Genesis 43:31 - Prayer Tents

43Now the famine in the land was severe.H7458H3515H776 2When they had used up the grain they had brought back from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and buy us some food."H3615H398H7668H935H4714H1H559H7725H7666H4592H400 3But Judah said to him, "The man specifically warned us: 'You will not see me again unless your brother is with you.'H3063H559H559H376H5749H5749H559H7200H6440H1115H251 4If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you.H3426H7971H251H3381H7666H400 5But if you will not send him, we will not go, for the man said to us, 'You will not see me again unless your brother is with you.'"H7971H3381H376H559H7200H6440H251 6"Why did you cause me so much trouble?" Israel asked. "Why did you tell the man that you had another brother?"H3478H559H7489H5046H376H251 7They answered, "The man kept asking about us and our family: 'Is your father still alive? Do you have [another] brother?' And we answered him accordingly. How could we know that he would say, 'Bring your brother here'?"H559H376H7592H7592H4138H559H1H2416H3426H251H5046H5921H6310H1697H3045H3045H559H3381H251H3381 8Then Judah said to his father Israel, "Send the boy with me. We will be on our way so that we may live, and not die— neither we, nor you, nor our children.H3063H559H3478H1H7971H5288H6965H3212H2421H4191H2945 9I will be responsible for him. You can hold me personally accountable! If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, I will be guilty before you forever.H6148H3027H1245H518H935H518H3322H6440H2398H3117 10If we had not wasted time, we could have come back twice by now."H3884H4102H7725H6471 11Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and take them down to the man as a gift— some balsam and some honey, aromatic gum and resin, pistachios and almonds.H1H3478H559H645H6213H3947H2173H776H3627H3381H376H4503H4592H6875H4592H1706H5219H3910H992H8247 12Take twice as much money with you. Return the money that was returned [to you] in the top of your bags. Perhaps it was a mistake.H3947H4932H3701H3027H3701H7725H6310H572H7725H3027H4870 13Take your brother also, and go back at once to the man.H3947H251H6965H7725H376 14May God Almighty cause the man to be merciful to you so that he will release your other brother and Benjamin to you. As for me, if I am deprived of my sons, then I am deprived."H410H7706H5414H7356H6440H376H7971H312H251H1144H834H7921H7921 15The men took this gift, double the amount of money, and Benjamin. They made their way down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.H582H3947H2063H4503H3947H4932H3701H3027H1144H6965H3381H4714H5975H6440H3130 16When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his steward, "Take the men to [my] house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for they will eat with me at noon."H3130H7200H1144H854H559H1004H935H582H1004H2873H2874H3559H582H398H6672 17The man did as Joseph had said and brought them to Joseph's house.H376H6213H3130H559H376H935H582H3130H1004 18But the men were afraid because they were taken to Joseph's house. They said, "We have been brought here because of the money that was returned in our bags the first time. They intend to overpower us, seize us, make us slaves, and take our donkeys."H582H3372H935H3130H1004H559H1697H3701H7725H572H8462H935H1556H5307H3947H5650H2543 19So they approached Joseph's steward and spoke to him at the doorway of the house.H5066H376H3130H1004H1696H6607H1004 20They said, "Sir, we really did come down here the first time only to buy food.H559H994H113H3381H3381H8462H7666H400 21When we came to the place where we lodged for the night and opened our bags of grain, each one's money was at the top of his bag! It was the full amount of our money, and we have brought it back with us.H935H4411H6605H572H376H3701H6310H572H3701H4948H7725H3027 22We have brought additional money with us to buy food. We don't know who put our money in the bags."H312H3701H3381H3027H7666H400H3045H7760H3701H572 23Then the steward said, "May you be well. Don't be afraid. Your God and the God of your father must have put treasure in your bags. I received your money." Then he brought Simeon out to them.H559H7965H3372H430H430H1H5414H4301H572H935H3701H3318H8095 24The man brought the men into Joseph's house, gave them water to wash their feet, and got feed for their donkeys.H376H935H582H3130H1004H5414H4325H7364H7272H5414H2543H4554 25Since the men had heard that they were going to eat a meal there, they prepared their gift for Joseph's arrival at noon.H3559H4503H5704H3130H935H6672H8085H398H3899 26When Joseph came home, they brought him the gift they had carried into the house, and they bowed to the ground before him.H3130H935H1004H935H4503H3027H1004H7812H776 27He asked if they were well, and he said, "How is your elderly father that you told me about? Is he still alive?"H7592H7965H559H1H7965H2205H559H2416 28They answered, "Your servant our father is well. He is still alive." And they bowed down to honor him.H559H5650H1H7965H2416H6915H7812 29When he looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, he asked, "Is this your youngest brother that you told me about?" Then he said, "May God be gracious to you, my son."H5375H5869H7200H251H1144H517H1121H559H6996H251H559H559H430H2603H1121 30Joseph hurried out because he was overcome with emotion for his brother, and he was about to weep. He went into an inner room to weep.H3130H4116H7356H3648H251H1245H1058H935H2315H1058 31Then he washed his face and came out. Regaining his composure, he said, "Serve the meal."H7364H6440H3318H662H559H7760H3899 32They served him by himself, his brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who were eating with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, since that is abhorrent to them.H7760H4713H398H4713H3201H398H3899H5680H8441H4714 33They were seated before him in order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest. The men looked at each other in astonishment.H3427H6440H1060H1062H6810H6812H582H8539H376H7453 34Portions were served to them from Joseph's table, and Benjamin's portion was five times larger than any of theirs. They drank, and they got drunk with Joseph.H5375H4864H6440H1144H4864H2568H3027H7235H8354H7937