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Genesis 43 :: New American Standard Bible 1995 (NASB95)

The Return to Egypt

Gen 43:1

Gen 43:1Now the famine was severe in the land.

Gen 43:2

Gen 43:2So it came about when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.”

Gen 43:3

Gen 43:3Judah spoke to him, however, saying, “The man solemnly warned [fn]us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’

Gen 43:4

Gen 43:4“If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.

Gen 43:5

Gen 43:5“But if you do not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”

Gen 43:6

Gen 43:6Then Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly [fn]by telling the man whether you still had another brother?”

Gen 43:7

Gen 43:7But they said, “The man questioned particularly about us and our relatives, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ So we [fn]answered his questions. Could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

Gen 43:8

Gen 43:8Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the lad with me and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, we as well as you and our little ones.

Gen 43:9

Gen 43:9“I myself will be surety for him; [fn]you may hold me responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then [fn]let me bear the blame before you forever.

Gen 43:10

Gen 43:10“For if we had not delayed, surely by now we could have returned twice.”

Gen 43:11

Gen 43:11Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your [fn]bags, and carry down to the man as a present, a little [fn]balm and a little honey, [fn]aromatic gum and [fn]myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.

Gen 43:12

Gen 43:12“Take double the money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was a mistake.

Gen 43:13

Gen 43:13“Take your brother also, and arise, return to the man;

Gen 43:14

Gen 43:14and may [fn]God Almighty grant you compassion in the sight of the man, so that he will release to you your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”

Gen 43:15

Gen 43:15So the men took this present, and they took double the money in their hand, and Benjamin; then they arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

Joseph Sees Benjamin

Gen 43:16

Gen 43:16When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his house steward, “Bring the men into the house, and slay an animal and make ready; for the men are to dine with me at noon.”

Gen 43:17

Gen 43:17So the man did as Joseph said, and [fn]brought the men to Joseph’s house.

Gen 43:18

Gen 43:18Now the men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time that we are being brought in, that he may [fn]seek occasion against us and fall upon us, and take us for slaves with our donkeys.”

Gen 43:19

Gen 43:19So they came near to Joseph’s house steward, and spoke to him at the entrance of the house,

Gen 43:20

Gen 43:20and said, “Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food,

Gen 43:21

Gen 43:21and it came about when we came to the lodging place, that we opened our sacks, and behold, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in [fn]full. So we have brought it back in our hand.

Gen 43:22

Gen 43:22“We have also brought down other money in our hand to buy food; we do not know who put our money in our sacks.”

Gen 43:23

Gen 43:23He said, “[fn]Be at ease, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; [fn]I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

Gen 43:24

Gen 43:24Then the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys fodder.

Gen 43:25

Gen 43:25So they prepared the present [fn]for Joseph’s coming at noon; for they had heard that they were to eat [fn]a meal there.

Gen 43:26

Gen 43:26When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present which was in their hand and bowed to the ground before him.

Gen 43:27

Gen 43:27Then he asked them about their welfare, and said, “Is your old father well, of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”

Gen 43:28

Gen 43:28They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” They bowed down [fn]in homage.

Gen 43:29

Gen 43:29As he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, he said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son.”

Gen 43:30

Gen 43:30Joseph hurried out for [fn]he was deeply stirred over his brother, and he sought a place to weep; and he entered his chamber and wept there.

Gen 43:31

Gen 43:31Then he washed his face and came out; and he controlled himself and said, “[fn]Serve the meal.”

Gen 43:32

Gen 43:32So they served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is [fn]loathsome to the Egyptians.

Gen 43:33

Gen 43:33Now they [fn]were seated before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at one another in astonishment.

Gen 43:34

Gen 43:34He took portions to them from [fn]his own table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they feasted and drank freely with him.
See the NASB95 Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).
NASB95 Footnotes
Literally: us, saying
Literally: to tell
Literally: told him according to these words
Literally: from my hand you may require him
Literally: I shall have sinned before you all the days
Or, vessels
Or, mastic
Or, ladanum spice
Or, resinous bark
Hebrew: El Shaddai
Literally: the man brought
Literally: roll himself upon us
Literally: its weight
Literally: Peace be to you
Literally: your money had come to me
Literally: until
Literally: bread
Literally: and prostrated themselves
Literally: his compassion grew warm
Literally: Set on bread
Literally: an abomination
Literally: sat
Literally: his face
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New American Standard Bible 1995
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by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif.
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For more information on this translation, see the NASB95 Preface.

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