Genesis 44–50

44TH CHAPTER

Joseph’s Plan to Trap His Brothers

¹Joseph commanded the man in charge of his house, “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry. Put each man’s money in his sack. ²Then put my silver cup in the youngest brother’s sack along with the money for his grain.” He did what Joseph told him. 

³At dawn the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. ⁴They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to the man in charge of his house, “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you paid me back with evil when I was good to you? ⁵Isn’t this the cup that my master drinks from and that he uses for telling the future? What you have done is evil!’ ” 

⁶When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. ⁷They answered him, “Sir, how can you say such things? We would never think of doing anything like that! ⁸We brought the money we found in our sacks back from Canaan. So why would we steal any silver or gold from your master’s house? ⁹If one of us has it, he will die, and the rest of us will become your slaves.” 

¹⁰“I agree,” he said. “We’ll do what you’ve said. The man who has the cup will be my slave, and the rest of you can go free.” 

¹¹Each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. ¹²Then the man made a thorough search. He began with the oldest and ended with the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. ¹³When they saw this, they tore their clothes in grief. Then each one loaded his donkey and went back into the city. 

¹⁴Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph’s house while Joseph was still there. Immediately, they bowed with their faces touching the ground. ¹⁵Joseph asked them, “What have you done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out because he knows the future?” 

¹⁶“Sir, what can we say to you?” Judah asked. “How else can we explain it? How can we prove we’re innocent? God has uncovered our guilt. Now all of us are your slaves, including the one who had the cup.” 

¹⁷But Joseph said, “I would never think of doing that! Only the man who had the cup will be my slave. The rest of you can go back to your father in peace.” 

Judah Defends Benjamin

¹⁸Then Judah went up to Joseph and said, “Please, sir, let me speak openly with you. Don’t be angry with me, although you are equal to Pharaoh. ¹⁹Sir, you asked us, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ ²⁰We answered, ‘We have a father who is old and a younger brother born to him when he was already old. The boy’s brother is dead, so he’s the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’ 

²¹“Then you said to us, ‘Bring him here to me so that I can see him myself.’ ²²We replied, ‘The boy can’t leave his father. If the boy leaves him, his father will die.’ ²³Then you told us, ‘If your youngest brother doesn’t come here with you, you will never be allowed to see me again.’ ²⁴When we went back to our father, we told him what you had said. 

²⁵“Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little more food.’ ²⁶We answered, ‘We can’t go back. We can only go back if our youngest brother is with us. The man won’t see us unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 

²⁷“Then our father said to us, ‘You know that my wife ⸤Rachel⸥ gave me two sons. ²⁸One is gone, and I said, “He must have been torn to pieces!” I haven’t seen him since. ²⁹If you take this one away from me too and anything happens to him, you’ll drive this gray-haired old man to his grave.’ 

³⁰“Our father’s life is wrapped up with the boy’s life. If I come ⸤home⸥ without the boy ³¹and he sees that the boy isn’t ⸤with me⸥, he’ll die. The grief would drive our gray-haired old father to his grave. 

³²“I guaranteed my father that the boy would come back. I said, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, then you can blame me the rest of my life, Father.’ ³³Sir, please let me stay and be your slave in the boy’s place, and let the boy go back with his brothers. ³⁴How could I go back to my father if the boy isn’t with me? I couldn’t bear to see my father’s misery!” 

45TH CHAPTER

Joseph Reveals His Identity

¹Joseph could no longer control his emotions in front of everyone who was standing around him, so he cried out, “Have everyone leave me!” No one else was there when Joseph told his brothers who he was. ²He cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. 

³Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” His brothers could not answer him because they were afraid of him. 

⁴“Please come closer to me,” Joseph said to his brothers. When they did so, he said, “I am Joseph, the brother you sold into slavery in Egypt! ⁵Now, don’t be sad or angry with yourselves that you sold me. God sent me ahead of you to save lives. ⁶The famine has been in the land for two years. There will be five more years without plowing or harvesting. ⁷God sent me ahead of you to make sure that you would have descendants on the earth and to save your lives in an amazing way. ⁸It wasn’t you who sent me here, but God. He has made me ⸤like⸥ a father to Pharaoh, lord over his entire household, and ruler of Egypt. 

⁹“Hurry back to my father, and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says, “God has made me lord of Egypt. Come here to me right away! ¹⁰Live in the land of Goshen, where you will be near me. Live there with your children and your grandchildren, as well as your flocks, your herds, and everything you have. ¹¹I will provide for you in Egypt, since there will be five more years of famine. Then you, your family, and all who belong to you won’t lose everything.” ’ 

¹²“You and my brother Benjamin can see for yourselves that I am the one who is speaking to you. ¹³Tell my father how greatly honored I am in Egypt and about everything you have seen. Hurry and bring my father here!” 

¹⁴He threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and cried with Benjamin, who was crying on his shoulder. ¹⁵He kissed all his brothers and cried with them. After that his brothers talked with him. 

Pharaoh Invites Jacob’s ^[Israel’s^[ Family to Live in Egypt

¹⁶When Pharaoh’s household heard the news that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and his officials were pleased. ¹⁷So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Load up your animals, and go back to Canaan. ¹⁸Take your father and your families, and come to me. I will give you the best land in Egypt. Then you can enjoy the best food in the land.’ 

¹⁹“Give them this order: ‘Take wagons with you from Egypt for your children and your wives. Bring your father, and come back. ²⁰Don’t worry about your belongings because the best of everything in Egypt is yours.’ ” 

²¹Israel’s sons did as they were told. Joseph gave them wagons and supplies for their trip as Pharaoh had ordered. ²²He gave each of them a change of clothes, but he gave Benjamin three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothes. ²³He sent his father ten male donkeys carrying Egypt’s best products and ten female donkeys carrying grain, bread, and food for his father’s trip. ²⁴So Joseph sent his brothers on their way. As they were leaving, he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on your way back!” 

²⁵So they left Egypt and came to their father Jacob in Canaan. ²⁶They told him, “Joseph is still alive! Yes, he is ruler of Egypt.” Jacob was stunned and didn’t believe them. ²⁷Yet, when they told their father everything Joseph had said to them and he saw the wagons Joseph had sent to bring him back, his spirits were lifted. 

²⁸“You have convinced me!” Israel said. “My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.” 

46TH CHAPTER

Jacob’s ^[Israel’s^[ Seventh Encounter with God

¹Israel moved with all he had. When he came to Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 

²God spoke to Israel in a vision that night and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” 

“Here I am,” he answered. 

³“I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to go to Egypt, because I will make you a great nation there. ⁴I will go with you to Egypt, and I will make sure you come back again. Joseph will close your eyes ⸤when you die⸥.” 

⁵So Jacob left Beersheba. Israel’s sons put their father Jacob, their children, and their wives in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to bring him back. ⁶They also took their livestock and the possessions they had accumulated in Canaan. 

Jacob and all his family arrived in Egypt. ⁷He had brought his sons, his grandsons, his daughters, and his granddaughters—his entire family. 

Jacob’s ^[Israel’s^[ Descendants—Exodus 6:14–16; 1 Chronicles 2:3–5

⁸These are the names of Israel’s descendants (Jacob and his descendants) who arrived in Egypt. 

Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn. 

⁹The sons of Reuben were 

Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 

¹⁰The sons of Simeon were 

Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. 

¹¹The sons of Levi were 

Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 

¹²The sons of Judah were 

Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. (Er and Onan had died in Canaan.) 

The sons of Perez were 

Hezron and Hamul. 

¹³The sons of Issachar were 

Tola, Puvah, Iob, and Shimron. 

¹⁴The sons of Zebulun were 

Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. 

¹⁵These were the descendants of the sons Leah gave to Jacob in Paddan Aram, in addition to his daughter Dinah. The total number of these sons and daughters was 33. 

¹⁶The sons of Gad were 

Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. 

¹⁷The sons of Asher were 

Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Their sister was Serah. 

The sons of Beriah were 

Heber and Malchiel. 

¹⁸These were the descendants of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah. She gave birth to these children for Jacob. The total was 16. 

¹⁹The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel were 

Joseph and Benjamin. 

²⁰In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest from the city of On. 

²¹The sons of Benjamin were 

Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. 

²²These were the descendants of Rachel who were…