42When Jacob heard that grain was available in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why are you standing around looking at one another?H3290H7200H3426H7668H4714H3290H559H1121H72002I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy enough grain to keep us alive. Otherwise we'll die."H559H8085H3426H7668H4714H3381H7666H2421H41913So Joseph's ten older brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain.H3130H6235H251H3381H7666H1250H47144But Jacob wouldn't let Joseph's younger brother, Benjamin, go with them, for fear some harm might come to him.H1144H3130H251H3290H7971H251H559H6435H611H71225So Jacob's sons arrived in Egypt along with others to buy food, for the famine was in Canaan as well.H1121H3478H935H7666H8432H935H7458H776H36676Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of selling grain to all the people, it was to him that his brothers came. When they arrived, they bowed before him with their faces to the ground.H3130H7989H776H7666H5971H776H3130H251H935H7812H639H7767Joseph recognized his brothers instantly, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. "Where are you from?" he demanded. "From the land of Canaan," they replied. "We have come to buy food."H3130H7200H251H5234H5234H1696H7186H559H370H935H559H776H3667H7666H4008Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn't recognize him.H3130H5234H251H52349And he remembered the dreams he'd had about them many years before. He said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become."H3130H2142H2472H2492H559H7270H7200H6172H776H93510"No, my lord!" they exclaimed. "Your servants have simply come to buy food.H559H113H7666H400H5650H93511We are all brothers—members of the same family. We are honest men, sir! We are not spies!"H5168H259H376H1121H3651H5650H727012"Yes, you are!" Joseph insisted. "You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become."H559H7200H6172H776H93513"Sir," they said, "there are actually twelve of us. We, your servants, are all brothers, sons of a man living in the land of Canaan. Our youngest brother is back there with our father right now, and one of our brothers is no longer with us."H559H5650H8147H6240H251H1121H259H376H776H3667H6996H3117H1H25914But Joseph insisted, "As I said, you are spies!H3130H559H1696H559H727015This is how I will test your story. I swear by the life of Pharaoh that you will never leave Egypt unless your youngest brother comes here!H2063H974H2416H6547H3318H6996H251H93516One of you must go and get your brother. I'll keep the rest of you here in prison. Then we'll find out whether or not your story is true. By the life of Pharaoh, if it turns out that you don't have a younger brother, then I'll know you are spies."H7971H259H3947H251H631H1697H974H571H854H3808H2416H6547H727017So Joseph put them all in prison for three days.H622H4929H7969H311718On the third day Joseph said to them, "I am a God-fearing man. If you do as I say, you will live.H3130H559H7992H3117H6213H2421H3373H43019If you really are honest men, choose one of your brothers to remain in prison. The rest of you may go home with grain for your starving families.H3651H259H251H631H1004H4929H3212H935H7668H7459H100420But you must bring your youngest brother back to me. This will prove that you are telling the truth, and you will not die." To this they agreed.H935H6996H251H1697H539H4191H621321Speaking among themselves, they said, "Clearly we are being punished because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldn't listen. That's why we're in this trouble."H559H376H251H61H818H251H834H7200H6869H5315H2603H8085H6869H93522"Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy?" Reuben asked. "But you wouldn't listen. And now we have to answer for his blood!"H7205H6030H559H559H559H2398H3206H8085H1818H187523Of course, they didn't know that Joseph understood them, for he had been speaking to them through an interpreter.H3045H3130H8085H388724Now he turned away from them and began to weep. When he regained his composure, he spoke to them again. Then he chose Simeon from among them and had him tied up right before their eyes.H5437H1058H7725H1696H3947H8095H631H586925Joseph then ordered his servants to fill the men's sacks with grain, but he also gave secret instructions to return each brother's payment at the top of his sack. He also gave them supplies for their journey home.H3130H6680H4390H3627H1250H7725H376H3701H8242H5414H6720H1870H3651H621326So the brothers loaded their donkeys with the grain and headed for home.H5375H2543H7668H321227But when they stopped for the night and one of them opened his sack to get grain for his donkey, he found his money in the top of his sack.H259H6605H8242H5414H2543H4554H4411H7200H3701H572H631028"Look!" he exclaimed to his brothers. "My money has been returned; it's here in my sack!" Then their hearts sank. Trembling, they said to each other, "What has God done to us?"H559H251H3701H7725H2009H572H3820H3318H2729H559H376H251H430H621329When the brothers came to their father, Jacob, in the land of Canaan, they told him everything that had happened to them.H935H3290H1H776H3667H5046H7136H55930"The man who is governor of the land spoke very harshly to us," they told him. "He accused us of being spies scouting the land.H376H113H776H1696H7186H5414H7270H77631But we said, 'We are honest men, not spies.H559H3651H727032We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One brother is no longer with us, and the youngest is at home with our father in the land of Canaan.'H6240H8147H251H1121H1H259H6996H3117H1H776H366733"Then the man who is governor of the land told us, 'This is how I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take grain for your starving families and go on home.H376H113H776H559H3045H3651H3240H259H251H3947H7459H1004H321234But you must bring your youngest brother back to me. Then I will know you are honest men and not spies. Then I will give you back your brother, and you may trade freely in the land.'"H935H6996H251H3045H7270H3651H5414H251H5503H77635As they emptied out their sacks, there in each man's sack was the bag of money he had paid for the grain! The brothers and their father were terrified when they saw the bags of money.H7324H8242H376H6872H3701H8242H1H7200H6872H3701H337236Jacob exclaimed, "You are robbing me of my children! Joseph is gone! Simeon is gone! And now you want to take Benjamin, too. Everything is going against me!"H3290H1H559H7921H3130H8095H3947H114437Then Reuben said to his father, "You may kill my two sons if I don't bring Benjamin back to you. I'll be responsible for him, and I promise to bring him back."H7205H559H1H559H4191H8147H1121H935H5414H3027H772538But Jacob replied, "My son will not go down with you. His brother Joseph is dead, and he is all I have left. If anything should happen to him on your journey, you would send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave."H559H1121H3381H251H4191H7604H611H7122H1870H3212H3381H7872H3015H7585
43But the famine continued to ravage the land of Canaan.H7458H3515H776 2When the grain they had brought from Egypt was almost gone, Jacob said to his sons, "Go back and buy us a little more food."H3615H398H7668H935H4714H1H559H7725H7666H4592H400 3But Judah said, "The man was serious when he warned us, 'You won't see my face again unless your brother is with you.'H3063H559H559H376H5749H5749H559H7200H6440H1115H251 4If you send Benjamin with us, we will go down and buy more food.H3426H7971H251H3381H7666H400 5But if you don't let Benjamin go, we won't go either. Remember, the man said, 'You won't see my face again unless your brother is with you.'"H7971H3381H376H559H7200H6440H251 6"Why were you so cruel to me?" Jacob moaned. "Why did you tell him you had another brother?"H3478H559H7489H5046H376H251 7"The man kept asking us questions about our family," they replied. "He asked, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' So we answered his questions. How could we know he would say, 'Bring your brother down here'?"H559H376H7592H7592H4138H559H1H2416H3426H251H5046H5921H6310H1697H3045H3045H559H3381H251H3381 8Judah said to his father, "Send the boy with me, and we will be on our way. Otherwise we will all die of starvation—and not only we, but you and our little ones.H3063H559H3478H1H7971H5288H6965H3212H2421H4191H2945 9I personally guarantee his safety. You may hold me responsible if I don't bring him back to you. Then let me bear the blame forever.H6148H3027H1245H518H935H518H3322H6440H2398H3117 10If we hadn't wasted all this time, we could have gone and returned twice by now."H3884H4102H7725H6471 11So their father, Jacob, finally said to them, "If it can't be avoided, then at least do this. Pack your bags with the best products of this land. Take them down to the man as gifts—balm, honey, gum, aromatic resin, pistachio nuts, and almonds.H1H3478H559H645H6213H3947H2173H776H3627H3381H376H4503H4592H6875H4592H1706H5219H3910H992H8247 12Also take double the money that was put back in your sacks, as it was probably someone's mistake.H3947H4932H3701H3027H3701H7725H6310H572H7725H3027H4870 13Then take your brother, and go back to the man.H3947H251H6965H7725H376 14May God Almighty give you mercy as you go before the man, so that he will release Simeon and let Benjamin return. But if I must lose my children, so be it."H410H7706H5414H7356H6440H376H7971H312H251H1144H834H7921H7921 15So the men packed Jacob's gifts and double the money and headed off with Benjamin. They finally arrived in Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph.H582H3947H2063H4503H3947H4932H3701H3027H1144H6965H3381H4714H5975H6440H3130 16When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the manager of his household, "These men will eat with me this noon. Take them inside the palace. Then go slaughter an animal, and prepare a big feast."H3130H7200H1144H854H559H1004H935H582H1004H2873H2874H3559H582H398H6672 17So the man did as Joseph told him and took them into Joseph's palace.H376H6213H3130H559H376H935H582H3130H1004 18The brothers were terrified when they saw that they were being taken into Joseph's house. "It's because of the money someone put in our sacks last time we were here," they said. "He plans to pretend that we stole it. Then he will seize us, make us slaves, and take our donkeys."H582H3372H935H3130H1004H559H1697H3701H7725H572H8462H935H1556H5307H3947H5650H2543 19The brothers approached the manager of Joseph's household and spoke to him at the entrance to the palace.H5066H376H3130H1004H1696H6607H1004 20"Sir," they said, "we came to Egypt once before to buy food.H559H994H113H3381H3381H8462H7666H400 21But as we were returning home, we stopped for the night and opened our sacks. Then we discovered that each man's money—the exact amount paid—was in the top of his sack! Here it is; we have brought it back with us.H935H4411H6605H572H376H3701H6310H572H3701H4948H7725H3027 22We also have additional money to buy more food. We have no idea who put our money in our sacks."H312H3701H3381H3027H7666H400H3045H7760H3701H572 23"Relax. Don't be afraid," the household manager told them. "Your God, the God of your father, must have put this treasure into your sacks. I know I received your payment." Then he released Simeon and brought him out to them.H559H7965H3372H430H430H1H5414H4301H572H935H3701H3318H8095 24The manager then led the men into Joseph's palace. He gave them water to wash their feet and provided food for their donkeys.H376H935H582H3130H1004H5414H4325H7364H7272H5414H2543H4554 25They were told they would be eating there, so they prepared their gifts for Joseph's arrival at noon.H3559H4503H5704H3130H935H6672H8085H398H3899 26When Joseph came home, they gave him the gifts they had brought him, then bowed low to the ground before him.H3130H935H1004H935H4503H3027H1004H7812H776 27After greeting them, he asked, "How is your father, the old man you spoke about? Is he still alive?"H7592H7965H559H1H7965H2205H559H2416 28"Yes," they replied. "Our father, your servant, is alive and well." And they bowed low again.H559H5650H1H7965H2416H6915H7812 29Then Joseph looked at his brother Benjamin, the son of his own mother. "Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?" Joseph asked. "May God be gracious to you, my son."H5375H5869H7200H251H1144H517H1121H559H6996H251H559H559H430H2603H1121 30Then Joseph hurried from the room because he was overcome with emotion for his brother. He went into his private room, where he broke down and wept.H3130H4116H7356H3648H251H1245H1058H935H2315H1058 31After washing his face, he came back out, keeping himself under control. Then he ordered, "Bring out the food!"H7364H6440H3318H662H559H7760H3899 32The waiters served Joseph at his own table, and his brothers were served at a separate table. The Egyptians who ate with Joseph sat at their own table, because Egyptians despise Hebrews and refuse to eat with them.H7760H4713H398H4713H3201H398H3899H5680H8441H4714 33Joseph told each of his brothers where to sit, and to their amazement, he seated them according to age, from oldest to youngest.H3427H6440H1060H1062H6810H6812H582H8539H376H7453 34And Joseph filled their plates with food from his own table, giving Benjamin five times as much as he gave the others. So they feasted and drank freely with him.H5375H4864H6440H1144H4864H2568H3027H7235H8354H7937
Dublin, OH
sons arrived in Egypt along with others to buy food, for the famine was in Canaan as well.H1121
