Genesis 43:31 - Prayer Tents

43The famine got worse.H7458H3515H776 2When they had eaten all the food they had brought back from Egypt, their father said, "Go back and get some more food."H3615H398H7668H935H4714H1H559H7725H7666H4592H400 3But Judah said, "The man warned us most emphatically, 'You won't so much as see my face if you don't have your brother with you.'H3063H559H559H376H5749H5749H559H7200H6440H1115H251 4If you're ready to release our brother to go with us, we'll go down and get you food.H3426H7971H251H3381H7666H400 5But if you're not ready, we aren't going. What would be the use? The man told us, 'You won't so much as see my face if you don't have your brother with you.'"H7971H3381H376H559H7200H6440H251 6Israel said, "Why are you making my life so difficult! Why did you ever tell the man you had another brother?"H3478H559H7489H5046H376H251 7They said, "The man pressed us hard, asking pointed questions about our family: 'Is your father alive? Do you have another brother?' So we answered his questions. How did we know that he'd say, 'Bring your brother here'?"H559H376H7592H7592H4138H559H1H2416H3426H251H5046H5921H6310H1697H3045H3045H559H3381H251H3381 8Judah pushed his father Israel. "Let the boy go; I'll take charge of him. Let us go and be on our way—if we don't get going, we're all going to starve to death—we and you and our children too!H3063H559H3478H1H7971H5288H6965H3212H2421H4191H2945 9I'll take full responsibility for his safety; it's my life on the line for his. If I don't bring him back safe and sound, I'm the guilty one; I'll take all the blame.H6148H3027H1245H518H935H518H3322H6440H2398H3117 10If we had gone ahead in the first place instead of procrastinating like this, we could have been there and back twice over."H3884H4102H7725H6471 11Their father Israel gave in. "If it has to be, it has to be. But do this: stuff your packs with the finest products from the land you can find and take them to the man as gifts—some balm and honey, some spices and perfumes, some pistachios and almonds.H1H3478H559H645H6213H3947H2173H776H3627H3381H376H4503H4592H6875H4592H1706H5219H3910H992H8247 12And take plenty of money—pay back double what was returned to your sacks; that might have been a mistake.H3947H4932H3701H3027H3701H7725H6310H572H7725H3027H4870 13Take your brother and get going. Go back to the man.H3947H251H6965H7725H376 14And may The Strong God give you grace in that man's eyes so that he'll send back your other brother along with Benjamin. For me, nothing's left; I've lost everything."H410H7706H5414H7356H6440H376H7971H312H251H1144H834H7921H7921 15The men took the gifts, double the money, and Benjamin. They lost no time in getting to Egypt and meeting Joseph.H582H3947H2063H4503H3947H4932H3701H3027H1144H6965H3381H4714H5975H6440H3130 16When Joseph saw that they had Benjamin with them, he told his house steward, "Take these men into the house and make them at home. Butcher an animal and prepare a meal; these men are going to eat with me at noon."H3130H7200H1144H854H559H1004H935H582H1004H2873H2874H3559H582H398H6672 17The steward did what Joseph had said and took them inside.H376H6213H3130H559H376H935H582H3130H1004 18But they became anxious when they were brought into Joseph's home, thinking, "It's the money; he thinks we ran off with the money on our first trip down here. And now he's got us where he wants us—he's going to turn us into slaves and confiscate our donkeys."H582H3372H935H3130H1004H559H1697H3701H7725H572H8462H935H1556H5307H3947H5650H2543 19So they went up to Joseph's house steward and talked to him in the doorway.H5066H376H3130H1004H1696H6607H1004 20They said, "Listen, master. We came down here one other time to buy food.H559H994H113H3381H3381H8462H7666H400 21On our way home, the first night out we opened our bags and found our money at the mouth of the bag—the exact amount we'd paid. We've brought it all backH935H4411H6605H572H376H3701H6310H572H3701H4948H7725H3027 22and have plenty more to buy more food with. We have no idea who put the money in our bags."H312H3701H3381H3027H7666H400H3045H7760H3701H572 23The steward said, "Everything's in order. Don't worry. Your God and the God of your father must have given you a bonus. I was paid in full." And with that, he presented Simeon to them.H559H7965H3372H430H430H1H5414H4301H572H935H3701H3318H8095 24He then took them inside Joseph's house and made them comfortable—gave them water to wash their feet and saw to the feeding of their donkeys.H376H935H582H3130H1004H5414H4325H7364H7272H5414H2543H4554 25The brothers spread out their gifts as they waited for Joseph to show up at noon—they had been told that they were to have dinner with him.H3559H4503H5704H3130H935H6672H8085H398H3899 26When Joseph got home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought and bowed respectfully before him.H3130H935H1004H935H4503H3027H1004H7812H776 27Joseph welcomed them and said, "And your old father whom you mentioned to me, how is he? Is he still alive?"H7592H7965H559H1H7965H2205H559H2416 28They said, "Yes—your servant our father is quite well, very much alive." And they again bowed respectfully before him.H559H5650H1H7965H2416H6915H7812 29Then Joseph picked out his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son. He asked, "And is this your youngest brother that you told me about?" Then he said, "God be gracious to you, my son."H5375H5869H7200H251H1144H517H1121H559H6996H251H559H559H430H2603H1121 30Deeply moved on seeing his brother and about to burst into tears, Joseph hurried out into another room and had a good cry.H3130H4116H7356H3648H251H1245H1058H935H2315H1058 31Then he washed his face, got a grip on himself, and said, "Let's eat."H7364H6440H3318H662H559H7760H3899 32Joseph was served at his private table, the brothers off by themselves and the Egyptians off by themselves (Egyptians won't eat at the same table with Hebrews; it's repulsive to them).H7760H4713H398H4713H3201H398H3899H5680H8441H4714 33The brothers were seated facing Joseph, arranged in order of their age, from the oldest to the youngest. They looked at one another wide-eyed, wondering what would happen next.H3427H6440H1060H1062H6810H6812H582H8539H376H7453 34When the brothers' plates were served from Joseph's table, Benjamin's plate came piled high, far more so than his brothers. And so the brothers feasted with Joseph, drinking freely.H5375H4864H6440H1144H4864H2568H3027H7235H8354H7937