Benjamin

16And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour.

They left Bethel and traveled on. They were still a little way from the town of Ephrath. Then Rachel began to have her baby, and it was very hard for her.

17And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also.

While she was working so hard, the midwife spoke to her. A midwife is a woman who helps babies be born. She said, "Do not be afraid. You are having another son."

18And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin.

Rachel was dying, and with her last breath she named the baby Benoni. But his father named him Benjamin.

19And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.

So Rachel died. They buried her beside the road to Ephrath, the town also called Bethlehem.

20And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.

Jacob set up a tall stone over her grave. That stone still marks Rachel's grave today.

1Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?

Jacob heard there was grain for sale in Egypt. He said to his sons, "Why do you sit and stare at each other?"

2And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.

He said, "I hear there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us. Then we will live and not die."

3And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.

So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain.

4But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.

Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's younger brother. He was afraid something bad might happen to him.

29And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying,

They came home to their father Jacob in Canaan. They told him everything that had happened.

30The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

They said, "The man who rules that land spoke to us in a hard voice. He said we were spies."

31And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:

"We told him, 'We are honest men. We are not spies.'"

32We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.

"'We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One brother is gone. The youngest is at home with our father in Canaan.'"

33And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone:

"Then the ruler said to us, 'Here is how I will know you are honest. Leave one brother here with me. Take food for your hungry families and go.'"

34And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.

"'Then bring your youngest brother to me. That will show me you are honest men, not spies. Then I will give your brother back, and you may buy and sell here.'"

35And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.

Then they emptied their sacks. Every man found his own bag of money inside. When they and their father saw it, they were afraid.

36And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.

Jacob said to them, "You keep taking my children from me. Joseph is gone. Simeon is gone. Now you want Benjamin. Everything is going wrong for me."

37And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.

Reuben said to his father, "You may kill my own two sons if I do not bring him back. Put him in my care. I will bring him home to you."

38And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

Jacob said, "My son will not go with you. His brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If something bad happens to him on the road, my sadness will send me, an old man, to my grave."

1And the famine was sore in the land.

The famine in the land was very bad. There was still not enough food.

2And 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.

The brothers ate all the grain they brought from Egypt. Then their father said, "Go back and buy us a little more food."

3And 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.

But Judah said, "The man warned us clearly. He said we cannot see him again unless our brother comes with us.

4If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:

If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.

5But 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.

But if you will not send him, we will not go. The man said we cannot see him without our brother."

6And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?

Israel, who is Jacob, said, "Why did you make trouble for me? Why did you tell the man you had another brother?"

7And 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?

They said, "The man asked us many questions about ourselves and our family. He asked, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' We only answered what he asked. How could we know he would say, 'Bring your brother here'?"

8And 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.

Judah said to his father Israel, "Send the boy with me. We will get up and go right now. Then we will live and not die. That means us, and you, and our little children.

9I 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:

I promise to keep him safe. You can hold me responsible. If I do not bring him back to you, I will carry the blame all my life.

10For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.

If we had not waited so long, we could have gone and come back twice by now."

11And 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:

Their father Israel said, "If it must be this way, then do this. Take the best things our land grows. Put them in your bags as a gift for the man. Take a little balm and honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds.

12And 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:

Take twice as much silver with you. Take back the silver that was in the top of your sacks. Maybe someone made a mistake.

13Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:

Take your brother too. Get up and go back to the man.

14And 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.

May God Almighty make the man kind to you. May he let your other brother and Benjamin come home. If I lose my children, then I lose them."

15And 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.

So the men took the gift and twice as much silver. They took Benjamin too. They hurried down to Egypt and stood in front of Joseph.

16And 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.

Joseph saw Benjamin with them. He told the servant who ran his house, "Take these men to my house. Kill an animal and cook it. They will eat with me at noon."

17And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.

The servant did what Joseph told him. He brought the men into Joseph's house.

18And 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.

The men were afraid to be brought into Joseph's house. They said, "It is because of the silver we found in our sacks last time. He wants an excuse to grab us. He will make us slaves and take our donkeys."

19And they came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they communed with him at the door of the house,

So they went up to the servant who ran Joseph's house. They talked with him at the door.

20And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food:

They said, "Please, sir, we really did come here the first time to buy food.

21And 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.

When we stopped for the night, we opened our sacks. Every man's silver was right there in the top of his sack. It was all there, every bit. We have brought it back with us.

22And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.

We brought more silver too, to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our sacks."

23And 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.

He said, "It is all right. Do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, gave you that treasure in your sacks. I got your silver." Then he brought Simeon out to them.

24And the man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender.

The servant took the men into Joseph's house. He gave them water to wash their feet. He gave their donkeys food too.

25And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there.

They got their gift ready for when Joseph came at noon. They had heard they would eat a meal there.

26And 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.

When Joseph came home, they gave him the gift they had brought. They bowed down low, with their faces to the ground.

27And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?

He asked how they were doing. He said, "Is your old father well, the one you told me about? Is he still alive?"

28And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.

They said, "Your servant, our father, is well. He is still alive." And they bowed down low to show honor.

29And 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.

Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son. He asked, "Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?" Then he said, "God be kind to you, my son."

30And 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.

Joseph hurried out of the room. His love for his brother made him want to cry. He looked for a place to cry. He went into his own room and cried there.

31And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.

Then he washed his face and came back out. He held his feelings in and said, "Serve the food."

32And 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.

Joseph was served by himself, and his brothers by themselves. The Egyptians who ate with him were served by themselves too. Egyptians would not eat with Hebrews. To them that was a shameful thing to do.

33And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another.

The brothers sat in front of Joseph in order of age. The oldest sat first and the youngest sat last. The men stared at each other in surprise.

34And 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.

Joseph sent them helpings of food from his own table. Benjamin's helping was five times bigger than anyone else's. They ate and drank and were happy with him.

1And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man’s money in his sack’s mouth.

Joseph told the man who ran his house what to do. He said, "Fill the men's bags with all the food they can carry. Put each man's silver back in the top of his bag."

2And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

"Put my silver cup in the top of the youngest brother's bag. Put his grain silver there too." The man did just what Joseph said.

3As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

As soon as the sun came up, the men were sent away. They left with their donkeys.

4And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?

They had left the city, but they were not far away yet. Joseph said to his helper, "Go! Chase the men. When you catch them, ask why they paid back kindness with wrong."

5Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.

"Say to them: This is the cup my master drinks from. He also uses it to learn hidden things. What you did was very wrong."

6And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.

The helper caught up with them. He said to them exactly what Joseph had told him to say.

7And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:

The brothers said, "Why does our master say such things? We would never do a thing like that."

8Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks’ mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord’s house silver or gold?

"We even brought back the silver we found in our bags. We carried it all the way from Canaan. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house?"

9With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord’s bondmen.

"If you find the cup with any of us, let that man die. And the rest of us will be your master's slaves."

10And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.

The helper said, "All right, it will be close to what you said. The man who has the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go free."

11Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.

Then each man quickly lowered his bag to the ground. Each man opened his own bag.

12And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

The helper searched the bags. He started with the oldest brother and ended with the youngest. He found the cup in Benjamin's bag.

13Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.

The brothers tore their clothes to show how upset they were. They loaded their donkeys again and went back to the city.

14And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph’s house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.

Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house. Joseph was still there. They bowed low to the ground in front of him.

15And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?

Joseph said to them, "What is this you have done? Did you not know a man like me can find out hidden things?"

16And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.

Judah said, "What can we say to you, sir? How can we show we are not guilty? God has found the wrong in your servants. We are your slaves now. All of us, and the one who had the cup."

17And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.

Joseph said, "I would never do that. Only the man who had the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go home to your father in peace."

18Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.

Then Judah came closer to Joseph. He said, "Please, sir, let me say one thing to you. Please do not be angry with me. You are as great as Pharaoh, the king of Egypt."

19My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?

"Sir, you asked us, your servants, if we had a father or a brother."

20And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.

"We told you, sir, that we have an old father. He has a young son who was born when he was old. That boy's brother is dead. He is the only son left from his mother, and his father loves him."

21And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.

"Then you told us to bring the boy down to you. You said you wanted to see him yourself."

22And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

"We told you, sir, that the boy cannot leave his father. If he left, his father would die."

23And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.

"But you told us that we could not see your face again. You said we must bring our youngest brother with us."

24And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

"So we went back to my father, your servant. We told him what you had said."

25And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.

"Later our father said, \"Go back and buy us a little more food.\""

26And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man’s face, except our youngest brother be with us.

"We said we could not go. We could only go if our youngest brother came with us. The man in Egypt would not see us without him."

27And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:

"Then my father said to us, \"You know my wife gave me two sons.\""

28And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:

"\"One of them went away from me. I said a wild animal must have torn him apart. I have not seen him since.\""

29And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

"\"If you take this one too, and something bad happens to him, I will die of sadness. My gray head will go down to the grave in sorrow.\""

30Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad’s life;

"So now, sir, think what will happen. If I go home to my father without the boy, it will hurt him deeply. My father's whole life is tied to the boy's life."

31It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

"When he sees the boy is not with us, he will die. We will have sent our old father to the grave in sorrow."

32For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.

"I promised my father that the boy would be safe. I said that if I did not bring him home, I would carry the blame forever."

33Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.

"So please let me stay here as your slave instead of the boy. Let the boy go home with his brothers."

34For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.

"How can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the pain it would cause him."

1Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.

Joseph could not hold his feelings in any longer. Servants were standing nearby. He called out, "Everyone go out of the room!" So no one else was there when Joseph told his brothers who he really was.

2And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.

He cried out loud. The Egyptians heard him. Word of it reached the house of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

3And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.

Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" His brothers could not answer him. They were too shocked and scared to speak.

4And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.

Joseph said, "Please come close to me." So they came close. He said, "I am Joseph, your brother. I am the one you sold away into Egypt."

5Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

"Do not feel sad now. Do not be angry at yourselves for selling me. God sent me here ahead of you to keep people alive."

6For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.

"There has been no food in this land for two years. Five more years like this are coming. No one will plow the ground or gather crops."

7And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

"God sent me ahead of you so our family would not die out. He saved your lives in a very big way."

8So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

"So it was not really you who sent me here. It was God. He made me like a father to Pharaoh. I am in charge of the king's house and of all Egypt."

9Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not:

"Hurry back to my father. Tell him, 'Your son Joseph says this: God has made me ruler of all Egypt. Come down to me. Do not wait.'"

10And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:

"'You will live in a part of Egypt called Goshen. You will be near me. Bring your children and your grandchildren. Bring your sheep, your cattle, and everything you own.'"

11And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

"'I will take care of you there and give you food. Five more hungry years are coming. I do not want you and your family to lose everything.'"

12And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.

"Look at me. You can all see it with your own eyes, and Benjamin can too. It is really my own mouth speaking to you."

13And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.

"Tell my father how important I am here in Egypt. Tell him everything you have seen. Then hurry and bring my father down here."

14And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

Joseph threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and cried. Benjamin held him and cried too.

15Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him.

He kissed all his brothers and cried while he hugged them. After that, his brothers talked with him.

16And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, Joseph’s brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.

The news reached Pharaoh's house: "Joseph's brothers have come." Pharaoh and his helpers were glad to hear it.

17And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;

Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers to do this. Load up your animals and go back to the land of Canaan."

18And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.

"Bring your father and your families back here to me. I will give you the best land in Egypt. You will eat the best food there is."

19Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.

"Tell them this too: take wagons from Egypt for your little children and your wives. Bring your father, and come."

20Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.

"Do not worry about the things you leave behind. The best of everything in Egypt will be yours."

21And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.

Jacob's sons did just that. Joseph gave them wagons, as Pharaoh had said to do. He also gave them food for the trip.

22To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

He gave each brother new clothes. To Benjamin he gave five sets of clothes and three hundred pieces of silver.

23And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way.

He sent gifts to his father as well. Ten donkeys carried the best things Egypt had. Ten more donkeys carried grain, bread, and food for his father's journey.

24So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.

Then Joseph sent his brothers off. As they left he said, "Do not argue with each other on the way!"