{
  "1": "The famine {continued to be} severe in the region {of Canaan}. ",
  "2": "So when Jacob and his family finished eating {all} the grain that his sons had brought from {the country of} Egypt, he said to them, “Go back {to Egypt} {and} buy some {more} grain for us {and our families}.”\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "3": "But {his son} Judah replied to him, “The governor {there} sternly warned us that we cannot go to him {again} {to buy grain} if our {youngest} brother {is} not with us. ",
  "4": "{So} if you will allow our {youngest} brother to go with us, {then} we can go {to Egypt} and buy {more} grain for you. ",
  "5": "However if you refuse to let him go {with us}, we cannot go {there}, because the governor warned us that we cannot go to him {again} if our {youngest} brother {is} not with us.”\n\n\\ts\\*\n\\p",
  "6": "Then {their father} Israel asked {them}, “Why did you cause trouble for me by telling the governor that you have a younger brother?” ",
  "7": "They answered {him}, “The governor asked {us} many questions about ourselves and about our family. He asked {us} if our father was still alive and if we had {another} brother. We {just} answered his questions honestly. There is no way we could have known that he would require us to take our brother down {there} {to him}!”\n\n\\ts\\*\n\\p",
  "8": "Then Judah urged his father Israel {about Benjamin}, “Entrust the young man to me {to take care of} so that we can go immediately {to Egypt} {to buy grain}. Then all of us, including our children, can survive and not starve to death. ",
  "9": "I personally promise to keep him safe. You can hold me responsible for him, {so that} if I do not bring him {back} to you safely, I will be guilty of this sin against you for the rest of my life. ",
  "10": "{In any case,} if we had not waited {this long}, we could have made two {round} trips {there and back} by now.”\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "11": "Then their father Israel said to them, “Since that is how it must be, then do this: Put {some} of the best things from {our} land in your sacks, and take {them} to the governor {as} gifts. {Include} some healing salve, some honey, {some} spices and incense, {and} {some} pistachio nuts and almonds. ",
  "12": "{Also} take with you twice {as much} money {as you took the first time}, because you must take back the money that someone gave back {to you} in your sacks. Maybe they did that by mistake.\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "13": "So {now,} take your {youngest} brother and immediately go back to the governor. ",
  "14": "I pray that God {who is} all-powerful will cause him to treat you kindly so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come {back} {home} with you. But {if not, and} if I {must} lose them and grieve {for them}, {then} I {will} grieve.”\n\n\\p",
  "15": "Then the brothers packed those gifts {in their sacks} along with twice as much money {as the grain would cost}. Then they {took} Benjamin {with them} and quickly traveled down to {the country of} Egypt and went directly to Joseph.\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "16": "When Joseph saw Benjamin with his {other} brothers, he commanded his head house-servant, “Escort these men to {my} house. Then butcher a calf and prepare {a feast}, because {I want} them to eat with me {today} at noon.”\n\n\\p",
  "17": "The servant did exactly what Joseph {had} told {him to do} and escorted the brothers to Joseph’s house.\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "18": "But when the brothers {saw} that he had taken them to Joseph’s house, they were afraid, and they said {to each other}, “He has taken us here because of {our} money that someone gave back to us in our sacks {on} {our} first trip {here}. {He intends} to {have his soldiers} attack us and overpower us and make us {his} servants, along with our donkeys!”\n\n\\p",
  "19": "Then they approached Joseph’s head house-servant {outside} the door to {his} house to speak to him. ",
  "20": "and said, “Excuse us, sir, one time before this, we traveled all the way down {here} {to Egypt} to buy {some} grain.\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "21": "But {on our way home,} when we arrived at the place where we lodged for the night, we opened our sacks. There in the top of each of our sacks {was} the money {we had paid to you} {for the grain}! The money was all there! So we brought it {all} back with us {to give to you}. ",
  "22": "We have {also} brought more money with us so that we can buy {some more} grain {now}. We have no idea who put the money in our sacks.” ",
  "23": "But Joseph’s servant replied {to them}, “It is all right, {so} do not worry {about it}. The God whom you and your father serve must have put the money in your sacks, {because} I {definitely} received your money {that you paid for the grain}.” Then Joseph’s servant brought Simeon out {of prison} to his brothers.\n\n\\ts\\*\n\\p",
  "24": "Then Joseph’s servant brought the brothers into Joseph’s house and provided {them} with water to wash {the road dust off} their feet. He also fed their donkeys. ",
  "25": "{Meanwhile,} Joseph’s brothers got {their} gifts ready to give to Joseph when he came home at noon, because they had heard that they were going to eat a meal {with him} there.\n\n\\ts\\*\n\\p",
  "26": "When Joseph came home, his brothers {gave} to him the gifts that they had brought with them into the house, and they bowed down before him {with their faces} to the ground {to show respect}. ",
  "27": "Then Joseph asked them how they were doing, and he asked {them}, “Is your elderly father well whom you mentioned {to me}? Is he still living?”\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "28": "They answered {him}, “{Yes sir,} our father, who highly respects you, is still alive and well.” Then they bowed {their heads} and bowed down {to the ground} {again}.\n\n\\p",
  "29": "Then Joseph looked around and saw his brother Benjamin, who had the same mother that he had, and he said {to them}, “So this must be your youngest brother whom you told me about.” Then he said {to Benjamin}, “I pray that God will be kind to you, young man.”\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "30": "Suddenly Joseph rushed out {of the room} because he felt overwhelmed with emotions about his brother and was about to cry. So he went to his bedroom, where he cried {privately}.\n\n\\p",
  "31": "After he had gotten control of his emotions {and stopped crying}, he washed {the tears off} his face and came back out {of his room}. Then he commanded {his servants}, “Serve the food {to us}.”\n\n\\ts\\* ",
  "32": "So they served {food} to Joseph at his own table, and his brothers at their own table, and the Egyptians who were eating with him at their own table. Egyptians do not eat at the same table as Hebrew people, because Egyptians consider it unacceptable {to do that}. ",
  "33": "Joseph’s brothers were sitting {at a table} facing his table in the order of their ages, from the oldest to the youngest. {When they noticed that,} they were amazed {and stared} at one another. ",
  "34": "Then Joseph {had his servants} serve food to his brothers from his table, but he {had them} serve Benjamin five times more {food} than {they} served to any of the rest {of his brothers}. Then his brothers feasted and drank {wine} freely with him.\n\n\\ts\\*",
  "front": "\\s1 Joseph’s Brothers, including Benjamin, Return to the Country of Egypt\n\\sr 43:1-34\n\\p"
}
