The Return to Egypt with Benjamin 1 ULT Now the famine{ was} heavy in the land. BSB BSB: Now the famine was still severe in the land.
2 ULT So it happened when they finished eating the grain that they had brought from Egypt, then their father said to them,“Return, buy a little food for us.” BSB BSB: So when Jacob’s sons had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”
3 ULT But Judah said to him, saying,“The man strongly warned us, saying,‘You will not see my face unless your brother{ is} with you!’ BSB BSB: But Judah replied, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’
4 ULT If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you. BSB BSB: If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you.
5 ULT But if you will not send{ him}, we will not go down, because the man said to us,‘You will not see my face unless your brother{ is} with you!’” BSB BSB: But if you will not send him, we will not go; for the man told us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”
6 ULT Then Israel said,“Why did you treat me badly by telling the man you have yet{ another} brother?” BSB BSB: “Why did you bring this trouble upon me?” Israel asked. “Why did you tell the man you had another brother?”
7 ULT And they said,“The man asked persistently about us and our relatives, saying,‘Is your father still alive? Do you have{ another} brother?’ And we answered him according to those words. How could we possibly know that he would say,‘Bring your brother down’?” BSB BSB: They replied, “The man questioned us in detail about ourselves and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”
8 ULT Then Judah said to Israel his father,“Send the young man with me, and we will get up and go so that both we and you and our little ones will live and not die. BSB BSB: And Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our children.
9 ULT I myself will guarantee him. From my hand you can require him. If I do not bring him{ back} to you and set him before you, then I will have sinned against you all the days. BSB BSB: I will guarantee his safety. You may hold me personally responsible. If I do not bring him back and set him before you, then may I bear the guilt before you all my life.
10 ULT Surely if we had not delayed, surely we could have returned here twice by now.” BSB BSB: If we had not delayed, we could have come and gone twice by now.”
11 ULT Then Israel their father said to them,“If{ it must be} so, then do this: Take{ some} of the choice produce of the land in your bags, and take{ it} down to the man{ as} a gift: a little balm, and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. BSB BSB: Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.
12 ULT And take double the silver in your hand{ s}, because you must return in your hand{ s} the silver that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it{ was} a mistake. BSB BSB: Take double the silver with you so that you may return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake.
13 ULT So take your brother and get up, return to the man. BSB BSB: Take your brother as well, and return to the man at once.
14 ULT And may God Almighty give you mercies before the man, and may he send your other brother and Benjamin with you. And I, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” BSB BSB: May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother along with Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
15 ULT Then the men took that gift, and they took double the silver in their hand{ s}, and Benjamin. Then they got up and went down{ to} Egypt and stood before Joseph. BSB BSB: So the men took these gifts, along with double the amount of silver, and Benjamin as well. Then they hurried down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
Joseph’s Hospitality to His Brothers 16 ULT And Joseph saw Benjamin with them. Then he said to{ the one} who{ was} over his house,“Take the men to the house, and slaughter an animal and prepare{ a meal}, because the men will eat with me at noon.” BSB BSB: When Joseph saw Benjamin with his brothers, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for they shall dine with me at noon.”
17 ULT So the man did just as Joseph{ had} said, and the man brought the men to Joseph’ s house. BSB BSB: The man did as Joseph had commanded and took the brothers to Joseph’s house.
18 ULT And the men were afraid when they were brought{ to} Joseph’ s house, and they said,“Because of the matter of the silver that was returned in our sacks the first time, we have been brought.{ He wants} to roll himself over us and throw himself on us and take us as slaves, and our donkeys!” BSB BSB: But the brothers were frightened that they had been taken to Joseph’s house. “We have been brought here because of the silver that was returned in our bags the first time,” they said. “They intend to overpower us and take us as slaves, along with our donkeys.”
19 ULT Then they went near to the man who{ was} over Joseph’ s house and spoke to him{ at} the entrance of the house. BSB BSB: So they approached Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house.
20 ULT And they said,“Please, my lord, we surely came down{ here} the first time to buy food. BSB BSB: “Please, sir,” they said, “we really did come down here the first time to buy food.
21 ULT But it happened when we came to the lodging place, we opened our sacks and behold,{ each} man’ s silver{ was} in the mouth of his sack; our silver{ was there} in its{ full} weight! So we have brought it back in our hand{ s}. BSB BSB: But when we came to the place we lodged for the night, we opened our sacks and, behold, each of us found his silver in the mouth of his sack! It was the full amount of our silver, and we have brought it back with us.
22 ULT And we have brought down other silver in our hand{ s} to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our sacks.” BSB BSB: We have brought additional silver with us to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our sacks.”
23 ULT But he said,“Peace{ be} to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you hidden treasure in your sacks; your silver came to me.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. BSB BSB: “It is fine,” said the steward. “Do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, gave you the treasure that was in your sacks. I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
24 ULT Then the man took the men into Joseph’ s house and gave{ them} water, and they washed their feet, and he gave fodder to their donkeys. BSB BSB: And the steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided food for their donkeys.
25 ULT And they prepared the gift for Joseph’ s arrival at noon, because they had heard that they would eat bread there. BSB BSB: Since the brothers had been told that they were going to eat a meal there, they prepared their gift for Joseph’s arrival at noon.
26 ULT Then Joseph came to the house, and they brought to him the gift that{ was} in their hand{ s} into the house, and they bowed down to him to the ground. BSB BSB: When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought, and they bowed to the ground before him.
27 ULT Then he asked them about{ their} wellbeing, and he said,“{ Are things} well{ for} your aged father whom you spoke about? Is he still alive?” BSB BSB: He asked if they were well, and then he asked, “How is your elderly father you told me about? Is he still alive?”
28 ULT And they said,“{ Things are} well for your servant our father. He{ is} still alive.” Then they bowed and bowed down. BSB BSB: “Your servant our father is well,” they answered. “He is still alive.” And they bowed down to honor him.
29 ULT Then he lifted his eyes and saw Benjamin his brother, the son of his mother, and he said,“Is this your youngest brother whom you spoke to me{ about}?” Then he said,“May God be gracious to you, my son.” BSB BSB: When Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” Then he declared, “May God be gracious to you, my son.”
30 ULT Then Joseph hurried out, because his emotions boiled over for his brother, and he sought to cry, and he went to the inner room and cried there. BSB BSB: Joseph hurried out because he was moved to tears for his brother, and he went to a private room to weep.
31 ULT Then he washed his face and came out. Then he controlled himself and said,“Serve the bread.” BSB BSB: Then he washed his face and came back out. Regaining his composure, he said, “Serve the meal.”
32 ULT So they served to him by himself, and to them by themselves, and to the Egyptians who were eating with him by themselves, because Egyptians cannot eat bread with Hebrews, because that{ is} an abomination to Egyptians. BSB BSB: They separately served Joseph, his brothers, and the Egyptians. They ate separately because the Egyptians would not eat with the Hebrews, since that was detestable to them.
33 ULT And they were sitting before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, and the men were astonished each to his neighbor. BSB BSB: They were seated before Joseph in order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest, and the men looked at one another in astonishment.
34 ULT Then he served to them servings{ of food} from before him, but Benjamin’ s serving was five times larger than any of their servings. And they drank and became drunk with him. BSB BSB: When the portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than any of the others. So they feasted and drank freely with Joseph.