English Standard Version

International Standard Version

1Now the famine was severe in the land.

1Meanwhile, the famine remained severe throughout the region.

2And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.”

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 Jacob told his sons, "Go back to Egypt and buy us some food."

3But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’

3But Judah reminded him, "The man distinctly warned us: 'You'll never see my face unless your brother comes with you.'

4If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.

4So if you send our brother with us, we'll go down and buy some food.

5But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.’”

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.'"

6Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?”

6Israel replied, "Why did you make all this trouble by telling the man that you have another brother?"

7They replied, “The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

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?"

8And Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.

8"Send the young man with me," Judah told 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.

9I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

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.

10If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice.”

10After all, if we hadn't delayed, we could have been there and back twice by now!"

11Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds.

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.

12Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight.

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.

13Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man.

13And be sure to take your brother, too. So get up, return to the man,

14May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”

14and may God Almighty cause the man to show compassion toward you. 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."

15So the men took this present, and they took double the money with them, and Benjamin. They arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

15So the men took their gift and twice as much money, got up, took Benjamin with them, and set out for Egypt. Eventually they appeared before Joseph.

16When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal and make ready, for the men are to dine with me at noon.”

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."

17The man did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph’s house.

17So the man did what Joseph had ordered, and brought the men to Joseph's palace.

18And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph’s house, and they said, “It is because of the money, which was replaced in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may assault us and fall upon us to make us servants and seize our donkeys.”

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!"

19So they went up to the steward of Joseph’s house and spoke with him at the door of the house,

19So they approached Joseph's palace manager and talked with him at the palace entrance.

20and said, “Oh, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food.

20"Your Excellency," they said, "The first time we came here to buy food,

21And when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man’s money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us,

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.

22and we have brought other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.”

22We've also brought along some more money to buy supplies, but we don't know who put our money back into our sacks."

23He replied, “Peace to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has put treasure in your sacks for you. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

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,

24And when the man had brought the men into Joseph’s house and given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder,

24ushered the men into Joseph's palace, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided fodder for their donkeys.

25they prepared the present for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.

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.

26When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground.

26When Joseph arrived at his palace, his brothers brought to him their gifts that they had carried with them and bowed to the ground in front of him.

27And he inquired about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”

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?"

28They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads and prostrated themselves.

28"Your servant, our father, is doing well," they replied. "He is still alive." Then they bowed down in humility.

29And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!”

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."

30Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there.

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 awhile,

31Then he washed his face and came out. And controlling himself he said, “Serve the food.”

31then washed his face and came out. Barely controlling himself, he ordered his staff to serve the meal.

32They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.

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.

33And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth. And the men looked at one another in amazement.

33Meanwhile, the brothers were seated in front of Joseph in birth order, from firstborn to youngest. The men stared at one another in astonishment.

34Portions were taken to them from Joseph’s table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.

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 Joseph.

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