2 So 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.”
2 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.
2 When they had used up the grain they had brought back from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us some food.”
2 As 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."
2 And it happened that when the families of Jacob’s sons had finished eating [all of] the grain which they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.”
3 Judah spoke to him, however, saying, “(B)The man solemnly warned (a)us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’
3 And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
3 But Judah said to him, “The man specifically warned us: ‘You will not see me again unless your brother is with you.’
3 But Judah reminded him, "The man distinctly warned us: "You'll never see my face unless your brother comes with you.'
3 But Judah said to him, “The man [representing Pharaoh] solemnly and sternly warned us, saying, ‘You will not see my face [again] unless your brother is with you.’
4 If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.
4 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:
4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you.
4 So if you send our brother with us, we'll go down and buy some food.
4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down [to Egypt] and buy you food.
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.’”
5 But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.
5 But if you will not send him, we will not go, for the man said to us, ‘You will not see me again unless your brother is with you.’”(B)
5 But 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.'"
5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down there; for the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”
6 Then Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly (b)by telling the man whether you still had another brother?”
6 And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?
6 “Why did you cause me so much trouble?” Israel asked. “Why did you tell the man that you had another brother?”
6 Israel replied, "Why did you make all this trouble by telling the man that you have another brother?"
6 And Israel (Jacob) said, “Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man that you had another brother?”
7 But they said, “The man questioned particularly about us and our relatives, saying, ‘(C)Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ So we (c)answered his questions. Could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”
7 And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?
7 They answered, “The man kept asking about us and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”
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?"
8 Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the lad with me and we will arise and go, (D)that we may live and not die, we as well as you and our little ones.
8 And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.
8 Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me. We will be on our way so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our children.
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.
8 Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the young man with me and we will get up and go [buy food], so that we may live and not die [of starvation], we as well as you and our little ones.
9 (E)I myself will be surety for him; (d)you may hold me responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then (e)let me bear the blame before you forever.
9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:
9 I will be responsible for him. You can hold me personally accountable!(a) If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, I will be guilty before you forever.(C)
9 I'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.
10 For if we had not delayed, surely by now we could have returned twice.”
10 For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.
10 If we had not wasted time, we could have come back twice by now.”
10 After all, if we hadn't delayed, we could have been there and back twice by now!"
10 For if we had not delayed like this, surely by now we would have returned the second time.”
11 Then 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 (f)bags, and carry down to the man (F)as a present, a little (g)(G)balm and a little honey, (h)aromatic gum and (i)myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.
11 And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and take them down to the man as a gift—some balsam and some honey, aromatic gum and resin, pistachios and almonds.(D)
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.
11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this; take some of the choicest products of the land in your sacks, and carry it as a present [of tribute] to the man [representing Pharaoh], a little balm and a little honey, aromatic spices or gum, resin, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
12 Take double the money in your hand, and take back in your hand (H)the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was a mistake.
12 And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight:
12 Take twice as much money with you. Return the money that was returned to you in the top of your bags. Perhaps it was a mistake.
12 Also 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.
12 Take double the [amount of] money with you, and take back the money that was returned in the opening of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight.
13 Take your brother also, and arise, return to the man;
13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:
13 Take your brother also, and go back at once to the man.
13 And be sure to take your brother, too. So get up, return to the man,
13 Take your brother [Benjamin] also, and get up, and go to the man;
14 and may (j)(I)God Almighty (J)grant you compassion in the sight of the man, so that he will release to you (K)your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, (L)if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”
14 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.
14 May God Almighty cause the man to be merciful to you so that he will release your other brother and Benjamin to you. As for me, if I am deprived of my sons, then I am deprived.”(E)
14 and 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."
15 So the men took (M)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.
15 And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.
15 The men took this gift, double the amount of money, and Benjamin. They made their way down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
15 So 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.
15 Then the men took the present, and they took double the [amount of] money with them, and Benjamin; then they left and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his (N)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.”
16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his steward,(b) “Take the men to my house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for they will eat with me at noon.”
16 As 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."
16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and kill an animal and make [a meal] ready; for the men will dine with me at noon.”
17 And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph's house.
17 The man did as Joseph had said and brought them to Joseph’s house.
17 So the man did what Joseph had ordered, and brought the men to Joseph's palace.
17 So the man did as Joseph said, and brought the men to Joseph’s house.
18 Now 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 (l)seek occasion against us and fall upon us, and take us for slaves with our donkeys.”
18 And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses.
18 But the men were afraid because they were taken to Joseph’s house. They said, “We have been brought here because of the money that was returned in our bags the first time. They intend to overpower us, seize us, make us slaves, and take our donkeys.”
18 The 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!"
18 The men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph’s house; and [expecting the worst] they said, “It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time [we came] that we are being brought in, so that he may find a reason to accuse us and assail us, and take us as slaves, and seize our donkeys.”
19 So they came near to Joseph’s house steward, and spoke to him at the entrance of the house,
19 And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed with him at the door of the house,
19 So they approached Joseph's palace manager and talked with him at the palace entrance.
19 So they approached the steward of Joseph’s house, and talked with him at the entrance of the house,
20 and said, “Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food,
20 And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food:
20 They said, “Sir, we really did come down here the first time only to buy food.
20 "Your Excellency," they said, "The first time we came here to buy food,
20 and said, “Oh, my lord, we indeed came down here the first time to buy food;
21 and it came about when we came to the lodging place, that we opened our sacks, and behold, (O)each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in (m)full. So (P)we have brought it back in our hand.
21 And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand.
21 When we came to the place where we lodged for the night and opened our bags of grain, each one’s money was at the top of his bag!(F) It was the full amount of our money, and we have brought it back with us.
21 when 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.
21 and when we arrived at the inn [after leaving here], we opened our sacks and there was each man’s money [with which he had paid for grain], in full, returned in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back [this time].
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.”
22 And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.
22 We have brought additional money with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our money in the bags.”
22 We've also brought along some more money to buy supplies, but we don't know who put our money back into our sacks."
22 We have also brought down with us additional money to buy food; we do not know who put our money [back] in our sacks [last time].”
23 He said, “(n)Be at ease, do not be afraid. (Q)Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; (o)I had your money.” Then (R)he brought Simeon out to them.
23 And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.
23 Then the steward said, “May you be well. Don’t be afraid. Your God and the God of your father must have put treasure in your bags. I received 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,
23 But the steward [encouraged them and] said, “Peace be to you, do not be afraid; your God and the God of your father has [miraculously] given you treasure in your sacks. I [already] had your money [which you paid to us].” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
24 Then the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and (S)gave them water, and they (T)washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys fodder.
24 And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender.
24 The steward brought the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet,(G) and got feed for their donkeys.
24 ushered the men into Joseph's palace, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided fodder for their donkeys.
24 Then the steward brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed [the dust off] their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed.
25 So they prepared (U)the present (p)for Joseph’s coming at noon; for they had heard that they were to eat (q)a meal there.
25 And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.
25 Since the men had heard that they were going to eat a meal there, they prepared their gift for Joseph’s arrival at noon.
25 Then 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.
25 So they prepared the present [of tribute] for Joseph before his arrival at noon; for they had heard that they were to eat a meal there.
26 When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present which was in their hand and (V)bowed to the ground before him.
26 And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.
26 When Joseph came home, they brought him the gift they had carried into the house, and they bowed to the ground before him.
26 When 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.
26 When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present [of tribute] which they had with them and bowed to the ground before him.
27 Then he asked them about their welfare, and said, “(W)Is your old father well, of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”
27 And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?
27 He asked if they were well, and he said, “How is your elderly father that you told me about? Is he still alive?”
27 Joseph asked them how they had been doing. "Is your father well, the older gentleman about whom you spoke?" he inquired. "Is he still alive?"
27 He asked them about their well-being, and said, “Is your old father well, of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”
28 They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” (X)They bowed down (r)in homage.
28 And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.
28 They answered, “Your servant our father is well. He is still alive.” And they bowed down to honor him.
28 "Your servant, our father, is doing well," they replied. "He is still alive." Then they bowed down in humility.
28 And they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” And they bowed down [their heads before Joseph] in respect.
29 As he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, he said, “Is this (Y)your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “(Z)May God be gracious to you, my son.”
29 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son.
29 When he looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother that you told me about?” Then he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son.”
29 As 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."
29 And he looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s [only other] son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?” And Joseph said, “God be gracious to you and show you favor, my son.”
30 Joseph hurried out for (s)(AA)he was deeply stirred over his brother, and he sought a place to weep; and he entered his chamber and (AB)wept there.
30 And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there.
30 Joseph hurried out because he was overcome with emotion for his brother, and he was about to weep. He went into an inner room to weep.
30 At 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,
30 Then Joseph hurried out [of the room] because his heart was deeply touched over his brother, and he sought privacy to weep; so he entered his chamber and wept there.
31 Then he washed his face and came out; and he (AC)controlled himself and said, “(t)Serve the meal.”
31 And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.
31 then washed his face and came out. Barely controlling himself, he ordered his staff to serve the meal.
31 Then he washed his face and came out, and, restraining himself, said, “Let the meal be served.”
32 So 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 (u)(AD)loathsome to the Egyptians.
32 And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
32 They served him by himself, his brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who were eating with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, since that is abhorrent to them.(I)
32 Joseph'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.
33 Now they (v)were seated before him, (AE)the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at one another in astonishment.
33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another.
33 They were seated before him in order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest. The men looked at each other in astonishment.
33 Meanwhile, the brothers were seated in front of Joseph in birth order, from firstborn to youngest. The men stared at one another in astonishment.
33 Now Joseph’s brothers were seated [by the steward] before him [in the order of their birth]—the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked at one another in astonishment [because so much was known about them].
34 He took portions to them from (w)his own table, (AF)but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they feasted and drank freely with him.
34 And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.
34 Portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, and Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than any of theirs.(J) They drank, and they got intoxicated with Joseph.
34 Joseph 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.
34 Joseph selected and sent portions to them from his own table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they feasted and drank freely and celebrated with him.
Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.
International Standard Version Copyright © 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation.
King James Version Public Domain
New American Standard Bible Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org