Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the one in whose possession the cup was found shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father."

18 Then Judah stepped up to him and said, "O my lord, let your servant please speak a word in my lord's ears, and do not be angry with your servant; for you are like Pharaoh himself.

19 My lord asked his servants, saying, "Have you a father or a brother?'

20 And we said to my lord, "We have a father, an old man, and a young brother, the child of his old age. His brother is dead; he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him.'

21 Then you said to your servants, "Bring him down to me, so that I may set my eyes on him.'

22 We said to my lord, "The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

23 Then you said to your servants, "Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.'

24 When we went back to your servant my father we told him the words of my lord.

25 And when our father said, "Go again, buy us a little food,'

26 we said, "We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother goes with us, will we go down; for we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.'

27 Then your servant my father said to us, "You know that my wife bore me two sons;

28 one left me, and I said, Surely he has been torn to pieces; and I have never seen him since.

29 If you take this one also from me, and harm comes to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in sorrow to Sheol.'

30 Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy's life,

31 when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die; and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.

32 For your servant became surety for the boy to my father, saying, "If I do not bring him back to you, then I will bear the blame in the sight of my father all my life.'

33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain as a slave to my lord in place of the boy; and let the boy go back with his brothers.

34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the suffering that would come upon my father."

Genesis 45

1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, "Send everyone away from me." So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it.

3 Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come closer to me." And they came closer. He said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.

5 And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.

6 For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.

7 God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors.

8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

9 Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, "Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.

10 You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.

11 I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.'

12 And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you.

13 You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here."

14 Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck.

15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

16 When the report was heard in Pharaoh's house, "Joseph's brothers have come," Pharaoh and his servants were pleased.

17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Say to your brothers, "Do this: load your animals and go back to the land of Canaan.

18 Take your father and your households and come to me, so that I may give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you may enjoy the fat of the land.'

19 You are further charged to say, "Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.

20 Give no thought to your possessions, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.' "

21 The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them wagons according to the instruction of Pharaoh, and he gave them provisions for the journey.

22 To each one of them he gave a set of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five sets of garments.

23 To his father he sent the following: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provision for his father on the journey.

24 Then he sent his brothers on their way, and as they were leaving he said to them, "Do not quarrel along the way."

25 So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.

26 And they told him, "Joseph is still alive! He is even ruler over all the land of Egypt." He was stunned; he could not believe them.

27 But when they told him all the words of Joseph that he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.

28 Israel said, "Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I must go and see him before I die."

Matthew 12:24-50

24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons."

25 He knew what they were thinking and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.

26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?

27 If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.

28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

29 Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered.

30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

31 Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

33 "Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.

34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

35 The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure.

36 I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter;

37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."

39 But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.

41 The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!

42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!

43 "When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting place, but it finds none.

44 Then it says, "I will return to my house from which I came.' When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

45 Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation."

46 While he was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to him.

47 Someone told him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you."

48 But to the one who had told him this, Jesus replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?"

49 And pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers!

50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."