the Fourth Week of Advent
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Geneva Bible
Genesis 45
1 Then Ioseph coulde not refraine him selfe before all that stoode by him, but hee cryed, Haue forth euery man from me. And there taryed not one with him, while Ioseph vttered himselfe vnto his brethren.2 And hee wept & cried, so that the Egyptians heard: the house of Pharaoh heard also.3 Then Ioseph sayde to his brethren, I am Ioseph: doeth my father yet liue? But his brethren coulde not answere him, for they were astonished at his presence.4 Againe, Ioseph sayde to his brethren, Come neere, I pray you, to mee. And they came neere. And he sayde, I am Ioseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.5 Nowe therefore be not sad, neither grieued with your selues, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you for your preseruation.6 For nowe two yeeres of famine haue bene through ye land, and fiue yeeres are behind, wherein neither shalbe earing nor haruest.7 Wherefore God sent me before you to preserue your posteritie in this land, & to saue you aliue by a great deliuerance.8 Now the you sent not me hither, but God, who hath made mee a father vnto Pharaoh, and lorde of all his house, and ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.9 Haste you & go vp to my father, & tel him, Thus saieth thy sonne Ioseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come downe to me, tary not.10 And thou shalt dwel in ye land of Goshen, and shalt be neere me, thou and thy children, and thy childrens children, and thy sheepe, and thy beastes, and all that thou hast.11 Also I will nourish thee there (for yet remaine fiue yeeres of famine) lest thou perish through pouertie, thou and thy houshold, and all that thou hast.12 And behold, your eyes doe see, and the eyes of my brother Beniamin, that my mouth speaketh to you.13 Therefore tel my father of al mine honour in Egypt, and of all that ye haue seene, and make haste, and bring my father hither.14 Then hee fell on his brother Beniamins necke, & wept, and Beniamin wept on his necke.15 Moreouer, he kissed all his brethren, and wept vpon them: and afterwarde his brethren talked with him.
16 And the tidinges came vnto Pharaohs house, so that they said, Iosephs brethre are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his seruants.17 Then Pharaoh said vnto Ioseph, Say to thy brethren, This doe ye, lade your beastes & depart, go to the land of Canaan,18 And take your father, and your houshoulds, and come to me, and I wil giue you the best of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eate of the fat of the land.19 And I commaunde thee, Thus doe ye, take you charets out of the lande of Egypt for your children, and for your wiues, and bring your father and come.20 Also regarde not your stuffe: for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.21 And the children of Israel did so: & Ioseph gaue them charets according to the commandement of Pharaoh: hee gaue them vitaile also for the iourney.22 He gaue them all, none except, change of raiment: but vnto Beniamin he gaue three hundreth pieces of siluer, and fiue sutes of raiment.23 And vnto his father likewise hee sent ten hee asses laden with the best things of Egypt, and ten shee asses laden with wheate, and bread and meate for his father by the way.24 So sent he his brethren away, and they departed: and he sayde vnto them, Fall not out by the way.
25 Then they went vp from Egypt, and came vnto the land of Canaan vnto Iaakob their father,26 And tolde him, saying, Ioseph is yet aliue, and he also is gouernour ouer all the lande of Egypt, and Iaakobs heart failed: for he beleeued them not.27 And they told him al the words of Ioseph, which he had said vnto the: but when he saw the charets, which Ioseph had sent to cary him, then the spirit of Iaakob their father reuiued.28 And Israel sayde, I haue inough: Ioseph my sonne is yet aliue: I wil go and see him yer I die.