Genesis 43 ISV NIV Parallel

◄ Genesis 43 ►

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1Meanwhile, the famine remained severe throughout the region.

1Now the famine was still severe in the land.

2As a result, when Jacob's family was beginning to eat the last of the grain that they had brought back from Egypt, their father Jacob told his sons, "Go back to Egypt and buy us some food."

2So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and buy us a little more food."

3But Judah reminded him, "The man distinctly warned us: 'You'll never see my face unless your brother comes with you.'

3But Judah said to him, "The man warned us solemnly, 'You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.'

4So if you send our brother with us, we'll go down and buy some food.

4If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you.

5But if you don't send him, we're not going, because the man told us, 'You'll never see my face unless your brother is with you.'"

5But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, 'You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.'"

6Israel replied, "Why did you make all this trouble by telling the man that you have another brother?"

6Israel asked, "Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?"

7"The man specifically asked about us and our relatives," they responded. "He asked us, 'Is your father still alive?' and 'Do you have another brother?' So we answered his questions. How could we have known that he would tell us to bring our brother back with us?"

7They replied, "The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. 'Is your father still living?' he asked us. 'Do you have another brother?' We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, 'Bring your brother down here'?"

8"Send the young man with me," Judah told his father Israel, "and we'll get up and go so we can survive and not die—and that includes all of us, you and our families.

8Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die.

9I'll even offer myself to guarantee that I'll be responsible for him. If I don't bring him back and present him to you, I'll personally bear the consequences forever.

9I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life.

10After all, if we hadn't delayed, we could have been there and back twice by now!"

10As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice."

11"If that's the way it has to be," their father Israel replied, "then do this: take some of the best produce of the land in your containers and take them to the man as a gift—some resin ointment, some honey, fragrant resins, myrrh, pistachios, and almonds.

11Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift--a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.

12Also take twice as much money with you so you can return the money that had been replaced in the mouth of your sacks. Maybe it was an accounting mistake on his part.

12Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake.

13And be sure to take your brother, too. So get up, return to the man,

13Take your brother also and go back to the man at once.

14and may God Almighty cause the man to show compassion toward you. May he send all of you back, including your other brother and Benjamin. Now as for me, if I lose my children, I lose them."

14And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved."

15So the men took their gift and twice as much money, got up, took Benjamin with them, and set out for Egypt. Eventually they appeared before Joseph.

15So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph.

16As soon as Joseph noticed that Benjamin had come with them, he ordered his palace manager, "Bring the men into the palace. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, because these men will be dining with me for lunch."

16When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal; they are to eat with me at noon."

17So the man did what Joseph had ordered, and brought the men to Joseph's palace.

17The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph's house.

18The men were terrified as they were being taken to Joseph's palace. "It's because of that money that was returned to our sacks the first time we were brought to him," they reasoned. "He's seeking an excuse to attack us, enslave us, and confiscate our donkeys!"

18Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, "We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys."

19So they approached Joseph's palace manager and talked with him at the palace entrance.

19So they went up to Joseph's steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house.

20"Your Excellency," they said, "The first time we came here to buy food,

20"We beg your pardon, our lord," they said, "we came down here the first time to buy food.

21when we arrived at our overnight lodging place, we opened our sacks and discovered each man's money was still in the mouth of his sack. All of our money was there! We've brought it back with us in full.

21But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver--the exact weight--in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us.

22We've also brought along some more money to buy supplies, but we don't know who put our money back into our sacks."

22We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don't know who put our silver in our sacks."

23"Relax," the manager said. "You can stop being afraid, now. Your God, the God of your father, has placed hidden treasure within those sacks for you. I've been paid in full." Then he brought Simeon out to them,

23"It's all right," he said. "Don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver." Then he brought Simeon out to them.

24ushered the men into Joseph's palace, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided fodder for their donkeys.

24The steward took the men into Joseph's house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys.

25Then off he went to prepare the honorary meal that was to be made ready for Joseph's arrival at noon, since they had been informed that they were going to be eating there.

25They prepared their gifts for Joseph's arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there.

26When Joseph arrived at his palace, his brothers brought to him their gifts that they had carried with them and bowed to the ground in front of him.

26When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground.

27Joseph asked them how they had been doing. "Is your father well, the older gentleman about whom you spoke?" he inquired. "Is he still alive?"

27He asked them how they were, and then he said, "How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?"

28"Your servant, our father, is doing well," they replied. "He is still alive." Then they bowed down in humility.

28They replied, "Your servant our father is still alive and well." And they bowed down, prostrating themselves before him.

29As Joseph looked up and recognized his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son, he asked, "Is this your youngest brother about whom you spoke to me?" And he addressed him directly, "May God be gracious to you, my son."

29As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son, he asked, "Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?" And he said, "God be gracious to you, my son."

30At this, Joseph hurried out, deeply moved because of his brother, and looked for a place to weep by himself. He entered his personal quarters, wept there awhile,

30Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.

31then washed his face and came out. Barely controlling himself, he ordered his staff to serve the meal.

31After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, "Serve the food."

32Joseph's staff served him by himself, his brothers separately, and the Egyptian staff members by themselves, because the Egyptians wouldn't take their meal with the Hebrews, since doing so was detestable for the Egyptians.

32They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians.

33Meanwhile, the brothers were seated in front of Joseph in birth order, from firstborn to youngest. The men stared at one another in astonishment.

33The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment.

34Joseph himself brought portions to them from his own table, except that he provided to Benjamin five times as much as he did for each of the others. So they feasted together and drank freely with Joseph.

34When portions were served to them from Joseph's table, Benjamin's portion was five times as much as anyone else's. So they feasted and drank freely with him.

New International Version (NIV)

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