Hands-On Bible Sampler - Flipbook - Page 80
Genesis 45 ... page 50
my wife had two sons, 28and one of them went
away and never returned. Doubtless he was torn
to pieces by some wild animal. I have never seen
him since. 29Now 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. 31If 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. 32My
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. 34For 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!”
CHAPTER
45
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 to preserve your
lives. 6This famine that has ravaged the land for
two years will last five more years, and there will
be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 God has
sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. 8So it
was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the
one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh—the
manager of his entire palace and the governor of
all Egypt.
9 “Now hurry back to my father and tell him,
‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made
me master over all the land of Egypt. So come
down to me immediately! 10You can live in the
region of Goshen, where you can be near me with
all your children and grandchildren, your flocks
and herds, and everything you own. 11I will take
care of you there, for there are still five years of
famine ahead of us. Otherwise you, your household, and all your animals will starve.’”
12 Then Joseph added, “Look! You can see for
yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that
I really am Joseph! 13Go tell my father of my honored position here in Egypt. Describe for him
everything you have seen, and then bring my father here quickly.” 14 Weeping with joy, he embraced Benjamin, and Benjamin did the same.
15 Then Joseph kissed each of his brothers and
wept over them, and after that they began talking
freely with him.
Pharaoh Invites Jacob to Egypt
16The
news soon reached Pharaoh’s palace: “Joseph’s brothers have arrived!” Pharaoh and his
officials were all delighted to hear this.
17Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers,
‘This is what you must do: Load your pack animals, and hurry back to the land of Canaan.
18Then get your father and all of your families,
and return here to me. I will give you the very
best land in Egypt, and you will eat from the best
that the land produces.’”
19 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your
brothers, ‘Take wagons from the land of Egypt to
carry your little children and your wives, and
bring your father here. 20Don’t worry about your
personal belongings, for the best of all the land
of Egypt is yours.’”
21So the sons of Jacob did as they were told. Joseph provided them with wagons, as Pharaoh
had commanded, and he gave them supplies for
the journey. 22And he gave each of them new
clothes—but to Benjamin he gave five changes of
clothes and 300 pieces of silver. 23He also sent
his father ten male donkeys loaded with the finest products of Egypt, and ten female donkeys
loaded with grain and bread and other supplies
he would need on his journey.
24So Joseph sent his brothers off, and as they
left, he called after them, “Don’t quarrel about
all this along the way!” 25And they left Egypt and
returned to their father, Jacob, in the land of
Canaan.
26“Joseph is still alive!” they told him. “And he is
governor of all the land of Egypt!” Jacob was
stunned at the news—he couldn’t believe it. 27 But
when they repeated to Jacob everything Joseph
had told them, and when he saw the wagons
Joseph had sent to carry him, their father’s spirits
revived.
