DaySpring Hope & Encouragement Bible - Flipbook - Page 81
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G enesis 45
“No,” Joseph said. “I would never do such a thing! Only the man who
stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go back to your father
in peace.”
17
Judah Speaks for His Brothers
18 Then Judah stepped forward and said, “Please, my lord, let your servant
say just one word to you. Please, do not be angry with me, even though you
are as powerful as Pharaoh himself.
19 “My lord, previously you asked us, your servants, ‘Do you have a father
or a brother?’ 20 And we responded, ‘Yes, my lord, we have a father who is an
old man, and his youngest son is a child of his old age. His full brother is
dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him
very much.’
21 “And you said to us, ‘Bring him here so I can see him with my own eyes.’
22 But we said to you, ‘My lord, the boy cannot leave his father, for his father
would die.’ 23 But you told us, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes with you,
you will never see my face again.’
24 “So we returned to your servant, our father, and told him what you had
said. 25 Later, when he said, ‘Go back again and buy us more food,’ 26 we replied, ‘We can’t go unless you let our youngest brother go with us. We’ll
never get to see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’
27 “Then my father said to us, ‘As you know, my wife had two sons, 28 and
one of them went away and never returned. Doubtless he was torn to pieces
by some wild animal. I have never seen him since. 29 Now if you take his
brother away from me, and any harm comes to him, you will send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave.*’
30 “And now, my lord, I cannot go back to my father without the boy. Our
father’s life is bound up in the boy’s life. 31 If he sees that the boy is not with
us, our father will die. We, your servants, will indeed be responsible for sending that grieving, white-haired man to his grave. 32 My lord, I guaranteed to
my father that I would take care of the boy. I told him, ‘If I don’t bring him
back to you, I will bear the blame forever.’
33 “So please, my lord, let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and
let the boy return with his brothers. 34 For how can I return to my father if
the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see the anguish this would cause
my father!”
Joseph Reveals His Identity
Joseph could stand it no longer. There were many people in the
room, and he said to his attendants, “Out, all of you!” So he was
alone with his brothers when he told them who he was. 2 Then he broke down
and wept. He wept so loudly the Egyptians could hear him, and word of it
quickly carried to Pharaoh’s palace.
3 “I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive?” But his
brothers were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was
standing there in front of them. 4 “Please, come closer,” he said to them. So
they came closer. And he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you
sold into slavery in Egypt. 5 But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you
45
44:29 Hebrew to Sheol; also in 44:31.
