⁶ Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.^{(A) 7} But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight;^(B) so the Lord put him to death.^(C)

⁸ Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.”^{(D) 9} But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. ¹⁰ What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also.^(E)

¹¹ Judah then said to his daughter-in-law^(F) Tamar,^(G) “Live as a widow in your father’s household^(H) until my son Shelah^(I) grows up.”^(J) For he thought, “He may die too, just like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s household.

⁵³ The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, ⁵⁴ and the seven years of famine^(A) began,^(B) just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. ⁵⁵ When all Egypt began to feel the famine,^(C) the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”^(D)

⁵⁶ When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians,^(E) for the famine^(F) was severe throughout Egypt.^{(G) 57} And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph,^(H) because the famine was severe everywhere.^(I)

¹² After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua,^(A) died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah,^(B) to the men who were shearing his sheep,^(C) and his friend Hirah the Adullamite^(D) went with him.

¹³ When Tamar^(E) was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,”^{(F) 14} she took off her widow’s clothes,^(G) covered herself with a veil^(H) to disguise herself, and then sat down^(I) at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah.^(J) For she saw that, though Shelah^(K) had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.

¹⁵ When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute,^(L) for she had covered her face. ¹⁶ Not realizing^(M) that she was his daughter-in-law,^(N) he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.”^(O)

“And what will you give me to sleep with you?”^(P) she asked.

¹⁷ “I’ll send you a young goat^(Q) from my flock,” he said.

“Will you give me something as a pledge^(R) until you send it?” she asked.

¹⁸ He said, “What pledge should I give you?”

“Your seal^(S) and its cord, and the staff^(T) in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.^{(U) 19} After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothes^(V) again.

²⁰ Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite^(W) in order to get his pledge^(X) back from the woman, but he did not find her. ²¹ He asked the men who lived there, “Where is the shrine prostitute^(Y) who was beside the road at Enaim?”

“There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here,” they said.

²² So he went back to Judah and said, “I didn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, ‘There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here.’”

²³ Then Judah said, “Let her keep what she has,^(Z) or we will become a laughingstock.^(AA) After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.”

²⁴ About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.”

Judah said, “Bring her out and have her burned to death!”^(AB)

²⁵ As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,” she said. And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.”^(AC)

²⁶ Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I,^(AD) since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.^(AE)” And he did not sleep with her again.

Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt

42 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt,^(A) he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” ² He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us,^(B) so that we may live and not die.”^(C)

³ Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain^(D) from Egypt. ⁴ But Jacob did not send Benjamin,^(E) Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him.^{(F) 5} So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain,^(G) for there was famine in the land of Canaan^(H) also.^(I)

⁶ Now Joseph was the governor of the land,^(J) the person who sold grain to all its people.^(K) So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.^{(L) 7} As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them.^(M) “Where do you come from?”^(N) he asked.

“From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”

⁸ Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.^{(O) 9} Then he remembered his dreams^(P) about them and said to them, “You are spies!^(Q) You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”^(R)

¹⁰ “No, my lord,^(S)” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food.^{(T) 11} We are all the sons of one man. Your servants^(U) are honest men,^(V) not spies.^(W)”

¹² “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”^(X)

¹³ But they replied, “Your servants^(Y) were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan.^(Z) The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”^(AA)

¹⁴ Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies!^{(AB) 15} And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives,^(AC) you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.^{(AD) 16} Send one of your number to get your brother;^(AE) the rest of you will be kept in prison,^(AF) so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth.^(AG) If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!^(AH)” ¹⁷ And he put them all in custody^(AI) for three days.

¹⁸ On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God:^{(AJ) 19} If you are honest men,^(AK) let one of your brothers stay here in prison,^(AL) while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households.^{(AM) 20} But you must bring your youngest brother to me,^(AN) so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do.

²¹ They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother.^(AO) We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress^(AP) has come on us.”

²² Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy?^(AQ) But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting^(AR) for his blood.”^{(AS) 23} They did not realize^(AT) that Joseph could understand them,^(AU) since he was using an interpreter.

²⁴ He turned away from them and began to weep,^(AV) but then came back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.^(AW)

²⁵ Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain,^(AX) to put each man’s silver back in his sack,^(AY) and to give them provisions^(AZ) for their journey.^(BA) After this was done for them, ²⁶ they loaded their grain on their donkeys^(BB) and left.

²⁷ At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey,^(BC) and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack.^{(BD) 28} “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.”

Their hearts sank^(BE) and they turned to each other trembling^(BF) and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”^(BG)

²⁹ When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan,^(BH) they told him all that had happened to them.^(BI) They said, ³⁰ “The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us^(BJ) and treated us as though we were spying on the land.^{(BK) 31} But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.^{(BL) 32} We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.’^(BM)

³³ “Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go.^{(BN) 34} But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men.^(BO) Then I will give your brother back to you,^(BP) and you can trade^[a] in the land.^(BQ)’”

³⁵ As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his pouch of silver!^(BR) When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened.^{(BS) 36} Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more,^(BT) and now you want to take Benjamin.^(BU) Everything is against me!^(BV)”

³⁷ Then Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care,^(BW) and I will bring him back.”^(BX)

³⁸ But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead^(BY) and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him^(BZ) on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave^(CA) in sorrow.^(CB)”