CEB Common English Bible with Apocrypha - eBook [ePub]. Common English Bible
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they prepared to do this. 21The brothers said to each other, "We are clearly guilty for what we did to our brother when we saw his life in danger and when he begged us for mercy, but we didn't listen. That's why we're in this danger now."
22Reuben responded to them, "Didn't I tell you, 'Don't do anything wrong to the boy'? But you wouldn't listen. So now this is payback for his death."23They didn't know that Joseph was listening to them because they were using an interpreter. 24He stepped away from them and wept. When he returned, he spoke with them again. Then he took Simeon from them and tied him up in front of them.
25Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put back each man's silver into his own sack, and to give them provisions for their trip, and it was done. 26They loaded their grain onto their donkeys, and they set out. 27When they stopped to spend the night, one of them opened his sack to feed his donkey, and he saw his silver at the top of his sack. 28He said to his brothers, "My silver's been returned. It's right here in my sack." Their hearts stopped. Terrified, they said to each other, "What has God done to us?"
29When they got back to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him everything that had happened to them: 30"The man, the country's governor, spoke to us with a harsh tone and accused us of being spies in the country. 31We told him, 'We're honest men, not spies. 32We are twelve brothers, all our father's sons. One of us is gone, but the youngest is right now with our father in the land of Canaan.'33The man, the country's governor, told us, 'This is how I will know you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers with me, take grain for those in your households who are hungry, and go. 34But bring back your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies but honest men. I will give your brother back to you, and you may travel throughout the country.'"
35When they opened their sacks, each man found a pouch of his silver in his sack. When they and their father saw their pouches of silver, they were afraid. 36Their father Jacob said to them, "You've taken my children from me. Joseph's gone. Simeon's gone. And you are taking Benjamin. All this can't really be happening to me!"
37Reuben said to his father, "You may put both of my sons to death if I don't bring him back to you. Make him my responsibility, and I will make sure he returns to you."
38But Jacob said to him, "My son won't go down with you because his brother's dead and he's been left all alone. If anything were to happen to him on the trip you are taking, you would send me--old as I am--to my grave in grief."
Joseph's brothers return with Benjamin
Genesis 43The famine was severe in the land, 2and when they had eaten all the grain that they brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and buy us a little food."
3Judah said to him, "The man was absolutely serious when he said, 'You may not see me again without your brother with you.'4If you agree to send our brother with us, then we will go down and buy you food. 5But if you don't agree to send him, then we can't go down because the man said to us, 'You may not see me again without your brother with you.'"
6Israel said, "Why have you caused me such pain by telling the man you had another brother?"
7They said, "The man asked us pointedly about our family: 'Is your father still alive? Do you have a brother?' So we told him just what we've said. How were we to know he'd say, 'Bring your brother down here'?"
8Judah said to his father Israel, "Send the young man with me. Let's get ready to leave so that we can stay alive and not die--we, you, and our children. 9I will guarantee his safety; you can hold me responsible. If I don't bring him back to you and place him here in front of you, it will be my fault forever. 10If we hadn't waited so long, we would've returned twice by now."
11Their father Israel said to them, "If it has to be, then do this. Take in your bags some of the land's choice produce, and bring it down to the man as a gift: a little medicinal resin, a little honey, gum, resin, pistachios, and almonds. 12Take twice as much silver with you, and take back the silver returned in the top of your sacks. It might have been a mistake. 13And take your brother, get ready, and go back to the man. 14May God Almightyb make the man compassionate toward you so that he may send back your other brother and Benjamin with you. But me, if I'm left childless, then I'm left childless."
15So the men took this gift. They took twice as much silver with them, together with Benjamin. They left, traveled down to Egypt, and received an audience with Joseph. 16When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the manager of his household, "Bring the men to the house and slaughter an animal and prepare it because the men will have dinner with me at noon."17The man did as Joseph told him and brought the men to Joseph's house.
18When they were brought to Joseph's house, the men were frightened and said, "We've been brought here because of the silver put back in our sacks on our first trip so he can overpower us, capture us, make slaves of us, and take our donkeys."
19They approached the man who was Joseph's household manager and spoke to him at the house's entrance: 20"Please, Master, we came down the first time just to buy food,21but when we stopped to spend the night and opened our sacks, there was the exact amount of each man's silver at the top of his sack. We've brought it back with us,22and we've brought down with us additional silver to buy food. We don't know who put our silver in our sacks."
23He said, "You are fine. Don't be afraid. Your God and your father's God must have hidden a treasure in your sacks. I received your money." Then he brought Simeon out to them.
24The manager brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water to wash their feet and feed for their donkeys. 25They prepared the gift, anticipating Joseph's arrival at noon, since they had heard that they would have a meal there. 26When Joseph came into the house, they presented him the gift they had brought with them into the house, and they bowed low in front of him. 27He asked them how they were and said, "How is your elderly father, about whom you spoke? Is he still alive?"
28They said, "Your servant our father is fine. He's still alive." And they bowed down again with deep respect.
29Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son, and he said, "Is this your youngest brother whom you told me about? God be gracious to you, my son."30Joseph's feelings for his brother were so strong he was about to weep, so he rushed to another room and wept there. 31He washed his face, came back, pulled himself together, and said, "Set out the dinner."32So they set out his food by himself, their food by themselves, and the Egyptians' who ate with him by themselves because Egyptians don't allow themselves to eat with Hebrews; the Egyptians think it beneath their dignity. 33They were seated in front of him from the oldest to the youngest in their exact birth order, and the men looked at each other with amazement. 34Portions of food from Joseph's table were brought to them, but Benjamin's portion was five times as large as theirs. So they drank together and were at ease.
Joseph tests his brothers
Genesis 44Joseph gave commands to his household manager: "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they'll hold, and put each man's silver at the top of his sack. 2Put my cup, the silver cup, on top of the youngest brother's sack, together with the silver for his grain." So he did just as Joseph told him to do.
3At dawn, the men and their donkeys were sent off. 4They had left the city but hadn't gone far when Joseph said to his household manager, "Get ready, go after the men and catch up with them! Ask them, 'Why have you repaid hospitality with ingratitude?c 5Isn't this the cupd my master drinks from and uses to discover God's plans?e What you've done is despicable.'"