When the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma, he told himself, "I will never again curse the land because of human beings even though human inclinations remain evil from youth nor will I destroy every living being ever again, as I've done.

So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan plain. Then Lot traveled eastward, and they separated from each other.

Abraham fell to the ground, laughed, and told himself, "Can a child be born to a 100-year-old man? Can a 90-year-old Sarah give birth?"

Abraham answered, "God will provide himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son."

So Esau harbored animosity toward Jacob because of the way his father had blessed him. Esau kept saying to himself, "The time to mourn for my father is very near. That's when I'm going to kill my brother Jacob."

Then Jacob woke up during the night and told himself, "Surely, the LORD is in this place and I never knew it!"

Now Jacob used to listen while Laban's sons kept on complaining, "Jacob has taken over everything our father owns! He made himself wealthy from what belongs to our father!"

He built an altar there to God and named the place El Beth-el, because God had revealed himself there when he was fleeing from his brother.

So Jacob tore his clothes, dressed himself in sackcloth, and then mourned many days for his son.

Everything that he owned, he entrusted into Joseph's care. He never concerned himself about anything, except for the food he ate.

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,

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

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.

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.

At this point, Joseph could not control his emotions any longer, so he cried out to everyone who was standing nearby, "Everybody! Leave me!" As a result, none of his staff was anywhere near him when he revealed himself to his brothers.

As a result, it wasn't you who sent me here, but God himself! He established me as a father-figure to Pharaoh himself! I'm in charge of his entire palace and ruler over the entire land of Egypt.

I'm going down with you to Egypt, and I'm certainly going to bring you back again. And Joseph himself will be with you when you die."

Jacob reminded Joseph, "God Almighty revealed himself to me at Luz in Canaan and blessed me.