Genesis 43:31 - Prayer Tents

43Meanwhile, the famine remained severe throughout the region.H7458H3515H776 2As a result, when Jacob's family was beginning to eat the last of the grain that they had brought back from Egypt, their father told his sons, "Go back to Egypt and buy us some food."H3615H398H7668H935H4714H1H559H7725H7666H4592H400 3"But Judah reminded him, "The man distinctly warned us 'You'll never see my face unless your brother comes with you.'H3063H559H559H376H5749H5749H559H7200H6440H1115H251 4So if you send our brother with us, we'll go down and buy some food.H3426H7971H251H3381H7666H400 5But if you don't send him, we're not going, because the man told us, 'You'll never see my face unless your brother is with you.'"H7971H3381H376H559H7200H6440H251 6Israel replied, "Why did you make all this trouble by telling the man that you have another brother?"H3478H559H7489H5046H376H251 7"The man specifically asked about us and our relatives," they responded. "He asked us, 'Is your father still alive?' and 'Do you have another brother?' So we answered his questions. How could we have known that he would tell us to bring our brother back with us?"H559H376H7592H7592H4138H559H1H2416H3426H251H5046H5921H6310H1697H3045H3045H559H3381H251H3381 8"Send the young man with me," Judah said to his father Israel, "and we'll get up and go so we can survive and not die - and that includes all of us, you and our families.H3063H559H3478H1H7971H5288H6965H3212H2421H4191H2945 9I'll even offer myself to guarantee that I'll be responsible for him. If I don't bring him back and present him to you, I'll personally bear the consequences forever.H6148H3027H1245H518H935H518H3322H6440H2398H3117 10After all, if we hadn't delayed, we could have been there and back twice by now!"9H3884H4102H7725H6471 11"If that's the way it has to be," their father Israel replied, "then do this: take some of the best produce of the land in your containers and take them to the man as a gift - some resin ointment, some honey, fragrant resins, myrrh, pistachios, and almonds.H1H3478H559H645H6213H3947H2173H776H3627H3381H376H4503H4592H6875H4592H1706H5219H3910H992H8247 12Also take twice as much money with you so you can return the money that had been replaced in the mouth of your sacks. Maybe it was an accounting mistake on his part.H3947H4932H3701H3027H3701H7725H6310H572H7725H3027H4870 13And be sure to take your brother, too. So get up, return to the man,H3947H251H6965H7725H376 14and may God almighty give you compassion in the presence of the man. May he send all of you back, including your other brother and Benjamin. Now as for me, if I lose my children, I lose them."H410H7706H5414H7356H6440H376H7971H312H251H1144H834H7921H7921 15So the men took their gift and double the money. Then they got up, took Benjamin with them, and set out for Egypt, and eventually appeared before Joseph.H582H3947H2063H4503H3947H4932H3701H3027H1144H6965H3381H4714H5975H6440H3130 16As soon as Joseph noticed that Benjamin had come with them, he ordered his palace manager, "Bring the men into the palace. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, because these men will be dining with me for lunch."H3130H7200H1144H854H559H1004H935H582H1004H2873H2874H3559H582H398H6672 17So the man did what Joseph had ordered, and brought the men to Joseph's palace.H376H6213H3130H559H376H935H582H3130H1004 18The men were terrified as they were being taken to Joseph's palace. "It's because of that money that was returned to our sacks the first time we were brought to him," they reasoned. "He's seeking an excuse to attack us, enslave us, and confiscate our donkeys!"H582H3372H935H3130H1004H559H1697H3701H7725H572H8462H935H1556H5307H3947H5650H2543 19So they approached Joseph's palace manager and talked with him at the palace entrance.H5066H376H3130H1004H1696H6607H1004 20"Your Excellency," they said, "The first time we came here to buy food,H559H994H113H3381H3381H8462H7666H400 21when we arrived at our overnight lodging place, we opened our sacks and discovered each man's money was still in the mouth of his sack. All of our money was there! We've brought it back with us in full.H935H4411H6605H572H376H3701H6310H572H3701H4948H7725H3027 22We've also brought along some more money to buy supplies, but we don't know who put our money back into our sacks."H312H3701H3381H3027H7666H400H3045H7760H3701H572 23"Relax," the manager said. "You can stop being afraid, now. Your God, the God of your father, has placed hidden treasure within those sacks for you. I've been paid in full." Then he brought Simeon out to them,H559H7965H3372H430H430H1H5414H4301H572H935H3701H3318H8095 24ushered the men into Joseph's palace, gave them water to wash their feet and fodder for their donkeys.H376H935H582H3130H1004H5414H4325H7364H7272H5414H2543H4554 25Then off he went to prepare the honorary meal that was to be made ready for Joseph's arrival at noon, since they had been informed that they were going to be eating there.H3559H4503H5704H3130H935H6672H8085H398H3899 26When Joseph arrived at his palace, they brought to him their gifts that they had carried with them and bowed to the ground in front of him.H3130H935H1004H935H4503H3027H1004H7812H776 27Joseph asked them how they had been doing. "Is your father well, the older gentleman about whom you spoke?" he inquired. "Is he still alive?"H7592H7965H559H1H7965H2205H559H2416 28"Your servant, our father, is doing well," they replied. "He is still alive." Then they bowed down in humility.H559H5650H1H7965H2416H6915H7812 29As Joseph looked up and recognized his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son, he asked, "Is this your youngest brother about whom you spoke to me?" And he addressed him directly, "May God be gracious to you, my son."H5375H5869H7200H251H1144H517H1121H559H6996H251H559H559H430H2603H1121 30At this, Joseph hurried out, deeply moved because of his brother, and looked for a place to weep by himself. He entered his personal quarters, wept there for a while,H3130H4116H7356H3648H251H1245H1058H935H2315H1058 31then washed his face and came out. Barely controlling himself, he ordered his staff to serve the meal.H7364H6440H3318H662H559H7760H3899 32Joseph's staff served him by himself, his brothers separately, and the Egyptian staff members by themselves, because the Egyptians wouldn't take their meal with the Hebrews, since doing so was detestable for the Egyptians.H7760H4713H398H4713H3201H398H3899H5680H8441H4714 33Meanwhile, the brothers were seated in front of Joseph in birth order, as befitting the firstborn's birthright and as befitting the youngest man's age. The men stared at one another in astonishment.H3427H6440H1060H1062H6810H6812H582H8539H376H7453 34Joseph himself brought portions to them from his own table, except that he provided to Benjamin five times as much as he did for each of the others. So they feasted together and drank freely with him.H5375H4864H6440H1144H4864H2568H3027H7235H8354H7937