Joseph's Brothers Return to Egypt

Genesis 43

1 Now the famine was q 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 r 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 s 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. t 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 u balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. 12 Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money v 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 w God Almighty 1 x grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, y 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 z 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, a "Oh, my lord, b we came down the first time to buy food. 21 And c 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 d given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder, 25 they prepared e 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 f bowed down to him to the ground. 27 And he inquired about their welfare and said, "Is your father well, the old man g of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?" 28 They said, "Your servant our father is well; he is still alive." And they h bowed their heads and prostrated themselves. 29 And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, i his mother's son, and said, "Is this your youngest brother, g of whom you spoke to me? God be gracious to you, my son!" 30 Then Joseph hurried out, for j his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and k wept there. 31 Then he washed his face and came out. And l 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 m 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 n Portions were taken to them from Joseph's table, but Benjamin's portion was o five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry 2 with him.

  1. Cross References
    Genesis 41:54
    And the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
    Genesis 41:57
    Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.
  2. Cross References
    Genesis 42:20
    And bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die." And they did so.
    Genesis 44:23
    Then you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not see my face again.
  3. Cross References
    Genesis 42:2
    And he said, "Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die.
  4. Cross References
    Genesis 42:37
    Then Reuben said to his father, "Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.
    Genesis 44:32
    For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.
  5. Cross References
    Genesis 37:25
    Then they sat down to eat. And looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing gum, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry it down to Egypt.
  6. Cross References
    Genesis 42:25
    And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man's money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them.
    Genesis 42:27
    And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack.
    Genesis 42:35
    As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.
  7. Cross References
    Genesis 17:1
    When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless.
  8. Cross References
    Nehemiah 1:11
    O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man." Now I was cupbearer to the king.
  9. Cross References
    Genesis 42:36
    And Jacob their father said to them, "You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.
  10. Cross References
    Genesis 43:19
    So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and spoke with him at the door of the house.
    Genesis 44:1
    Then he commanded the steward of his house, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack.
    Genesis 44:4
    They had gone only a short distance from the city. Now Joseph said to his steward, "Up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good?
    Genesis 24:2
    And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh.
    Genesis 39:4
    So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him, and he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had.
  11. Cross References
    Genesis 44:18
    Then Judah went up to him and said, "Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not your anger burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself.
  12. Cross References
    Genesis 42:3
    So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.
    Genesis 42:10
    They said to him, "No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food.
  13. Cross References
    Genesis 42:27
    And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack.
  14. Cross References
    Genesis 18:4
    Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
  15. Cross References
    Genesis 43:11
    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 balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
  16. Cross References
    Genesis 42:6
    Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground.
    Genesis 37:5 - 11
    Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more.
  17. Cross References
    Genesis 42:11
    We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.
    Genesis 42:13
    And they said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.
  18. Cross References
    Genesis 43:26
    When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present that they had with them and bowed down to him to the ground.
  19. Cross References
    Genesis 35:18
    And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.
  20. Cross References
    Genesis 43:27
    And he inquired about their welfare and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?
  21. Cross References
    1 Kings 3:26
    Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, "Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death." But the other said, "He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.
    Jeremiah 31:20
    Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord.
  22. Cross References
    Genesis 42:24
    Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
  23. Cross References
    Genesis 45:1
    Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, "Make everyone go out from me." So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
  24. Cross References
    Genesis 46:34
    You shall say, 'Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,' in order that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.
    Exodus 8:26
    But Moses said, "It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?
  25. Cross References
    2 Samuel 11:8
    Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." And Uriah went out of the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king.
  26. Cross References
    Genesis 45:22
    To each and all of them he gave a change of clothes, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five changes of clothes.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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