Malcom: Welcome To Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience.
Day 98
When Jacob heard that grain was available in Egypt, he said to his sons, why are you
standing around looking at one another?
I have heard there is grain in Egypt.
Go down there and buy enough grain to keep us alive, otherwise we'll die.
So Joseph's 10 older brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain, but Jacob
wouldn't let Joseph's younger brother Benjamin go with them for fear.
Some harm might come to him.
So Jacob's sons arrived in Egypt, along with others to buy food for.
The famine was in Canaan as well.
Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of selling grain to all the
people, it was to him that his brothers came when they arrived, they bowed before
him with their faces to the ground.
Joseph recognized his brothers instantly, but he pretended to be a
stranger and spoke harshly to them.
Where are you from?
He demanded from the land of Canaan, they replied, we have come to buy food.
Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn't recognize him
and he remembered the dreams he'd had about them many years before.
He said to them, you are spies.
You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become.
No, my Lord, they exclaimed.
Your servants have simply come to buy food.
We are all brothers members of the same family.
We are honest men.
Sir, we are not spies.
Yes you are.
Joseph insisted you have come to see how vulnerable our land has become.
Sir, they said there are actually 12 of us.
We, your servants are all brothers.
Sons of a man living in the land of Canaan.
Our youngest brother is back there with our father right now and one of
our brothers is no longer with us.
But Joseph insisted, as I said, you are spies.
This is how I will test your story.
I swear by the life of Pharaoh, that you will never leave Egypt unless
your youngest brother comes here.
One of you must go and get your brother.
I'll keep the rest of you here in prison.
Then we'll find out whether or not your story is true by the life of Pharaoh.
If it turns out that you don't have a younger brother,
then I'll know you are spies.
So Joseph put them all in prison for three days.
On the third day, Joseph said to them, I'm a god-fearing man.
If you do, as I say, you will live.
If you really are honest, men, choose one of your brothers to remain in prison.
The rest of you may go home with grain for your starving families, but you must
bring your youngest brother back to me.
This will prove that you are telling the truth and you will not die to this.
They agreed.
Speaking among themselves, they said clearly we are being punished because
of what we did to Joseph Long ago.
We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldn't listen.
That's why we are in this trouble.
Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy?
Ruben asked, but you wouldn't listen, and now we have to answer for his blood.
Of course, they didn't know that Joseph understood them for he had been
speaking to them through an interpreter.
Now he turned away from them and began to weep.
When he regained his composure, he spoke to them again.
Then he chose Simeon from among them and had him tied up right before their eyes.
Joseph then ordered his servants to fill the men's sex with grain, but he also
gave secret instructions to return each brother's payment at the top of his sack.
He also gave them supplies for their journey home.
So the brothers loaded their donkeys with the grain and headed for home.
But when they stopped for the night and one of them opened his sack to
get grain for his donkey, he found his money in the top of his sack.
Look, he exclaimed to his brothers.
My money has been returned.
It's here in my sack.
Then their heart sank, trembling.
They said to each other, what has God done to us?
When the brothers came to their father, Jacob, in the land of Canaan, they told
him everything that had happened to them.
The man who was governor of the land spoke very harshly to us.
They told him he accused us of being spies, scouting the land, but we
said we are honest men, not spies.
We are 12 brothers, sons of one father, one brother is no longer with
us, and the youngest is at home with our father in the land of Canaan.
Then the man who was governor of the land told us, this is how I will find out.
If you are honest, men, leave one of your brothers here with me and take grain for
your starving families and go on home.
But you must bring your youngest brother back to me.
Then I will know you are honest men and not spies.
Then I will give you back your brother, and you may trade freely in the land
as they emptied out their sacks.
There in each man's sack was the bag of money he had paid for the grain.
The brothers and their father were terrified when they saw the bags of money.
Jacob exclaimed, you are robbing me of my children.
Joseph is gone, Simeon is gone, and now you want to take Benjamin too.
Everything is going against me.
Then Ruben said to his father, you may kill my two sons.
If I don't bring Benjamin back to you, I'll be responsible for him
and I promise to bring him back.
But Jacob replied, my son will not go down with you.
His brother Joseph is dead and he is all I have left.
If anything should happen to him on your journey, you would send this
grieving white-haired man to his grave.
But the famine continued to ravage the land of Canaan.
When the grain they had brought from Egypt was almost gone, Jacob said to his sons,
go back and buy us a little more food.
But Judah said the man was serious when he warned us.
You won't see my face again unless your brother is with you.
If you send Benjamin with us, we will go down and buy more food.
But if you don't let Benjamin go, we won't go either.
Remember the man said you won't see my face again unless my brother is with you?
Why were you so cruel to me?
Jacob Moaned.
Why did you tell him you had another brother?
The man kept asking us questions about our family.
They replied.
He asked, is your father still alive?
Do you have another brother?
So we answered his questions.
How could we know?
He would say, bring your brother down here.
Judah said to his father, send the boy with me and we will be on our way.
Otherwise, we will all die of starvation.
And not only we, but you and our little ones.
I personally guarantee his safety.
You may hold me responsible.
If I don't bring him back to you, then let me bear the blame forever.
If we hadn't wasted all of his time, we could have gone and returned twice by now.
So their father, Jacob finally said to them, if it can't be
avoided, then at least do this.
Pack your bags with the best products of this land.
Take them down to the man as gifts balm, honey, gum aromatic resin,
pistachio nuts, and almonds.
Also, take double the money that was put back in your sacks as it
was probably someone's mistake.
Then take your brother and go back to the man.
May God Almighty give you mercy as you go before the man so that he will
release Simeon and let Benjamin return.
But if I must lose my children, so be it.
So the men packed Jacob's gifts and double the money and headed off with Benjamin.
They finally arrived in Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph.
When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the manager of his household,
these men will eat with me this noon, take them inside the palace, then go slaughter
an animal and prepare a big feast.
So the man did, as Joseph told him and took them into Joseph's palace.
The brothers were terrified when they saw that they were
being taken into Joseph's house.
It's because of the money Someone put in our sacks last time we were here, they
said he plans to pretend that we stole it.
Then he will seize us, make us slaves, and take our donkeys.
The brothers approached the manager of Joseph's household and spoke to
him at the entrance to the palace.
Sir, they said we came to Egypt once before to buy food.
But as we were returning home, we stopped for the night and opened our sacks.
Then we discovered that each man's money, the exact amount
paid, was in the top of his sack.
Here it is.
We have brought it back with us.
We also have additional money to buy more food.
We have no idea who put our money in our sacks.
Relax, don't be afraid.
The household manager told them, your God, the God of your father must have
put this treasure into your sacks.
I know I received your payment.
Then he released Simeon and brought him out to them.
The manager then led the man into Joseph's palace.
He gave them water to wash their feet and provided food for their donkeys.
They were told they would be eating there, so they prepared their
gifts for Joseph's arrival at noon.
When Joseph came home, they gave him the gifts they had brought him and then
bowed low to the ground before him.
After greeting them, he asked, how is your father, the old man you
spoke about, is he still alive?
Yes.
They replied, our father, your servant is alive and well, and they bowed low again.
Then Joseph looked at his brother Benjamin, the son of his own mother.
Is this your youngest brother?
The one you told me about?
Joseph asked, may God be gracious to you, my son.
Then Joseph hurried from the room because he was overcome
with a motion for his brother.
He went into his private room where he broke down and wept.
After washing his face, he came back out, keeping himself under control.
Then he ordered bring out the food.
The waiter served Joseph at his own table and his brothers were
served at a separate table.
The Egyptians who ate with Joseph sat at their own table because Egyptians despise
Hebrews and refused to eat with them.
Joseph told each of his brothers where to sit, and to their amazement, he
seated them according to age, from oldest to youngest, and Joseph filled
their plates with food from his own table, giving Benjamin five times as
much as he gave the others, so they feasted and drank freely with him.
This concludes today's Immer Reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.