Genesis 43; Genesis 44; Genesis 45

1 There still wasn't enough food anywhere in the land.

2 After a while Jacob's family had eaten all of the grain the brothers had brought from Egypt. So their father said to them, "Go back. Buy us a little more food."

3 But Judah said to him, "The man gave us a strong warning. He said, 'You won't see my face again unless your brother comes with you.'

4 So send our brother along with us. Then we'll go down and buy food for you.

5 "If you won't send him, we won't go down. The man said to us, 'You won't see my face again unless your brother comes with you.' "

6 Israel asked, "Why did you bring this trouble to me? Why did you tell the man you had another brother?"

7 They replied, "The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. 'Is your father still living?' he asked us. 'Do you have another brother?' "We just answered his questions. How could we possibly know he would say, 'Bring your brother down here'?"

8 Judah spoke to Israel his father. "Send the boy along with me," he said. "We'll go at once. Then we and you and our children will live and not die.

9 "I myself promise to keep him safe. You can hold me accountable for him. I'll bring him back to you. I'll set him right here in front of you. If I don't, you can put the blame on me for the rest of my life.

10 "As it is, we've already waited too long. We could have gone to Egypt and back twice by now."

11 Then their father Israel spoke to them. He said, "If that's the way it has to be, then do what I tell you. Put some of the best things from our land in your bags. Take them down to the man as a gift. Take some lotion and a little honey. Take some spices and myrrh. Take some pistachio nuts and almonds.

12 Take twice the amount of money with you. You have to give back the money that was put in your sacks. Maybe it was a mistake.

13 "Also take your brother. Go back to the man at once.

14 May the Mighty God cause him to show you mercy. May the man let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. And if I lose my sons, I lose them."

15 So the men took the gifts. They took twice the amount of money. They also took Benjamin. They hurried down to Egypt and went to Joseph.

16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he spoke to the manager of his house. "Take these men to my house," he said. "Kill an animal and prepare dinner. I want them to eat with me at noon."

17 The manager did what Joseph told him to do. He took the men to Joseph's house.

18 They were afraid when they were taken to Joseph's house. They thought, "We were brought here because of the money that was put back in our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us. Then he can hold us as slaves and take our donkeys."

19 So they went up to Joseph's manager. They spoke to him at the entrance to the house.

20 "Please, sir," they said. "We came down here the first time to buy food.

21 We opened our sacks at the place where we stopped for the night. Each of us found in our sacks the money we had paid. So we've brought it back with us.

22 We've also brought more money with us to buy food. We don't know who put our money in our sacks."

23 "It's all right," the manager said. "Don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you riches in your sacks. I received your money." Then he brought Simeon out to them.

24 The manager took the men into Joseph's house. He gave them water to wash their feet. He provided feed for their donkeys.

25 They prepared their gifts for Joseph. He was planning to arrive at noon. They had heard that they were going to eat there.

26 When Joseph came home, they gave him the gifts they had brought into the house. They bowed down to the ground in front of him.

27 He asked them how they were. Then he said, "How is your old father you told me about? Is he still living?"

28 They replied, "Your servant our father is still alive and well." And they bowed low to show him honor.

29 Joseph looked around. Then he saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son. He asked, "Is this your youngest brother? Is he the one you told me about?" He continued, "May God be gracious to you, my son."

30 It moved him deeply to see his brother. So Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to cry. He went into his own room and cried there.

31 Then he washed his face and came out. He calmed down and said, "Serve the food."

32 They served Joseph by himself. They served the brothers by themselves. They also served the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves. Because of their beliefs, Egyptians couldn't eat with Hebrews.

33 The brothers had been given places in front of Joseph. They had been seated in the order of their ages, from the oldest to the youngest. That made them look at each other in great surprise.

34 While they were eating, some food was brought to them from Joseph's table. Benjamin was given five times as much as anyone else. So all of Joseph's brothers ate and drank a lot with him.

1 Joseph told the manager of his house what to do. "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry," he said. "Put each man's money in his sack.

2 "Then put my silver cup in the youngest one's sack. Put it there along with the money he paid for his grain." So the manager did what Joseph told him to do.

3 When morning came, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.

4 They hadn't gone very far from the city when Joseph spoke to his manager. "Go after those men at once," he said. "Catch up with them. Say to them, 'My master was good to you. Why have you paid him back by doing evil?

5 Isn't this the cup my master drinks from? Doesn't he also use it to figure things out? You have done an evil thing.' "

6 When the manager caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had said.

7 But they said to him, "Why do you say these things? We would never do anything like that!

8 We even brought back to you from Canaan the money we found in our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house?

9 "If you find out that any of us has the cup, he will die. And the rest of us will become your slaves."

10 "All right, then," he said. "As you wish. The one who is found to have the cup will become my slave. But the rest of you will be free from blame."

11 Each of them quickly put his sack down on the ground and opened it.

12 Then the manager started to search. He began with the oldest and ended with the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

13 When that happened, they were so upset they tore their clothes. Then all of them loaded their donkeys and went back to the city.

14 Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in. They threw themselves down on the ground in front of him.

15 Joseph said to them, "What have you done? Don't you know that a man like me has ways to figure things out?"

16 "What can we say to you?" Judah replied. "What can we say? How can we prove we haven't done anything wrong? God has shown you that we are guilty. We are now your slaves. All of us are, including the one who was found to have the cup."

17 But Joseph said, "I would never do anything like that! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you may go back to your father in peace."

18 Then Judah went up to him. He said, "Please, sir. Let me speak a word to you. Don't be angry with me, even though you are equal to Pharaoh himself.

19 You asked us, 'Do you have a father or a brother?'

20 We answered, 'We have an old father. A young son was born to him when he was old. His brother is dead. He's the only one of his mother's sons left. And his father loves him.'

21 "Then you said to us, 'Bring him down to me. I want to see him for myself.'

22 "We said to you, 'The boy can't leave his father. If he does, his father will die.'

23 "But you told us, 'Your youngest brother must come down here with you. If he doesn't, you won't see my face again.'

24 So we went back to my father. We told him what you had said.

25 "Then our father said, 'Go back. Buy a little more food.'

26 "But we said, 'We can't go down. We'll only go if our youngest brother goes there with us. We can't even see the man's face unless our youngest brother goes with us.'

27 "Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife had two sons by me.

28 One of them went away from me. And I said, "He must have been torn to pieces." I haven't seen him since.

29 What if you take this one from me too and he is harmed? Then you would cause me to die as a sad old man. I would go down into the grave full of pain and suffering.'

30 "So now, what will happen if the boy isn't with us when I go back to my father? His life is closely tied up with the boy's life.

31 When he sees that the boy isn't with us, he'll die as a sad old man. Because of us, he'll go down into the grave full of sorrow.

32 "I promised my father I would keep the boy safe. I said, 'Father, I'll bring him back to you. If I don't, you can put the blame on me for the rest of my life.'

33 "Now then, please let me stay here. Let me be your slave in place of the boy. Let the boy return with his brothers.

34 How can I go back to my father if the boy isn't with me? Don't let me see the pain and suffering that would come to my father."

1 Joseph couldn't control himself anymore in front of all of his attendants. He cried out, "Have everyone leave me!" So there wasn't anyone with Joseph when he told his brothers who he was.

2 He sobbed so loudly that the Egyptians heard him. Everyone in Pharaoh's house heard about it.

3 Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" But his brothers weren't able to answer him. They were too afraid of him.

4 Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." So they did. Then he said, "I am your brother Joseph. I'm the one you sold into Egypt.

5 But don't be upset. And don't be angry with yourselves because you sold me here. God sent me ahead of you to save many lives.

6 "For two years now, there hasn't been enough food in the land. And for the next five years, people won't be plowing or gathering crops.

7 But God sent me ahead of you to keep some of you alive on earth. He sent me here to save your lives by an act of mighty power.

8 "So then, it wasn't you who sent me here. It was God. He made me like a father to Pharaoh. He made me master of Pharaoh's whole house. He made me ruler of the whole land of Egypt.

9 "Now hurry back to my father. Say to him, 'Your son Joseph says, "God has made me master of the whole land of Egypt. Come down to me. Don't waste any time.

10 You will live in the area of Goshen. You, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and everything you have will be near me.

11 There I will provide everything you need. " ' "Five years without enough food are still coming. If you don't come down here, you and your family and everyone who belongs to you will lose everything." '

12 "Brothers, you can see for yourselves that it's really I, Joseph, speaking to you. My brother Benjamin can see it too.

13 "Tell my father about all of the honor that has been given to me in Egypt. Tell him about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly."

14 Then Joseph threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and sobbed. Benjamin also hugged him and sobbed.

15 Joseph kissed all of his brothers and sobbed over them. After that, his brothers talked with him.

16 The news reached Pharaoh's palace that Joseph's brothers had come. Pharaoh and all of his officials were pleased.

17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Here's what I want you to tell your brothers. Say to them, 'Load your animals. Return to the land of Canaan.

18 Bring your father and your families back to me. I'll give you the best land in Egypt. You can enjoy all of the good things in the land.'

19 "And here's something else I want you to tell them. Say to them, 'Take some carts from Egypt. Your children and your wives can use them. Get your father and come back.

20 Don't worry about the things you have back there. The best of everything in Egypt will belong to you.' "

21 So the sons of Israel did it. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded. He also gave them supplies for their journey.

22 He gave new clothes to each of them. But he gave more than seven pounds of silver to Benjamin. He also gave him five sets of clothes.

23 He sent his father ten donkeys loaded with the best things from Egypt. He also sent ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other supplies for his journey.

24 Then Joseph sent his brothers away. As they were leaving he said to them, "Don't argue on the way!"

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

26 They told him, "Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of the whole land of Egypt." Jacob was shocked. He didn't believe them.

27 So they told him everything Joseph had said to them. Jacob saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back. That gave new life to their father Jacob.

28 Israel said, "I believe it now! My son Joseph is still alive. I'll go and see him before I die."