Study Desk

Joseph turned away from them and cried, but soon he turned back and spoke to them again. Then he had Simeon tied up and taken away while they watched.

But we told him, "We're honest men, not spies.

But bring your youngest brother to me, so I can be certain that you are honest men and not spies. After that, I'll let your other brother go free, and you can stay here and trade."

But Jacob said, "I won't let my son Benjamin go down to Egypt with the rest of you. His brother is already dead, and he is the only son I have left. I am an old man, and if anything happens to him on the way, I'll die from sorrow, and all of you will be to blame."

Judah replied, "The governor strictly warned us that we would not be allowed to see him unless we brought our youngest brother with us. If you let us take Benjamin along, we will go and buy grain. But we won't go without him!"

But on the way they got worried and started thinking, "We are being taken there because of the money that was put back in our sacks last time. He will arrest us, make us his slaves, and take our donkeys."

But when we stopped for the night, we each found in our grain sacks the exact amount we had paid. We have brought that money back,

But they had not gone far from the city when Joseph told the servant, "Go after those men! When you catch them, say, ‘My master has been good to you. So why have you stolen his silver cup?

Not only does he drink from his cup, but he also uses it to learn about the future. You have done a terrible thing.'"

But they replied, "Sir, why do you say such things? We would never do anything like that!

"Good!" the man replied, "I'll do what you have said. But only the one who has the cup will become my slave. The rest of you can go free."

But you warned us that we could never see you again, unless our youngest brother came with us.

But we answered, "We can't go back to Egypt without our youngest brother. We will never be let in to see the governor, unless he is with us."

Joseph asked his brothers if his father was still alive, but they were too frightened to answer.

But God sent me on ahead of you to keep your families alive and to save you in this wonderful way.

I will take care of you there during the next five years of famine. But if you don't come, you and your family and your animals will starve to death."

Joseph gave some new clothes to each of his brothers, but to Benjamin he gave five new outfits and three hundred pieces of silver.

they told their father that Joseph was still alive and was the ruler of Egypt. But their father was so surprised that he could not believe them.

When Jacob went to Egypt, his children who were born in northern Syria also went along with their families. Jacob and his wife Leah had a total of thirty-three children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, but two of their grandchildren had died in Canaan. Their oldest son Reuben took his sons Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. Their son Simeon took his sons Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, whose mother was a Canaanite. Their son Levi took his sons Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Their son Judah took his sons Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. Judah's sons Er and Onan had died in Canaan. Judah's son Perez took his sons Hezron and Hamul. Their son Issachar took his sons Tola, Puvah, Jashub, and Shimron. Their son Zebulun took his sons Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. Their daughter Dinah also went.

But in our country all the pastures are dried up, and our sheep have no grass to eat. So we, your servants, have come here. Please let us live in the region of Goshen."