Genesis 50:15-21
New English Translation
15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge and wants to repay[a] us in full[b] for all the harm[c] we did to him?” 16 So they sent word[d] to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave these instructions before he died: 17 ‘Tell Joseph this: Please forgive the sin of your brothers and the wrong they did when they treated you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sin of the servants of the God of your father.” When this message was reported to him, Joseph wept.[e] 18 Then his brothers also came and threw themselves down before him; they said, “Here we are; we are your slaves.” 19 But Joseph answered them, “Don’t be afraid. Am[f] I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant to harm me,[g] but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day.[h] 21 So now, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your little children.” Then he consoled them and spoke kindly to them.[i]
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- Genesis 50:15 tn The imperfect tense could be a simple future; it could also have a desiderative nuance.
- Genesis 50:15 tn The infinitive absolute makes the statement emphatic, “repay in full.”
- Genesis 50:15 tn Or “evil.”
- Genesis 50:16 tn The verb means “command,” but they would hardly be commanding him. It probably means they sent their father’s instructions to Joseph.
- Genesis 50:17 tn Heb “and Joseph wept when they spoke to him.”
- Genesis 50:19 tn Heb “For am I.”
- Genesis 50:20 tn Heb “you devised against me evil.”
- Genesis 50:20 tn Heb “God devised it for good in order to do, like this day, to preserve alive a great nation.”
- Genesis 50:21 tn Heb “spoke to their heart.”
Genesis 50:15-21
Common English Bible
Joseph and his brothers in Egypt
15 When Joseph’s brothers realized that their father was now dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us, and wants to pay us back seriously for all of the terrible things we did to him?” 16 So they approached[a] Joseph and said, “Your father gave orders before he died, telling us, 17 ‘This is what you should say to Joseph. “Please, forgive your brothers’ sins and misdeeds, for they did terrible things to you. Now, please forgive the sins of the servants of your father’s God.”’” Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
18 His brothers wept[b] too, fell down in front of him, and said, “We’re here as your slaves.”
19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I God? 20 You planned something bad for me, but God produced something good from it, in order to save the lives of many people, just as he’s doing today. 21 Now, don’t be afraid. I will take care of you and your children.” So he put them at ease and spoke reassuringly to them.
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- Genesis 50:16 LXX, Syr; MT they commanded
- Genesis 50:18 Or came
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