Genesis 43
1599 Geneva Bible
43 13 Jacob suffereth Benjamin to depart with his children. 14 Simeon is delivered out of prison. 30 Joseph goeth aside and weepeth.
1 Now great [a]famine was in the land.
2 And when they had eaten up the vittles, which they had brought from Egypt, their father said unto them, Turn again and buy us a little food.
3 And Judah answered him, saying, The man charged us by an oath, saying, (A)Never see my face, except your brother be with you.
4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down, and buy thee food.
5 But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, (B)Look me not in the face, except your brother be with you.
6 And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so evil with me, as to tell the man, whether ye had yet a brother or no?
7 And they answered, The man asked straightly of [b]ourselves and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye any brother? And we told him according to [c]these words: could we know certainly that he would say, Bring your brother down?
8 Then said Judah to Israel his father, Send the boy with me, that we may rise and go, and that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and our children.
9 I will be surety for him: of mine hand shalt thou require him. (C)If I bring him not to thee, and set him before thee, [d]then let me bear the blame forever.
10 For except we had made this tarrying, doubtless by this we had returned the second time.
11 Then their father Israel said unto them, If it must needs be so now, do thus: take of the best fruits of the land in your vessels, and bring the man a present, a little rosin, and a little honey, [e]spices and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
12 And take [f]double money in your hand, and the money, that was brought again in your sacks’ mouths carry it again in your hand, lest it were some oversight.
13 Take also your brother and arise, and go again to the man.
14 And [g]God Almighty give you mercy in the sight of the man, that he may deliver you your other brother, and Benjamin: but I shall be [h]robbed of my child, as I have been.
15 Thus the men took this present, and took twice so much money in their hand with Benjamin, and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.
16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said [i]to his steward, Bring these men home and kill meat, and make ready: for the men shall eat with me at noon.
17 And the men did as Joseph bade, and brought the men unto Joseph’s house.
18 Now when the men were brought into Joseph’s house, they were [j]afraid, and said, Because of the money, that came in our sack’s mouths at the first time, are we brought, that he may [k]pick a quarrel against us, and [l]lay something to our charge, and bring us in bondage and our asses.
19 Therefore came they to Joseph’s steward, and communed with him at the door of his house,
20 And said, O sir, (D)we came indeed down hither at the first time to buy food,
21 And as we came to an Inn and opened our sacks, behold, every man’s money was in his sack’s mouth, even our money in full weight, but we have brought it in our hands.
22 Also other money have we brought in our hands to buy food, but we cannot tell, who put our money in our sacks.
23 And he said, [m]Peace be to you, fear not: [n]your God, and the God of your father hath given you that treasure in your sacks, I had your money: and he brought forth Simeon to them.
24 So the man led them into Joseph’s house, and gave them water to wash their feet, and gave their asses provender.
25 And they made ready their present against Joseph came at noon, (for they heard say, that they should eat bread there.)
26 When Joseph came home, they brought the present into the house to him, which was in their hands, and bowed down to the ground before him.
27 And he asked them of their [o]prosperity, and said, Is your father the old man, of whom ye told me, in good health? is he yet alive?
28 Who answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive: and they bowed down, and made obeisance.
29 And he lifting up his eyes, beheld his brother Benjamin, his [p]mother’s son, and said, Is this your younger brother of whom ye told me? And he said, God be merciful unto thee, my son.
30 And Joseph made haste (for his [q]affection was inflamed toward his brother, and sought where to weep) and entered into his chamber and wept there.
31 Afterward he washed his face, and came out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on [r]meat.
32 And they [s]prepared for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves, because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews: for that was an [t]abomination unto the Egyptians.
33 So they sat before him: the eldest according unto his age, and the youngest according unto his youth: and the men marveled among themselves.
34 And they took meats from before him, and sent to them: but Benjamin’s meat was five times so much as any of theirs: and they drank, [u]and had of the best drink with him.
Footnotes
- Genesis 43:1 This was a great tentation to Jacob to suffer so great famine in that land where God had promised to bless him.
- Genesis 43:7 Or, of our estate and condition.
- Genesis 43:7 Hebrew, to the mouth of these words: that is, that thing which he asked us.
- Genesis 43:9 Hebrew, I will sin to thee.
- Genesis 43:11 Or, sweet smells.
- Genesis 43:12 When we are in necessity or danger, God forbiddeth not to use all honest means to better our estate and condition.
- Genesis 43:14 Our chief trust ought to be in God, and not in worldly means.
- Genesis 43:14 He speaketh these words not so much of despair, as to make his sons more careful to bring again their brother.
- Genesis 43:16 Or, to the ruler of his house.
- Genesis 43:18 So the judgment of God pressed their conscience.
- Genesis 43:18 Hebrew, roll himself upon us.
- Genesis 43:18 Hebrew, cast himself upon us.
- Genesis 43:23 Or, you are well.
- Genesis 43:23 Notwithstanding the corruptions of Egypt, yet Joseph taught his family to fear God.
- Genesis 43:27 Hebrew, peace.
- Genesis 43:29 For they two only were born of Rachel.
- Genesis 43:30 Hebrew, bowels.
- Genesis 43:31 Hebrew, bread.
- Genesis 43:32 To signify his dignity.
- Genesis 43:32 The nature of the superstitious is to condemn all others in respect of themselves.
- Genesis 43:34 Sometimes this word signifieth to be drunken, but here it is meant, that they had enough, and drank of the best wine.
Genesis 43
New King James Version
Joseph’s Brothers Return with Benjamin
43 Now the famine was (A)severe in the land. 2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go (B)back, buy us a little food.”
3 But Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your (C)brother is with you.’ 4 If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5 But 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.’ ”
6 And Israel said, “Why did you deal so [a]wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?”
7 But they said, “The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”
8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may (D)live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. 9 I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. (E)If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. 10 For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.”
11 And their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and (F)carry down a present for the man—a little (G)balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money (H)that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight. 13 Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man. 14 And may God (I)Almighty (J)give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. (K)If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!”
15 So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went (L)down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph. 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the (M)steward of his house, “Take these men to my home, and slaughter [b]an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.” 17 Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.
18 Now the men were (N)afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may [c]make a case against us and seize us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.”
19 When they drew near to the steward of Joseph’s house, they talked with him at the door of the house, 20 and said, “O sir, (O)we indeed came down the first time to buy food; 21 but (P)it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand. 22 And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.”
23 But he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought (Q)Simeon out to them.
24 So the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and (R)gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. 25 Then they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there.
26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and (S)bowed down before him to the earth. 27 Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, “Is your father well, the old man (T)of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”
28 And they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” (U)And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.
29 Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, (V)his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your younger brother (W)of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 Now (X)his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and (Y)wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, “Serve the (Z)bread.”
32 So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the (AA)Hebrews, for that is (AB)an abomination to the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his (AC)birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another. 34 Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was (AD)five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.
Footnotes
- Genesis 43:6 Lit. wickedly
- Genesis 43:16 Lit. a slaughter
- Genesis 43:18 Lit. roll himself upon us
Genesis 43
English Standard Version
Joseph's Brothers Return to Egypt
43 Now the famine was (A)severe in the land. 2 And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.” 3 But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your (B)brother is with you.’ 4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5 But 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.’” 6 Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?” 7 They 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’?” 8 And Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may (C)live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. 9 I will be a pledge of his safety. From my hand you shall require him. (D)If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. 10 If we had not delayed, we would now have returned twice.”
11 Then 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 (E)balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. 12 Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money (F)that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. 13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man. 14 May (G)God Almighty[a] (H)grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, (I)if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”
15 So 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.
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the (J)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.” 17 The man did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph's house. 18 And 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.” 19 So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and spoke with him at the door of the house, 20 and said, (K)“Oh, my lord, (L)we came down the first time to buy food. 21 And (M)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, 22 and we have brought other money down with us to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” 23 He 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. 24 And when the man had brought the men into Joseph's house and (N)given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder, 25 they prepared (O)the present for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.
26 When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and (P)bowed down to him to the ground. 27 And he inquired about their welfare and said, “Is your father well, the old man (Q)of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” 28 They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” And they (R)bowed their heads and prostrated themselves. 29 And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, (S)his mother's son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, (T)of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!” 30 Then Joseph hurried out, for (U)his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and (V)wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out. And (W)controlling himself he said, “Serve the food.” 32 They 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 (X)an abomination to the Egyptians. 33 And 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. 34 (Y)Portions were taken to them from Joseph's table, but Benjamin's portion was (Z)five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry[b] with him.
Footnotes
- Genesis 43:14 Hebrew El Shaddai
- Genesis 43:34 Hebrew and became intoxicated
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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