Study Desk

Joseph then answered Pharaoh, saying, "It has nothing to do with me; God will give Pharaoh an answer for his own good."

Now the proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants.

Then Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this, in whom there is a divine spirit?"

Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen, and put the gold necklace around his neck.

And he had him ride in his second chariot; and they proclaimed ahead of him, "Bow the knee!" And he placed him over all the land of Egypt.

Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Though I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt."

Then Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, "Why are you staring at one another?"

But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, "I am afraid that harm may happen to him."

When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly. He said to them, "Where have you come from?" And they said, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food."

But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him.

Then they said to one another, "Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; for that reason this distress has happened to us."

Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not tell you, 'Do not sin against the boy'; and you would not listen? Now justice for his blood is required."

Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, but also to return every man's money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. And that is what was done for them.

But when one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the overnight campsite, he saw his money; and behold, it was in the opening of his sack!

So he said to his brothers, "My money has been returned, and look, it is right in my sack!" Then their hearts sank, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?"

Now it came about, as they were emptying their sacks, that behold, every man's bag of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw their bags of money, they were afraid.

Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my care, and I will return him to you."

But Jacob said, "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should happen to him on the journey you are taking, then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow."

But they said, "The man specifically asked about us and our relatives, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?' So we answered his questions. Could we possibly know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?"