Study Desk

When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him everything that had happened to them, saying,

"The man, the lord of the land, ^(C1)spoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country.

"But we said to him, 'We are ^(C1)honest men; we are not spies.

'We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no longer alive, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.'

"But the man, the lord of the land, said to us, '^(C1)By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me and take grain for the famine of your households, and go.

'But bring your youngest brother to me so that I may know that you are not spies, but ^(F1)honest men. I will give your brother to you, and you may ^(C1)trade in the land.'"

Now it came about, as they were emptying their sacks, that behold, ^(C1)every man's bag of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw their bags of money, they were afraid.

And their father Jacob said to them, "You have ^(C1)deprived me of my sons: Joseph is gone, and Simeon is gone, and now you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me."

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 ^(F1)care, and I will return him to you."

But ^(F1)Jacob said, "My son shall not go down with you; for his ^(C1)brother is dead, and he alone is left. ^(C2)If harm should happen to him on the journey ^(F2)you are taking, then you will ^(C3)bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow."