| NET Bible | International Standard Version |
| 1Now the famine was severe in the land. | 1Meanwhile, the famine remained severe throughout the region. |
| 2When they finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Return, buy us a little more 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, 'You will 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 send our brother with us, we'll go down and buy food for you. | 4So if you send our brother with us, we'll go down and buy some food. |
| 5But if you will not send him, we won't go down there because the man said to us, 'You will 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 bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had one more 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 thoroughly about ourselves and our family, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' So we answered him in this way. How could we possibly 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?" |
| 8Then Judah said to his father Israel, "Send the boy with me and we will go immediately. Then we will live and not die--we and you and 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 myself pledge security for him; you may hold me liable. If I do not bring him back to you and place him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. | 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. |
| 10But if we had not delayed, we could have traveled there and back twice by now!" | 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 best products of the land in your bags, and take a gift down to the man--a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios 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; you must take back the money that was returned in the mouths 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 your brother too, and go right away to the man. | 13And be sure to take your brother, too. So get up, return to the man, |
| 14May the sovereign God grant you mercy before the man so that he may release your other brother and Benjamin! As for me, if I lose my children I lose them." | 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 these gifts, and they took double the money with them, along with Benjamin. Then they hurried 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 servant who was over his household, "Bring the men to the house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for the men will eat 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 just as Joseph said; he brought the men into Joseph's house. | 17So the man did what Joseph had ordered, and brought the men to Joseph's palace. |
| 18But the men were afraid when they were brought to Joseph's house. They said, "We are being brought in because of the money that was returned in our sacks last time. He wants to capture us, make us slaves, and take 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 approached the man who was in charge of Joseph's household and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. | 19So they approached Joseph's palace manager and talked with him at the palace entrance. |
| 20They said, "My lord, we did indeed come down the first time to buy food. | 20"Your Excellency," they said, "The first time we came here to buy food, |
| 21But when we came to the place where we spent the night, we opened our sacks and each of us found his money--the full amount--in the mouth of his sack. So we have returned it. | 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. |
| 22We have brought additional money with us to buy food. We do not know who put the 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." |
| 23"Everything is fine," the man in charge of Joseph's household told them. "Don't be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks. I had 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, |
| 24The servant in charge brought the men into Joseph's house. He gave them water, and they washed their feet. Then he gave food to their donkeys. | 24ushered the men into Joseph's palace, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided fodder for their donkeys. |
| 25They got their gifts ready for Joseph's arrival at noon, for they had heard that they were to have a meal 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 presented him with the gifts they had brought inside, and they bowed down to the ground before him. | 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. |
| 27He asked them how they were doing. Then he said, "Is your aging father well, the one you spoke about? 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?" |
| 28"Your servant our father is well," they replied. "He is still alive." They bowed down in humility. | 28"Your servant, our father, is doing well," they replied. "He is still alive." Then they bowed down in humility. |
| 29When Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, he said, "Is this your youngest brother, whom you told me about?" Then he said, "May 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." |
| 30Joseph hurried out, for he was overcome by affection for his brother and was at the point of tears. So he went to his room 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. With composure he said, "Set out the food." | 31then washed his face and came out. Barely controlling himself, he ordered his staff to serve the meal. |
| 32They set a place for him, a separate place for his brothers, and another for the Egyptians who were eating with him. (The Egyptians are not able to eat with Hebrews, for the Egyptians think it is disgusting to do so.) | 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. |
| 33They sat before him, arranged by order of birth, beginning with the firstborn and ending with the youngest. The men looked at each other in astonishment. | 33Meanwhile, the brothers were seated in front of Joseph in birth order, from firstborn to youngest. The men stared at one another in astonishment. |
| 34He gave them portions of the food set before him, but the portion for Benjamin was five times greater than the portions for any of the others. They drank with Joseph until they all became drunk. | 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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