Genesis 43 NKJV ISV Parallel

◄ Genesis 43 ►

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1Now the famine was severe in the land.

1Meanwhile, the famine remained severe throughout the region.

2And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.”

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."

3But Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’

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

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

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

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

6And Israel said, “Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?”

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

7But they said, “The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

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?"

8Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.

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.

9I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

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.

10For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.”

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

11And their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.

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.

12Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight.

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.

13Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man.

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

14And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!”

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."

15So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph.

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.

16When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.”

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."

17Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.

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

18Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and seize us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.”

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!"

19When they drew near to the steward of Joseph’s house, they talked with him at the door of the house,

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

20and said, “O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food;

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

21but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand.

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.

22And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.”

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

23But he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

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,

24So the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed.

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

25Then they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there.

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.

26And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth.

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.

27Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”

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?"

28And they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves.

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

29Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.”

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."

30Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there.

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,

31Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, “Serve the bread.”

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

32So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.

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.

33And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another.

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

34Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

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.

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