Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Conscience » Instances of » Of joseph's brethren
Then they said to each other, “Obviously, we are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his deep distress when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this trouble has come to us.”
“What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed your servants’ iniquity. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.”
Conviction » Instances of » Joseph's brother, on account of their cruelty to joseph
“What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed your servants’ iniquity. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.”
Then they said to each other, "It is plain that we are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his deep distress when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this trouble has come to us." But Reuben replied: "Didn't I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn't listen. Now we must account for his blood!"
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But they could not answer him because they were terrified in his presence.
When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said to one another, "If Joseph is holding a grudge against us, he will certainly repay us for all the wrong we caused him." So they sent this message to Joseph, "Before he died your father gave a command: 'Say this to Joseph: Please forgive your brothers' transgression and their sin-the wrong they caused you.' Therefore, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." Joseph wept when their message came to him. read more.
Then his brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, "We are your slaves!" But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result-the survival of many people. Therefore don't be afraid. I will take care of you and your little ones." And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Then his brothers also came to him, bowed down before him, and said, "We are your slaves!" But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You planned evil against me; God planned it for good to bring about the present result-the survival of many people. Therefore don't be afraid. I will take care of you and your little ones." And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.
Integrity » Instances of » Jacob's sons, when accused by joseph of robbery
The men took this gift, double the amount of money, and Benjamin. They made their way down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his steward, "Take the men to [my] house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for they will eat with me at noon." The man did as Joseph had said and brought them to Joseph's house. read more.
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." So they approached Joseph's steward and spoke to him at the doorway of the house. They said, "Sir, we really did come down here the first time only to buy food. 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! It was the full amount of our money, and we have brought it back with us. We have brought additional money with us to buy food. We don't know who put our money in the bags."
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." So they approached Joseph's steward and spoke to him at the doorway of the house. They said, "Sir, we really did come down here the first time only to buy food. 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! It was the full amount of our money, and we have brought it back with us. We have brought additional money with us to buy food. We don't know who put our money in the bags."
They said to him, "Why does my lord say these things? Your servants could not possibly do such a thing. We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money we found at the top of our bags. How could we steal gold and silver from your master's house? If any of us is found to have it, he must die, and we also will become my lord's slaves." read more.
The steward replied, "What you have said is proper, but only the one who is found to have it will be my slave, and the rest of you will be blameless." So each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Then they tore their clothes, and each one loaded his donkey and returned to the city. When Judah and his brothers reached Joseph's house, he was still there. They fell to the ground before him. "What is this you have done?" Joseph said to them. "Didn't you know that a man like me could uncover the truth by divination?" "What can we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed your servants' iniquity. We are now my lord's slaves-both we and the one in whose possession the cup was found."
The steward replied, "What you have said is proper, but only the one who is found to have it will be my slave, and the rest of you will be blameless." So each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Then they tore their clothes, and each one loaded his donkey and returned to the city. When Judah and his brothers reached Joseph's house, he was still there. They fell to the ground before him. "What is this you have done?" Joseph said to them. "Didn't you know that a man like me could uncover the truth by divination?" "What can we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed your servants' iniquity. We are now my lord's slaves-both we and the one in whose possession the cup was found."
Judah » Son of jacob » Goes down into egypt for corn (grain)
Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to prepare for his arrival at Goshen. When they came to the land of Goshen,
Now the famine in the land was severe. 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." But Judah said to him, "The man specifically warned us: 'You will not see me again unless your brother is with you.' read more.
If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 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.' " "Why did you cause me so much trouble?" Israel asked. "Why did you tell the man that you had another brother?" 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'?" 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. I will be responsible for him. You can hold me personally accountable! If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, I will be guilty before you forever. If we had not wasted time, we could have come back twice by now."
If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 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.' " "Why did you cause me so much trouble?" Israel asked. "Why did you tell the man that you had another brother?" 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'?" 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. I will be responsible for him. You can hold me personally accountable! If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, I will be guilty before you forever. If we had not wasted time, we could have come back twice by now."
When Judah and his brothers reached Joseph's house, he was still there. They fell to the ground before him. "What is this you have done?" Joseph said to them. "Didn't you know that a man like me could uncover the truth by divination?" "What can we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed your servants' iniquity. We are now my lord's slaves-both we and the one in whose possession the cup was found." read more.
Then Joseph said, "I swear that I will not do this. The man in whose possession the cup was found will be my slave. The rest of you can go in peace to your father." But Judah approached him and said, "Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother?' and we answered my lord, 'We have an elderly father and a young brother, the child of his old age. The boy's brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him.' Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him to me so that I can see him.' But we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.' Then you said to your servants, 'If your younger brother does not come down with you, you will not see me again.' "This is what happened when we went back to your servant my father: We reported your words to him. But our father said, 'Go again, and buy us some food.' We told him, 'We cannot go down unless our younger brother goes with us. But if our younger brother isn't with us, we cannot see the man.' Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. One left-I said that he must have been torn to pieces-and I have never seen him again. If you also take this one from me and anything happens to him, you will bring my gray hairs down to Sheol in sorrow.' "So, if I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us-his life is wrapped up with the boy's life- when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hairs of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. Your servant became accountable to my father for the boy, saying, 'If I do not return him to you, I will always bear the guilt for sinning against [you,] my father.' Now please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave, in place of the boy. Let him go back with his brothers. For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the grief that would overwhelm my father."
Then Joseph said, "I swear that I will not do this. The man in whose possession the cup was found will be my slave. The rest of you can go in peace to your father." But Judah approached him and said, "Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother?' and we answered my lord, 'We have an elderly father and a young brother, the child of his old age. The boy's brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him.' Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him to me so that I can see him.' But we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.' Then you said to your servants, 'If your younger brother does not come down with you, you will not see me again.' "This is what happened when we went back to your servant my father: We reported your words to him. But our father said, 'Go again, and buy us some food.' We told him, 'We cannot go down unless our younger brother goes with us. But if our younger brother isn't with us, we cannot see the man.' Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. One left-I said that he must have been torn to pieces-and I have never seen him again. If you also take this one from me and anything happens to him, you will bring my gray hairs down to Sheol in sorrow.' "So, if I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us-his life is wrapped up with the boy's life- when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hairs of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. Your servant became accountable to my father for the boy, saying, 'If I do not return him to you, I will always bear the guilt for sinning against [you,] my father.' Now please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave, in place of the boy. Let him go back with his brothers. For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the grief that would overwhelm my father."