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Joseph Tests His Brothers
44 Then he commanded the one over his household saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they are able to carry and put money in the opening of each man’s sack. 2 Put my cup, the silver cup, in the opening of the sack of the youngest along with his grain money.” So he did as Joseph told him.
3 When the morning dawned, the men were sent off, they and their donkeys. 4 They left the city and did not get far, when Joseph said to the one over his household, “Get up, go after the men. When you catch up to them, say to them, “Why have you repaid evil for good? 5 Isn’t this the one from which my lord drinks? He even uses it especially to discern by divination. What you’ve done is evil!” 6 So he caught up to them and spoke these words to them.
7 They said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing as this. 8 Look, the money we found in the opening of our bags, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. So how could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? 9 Whoever among your servants is found with it, let him die! And we, we’ll also be my lord’s slaves.”
10 “Even now let it be according to your words,” he said. “The one with whom it is found shall be my slave. But the rest of you shall be innocent.”
11 Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground and each man opened his sack. 12 He searched them beginning with the eldest and finishing with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 Then they tore their clothing, and each one loaded up his donkey and they returned to the city.
14 When Judah and his brothers entered Joseph’s house, he was still there. They fell to the ground before him. 15 “What’s this deed you’ve done?” Joseph said to them, “Didn’t you know that a man like me can discern by divination?”
16 Then Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we as well as the one in whose hand the cup was found.”
17 But he said, “Far be it from me to do this. The one in whose hand the cup was found—he will be my slave. But you, go up to your father in peace.”
Parashat Vayigash
Judah Pleads for Benjamin
18 Then Judah approached him and said, “I beg your pardon, my lord. Please let your servant say a word in my lord’s ears, and don’t be angry with your servant, since you are like Pharaoh. 19 My lord asked his servants saying, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 20 So we said to my lord, ‘We have a father who is old, a child born to him of his old age is young. Now his brother is dead, so he is the only one of his mother’s children left, and his father loves him.’ 21 Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so that I can look at him.’ 22 But we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave his father, he would die.’ 23 Then you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you won’t see my face again.’
24 “Now when we went up to your servant, my father, we told him my lord’s words. 25 Then our father said, ‘Go back, buy us a little grain for food.’ 26 So we said, ‘We won’t go down unless we have our youngest brother with us—then we’ll go down. For we won’t see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’
27 “Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You yourselves know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 One went out from me, so I said, “He must have been torn to shreds,” and I haven’t seen him since. 29 And if you also take this one away from before me and an accident happens to him, then you’ll bring my grey hair down to the evil of Sheol.’
30 “Now if I come to your servant my father and the boy isn’t with us, since his life is bound to his life, 31 when he sees that the boy is no more, he’ll die. Then your servants will bring the grey hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in grief. 32 For your servant became pledge for the boy with my father saying, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before my father all my days.’ 33 So now, please let your servant remain as my lord’s slave in the boy’s place, and let the boy go up with his brothers. 34 For how can I go up to my father and the boy is not with me? Else I must see the evil that would come upon my father!”
Joseph Reveals Himself
45 Now Joseph could no longer restrain himself in front of all those who were standing by him, so he cried out, “Get everyone away from me!” So no one stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 But he gave his voice to weeping so that the Egyptians heard, and Pharaoh’s household heard. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” And his brothers were unable to answer him because they were terrified at his presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near me.” So they came near. “I’m Joseph, your brother—the one you sold to Egypt,” he said. 5 “So now, don’t be grieved and don’t be angry in your own eyes that you sold me here—since it was for preserving life that God sent me here before you. 6 For there has been two years of famine in the land, and there will be five more years yet with no plowing or harvesting. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to ensure a remnant in the land and to keep you alive for a great escape. 8 So now, it wasn’t you, you didn’t send me here, but God! And He made me as a father to Pharaoh, lord over his whole house and ruler over the entire land of Egypt.
9 “Go up quickly to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son, Joseph: God has made me lord over all Egypt. Come down to me. Don’t delay. 10 Then you’ll live in the land of Goshen, and be close to me, you and your children and your children’s children, your flocks and your cattle, and everything that belongs to you. 11 I’ll provide food for you there—for the famine will last another five years—otherwise you’ll lose everything, you and your household, and everything that belongs to you.’ 12 And look, you and my brother Benjamin can see with your own eyes that it’s my mouth that’s speaking to you. 13 You must tell my father about all my honor in Egypt, and about all that you’ve seen. And you must quickly bring my father down here.”
14 Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept while Benjamin wept upon his neck, 15 and he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. Finally after this, his brothers talked with him.
16 When the commotion was heard in Pharaoh’s house—“Joseph’s brothers have come!”—it was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants, 17 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers: ‘Do this! Load your animals and go to the land of Canaan. 18 Then get your father, your households, and come to me. I’ll give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.’ 19 You are also commanded to say: “Do this! Take for yourselves wagons from the land of Egypt for your little children and for your wives, and pick up your father and come. 20 Don’t be concerned about your goods, because the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”
21 So the sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them carts by Pharaoh’s command and he gave them provisions for the journey. 22 To each of them he gave a change of clothes, while to Benjamin he gave 300 pieces of silver and five sets of clothes. 23 Also to his father he sent the following: ten donkeys carrying from the best of Egypt, and ten female donkeys carrying grain and food and provisions for his father’s journey. 24 Then he sent his brothers off, and as they departed, he said to them, “Don’t be anxious on the way.”
25 Then they went up from Egypt and came to the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father. 26 They told him saying, “Joseph is still alive and he is ruler of the whole land of Egypt!”
His heart went numb, for he did not believe them. 27 But they told him all of Joseph’s words that he had told them. When he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to pick him up, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 Then Israel said, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I must go and see him, before I die.”
Feeding Hungry Followers
13 Now when Yeshua heard this, He went away from there privately by boat to an isolated place. But when the crowds heard, they followed Him on foot from the towns. 14 As Yeshua came ashore, He saw a large crowd and felt compassion for them and healed their sick. 15 When it became evening, the disciples came to Him, saying, “This place is isolated, and the hour is already late. Send the crowds away so they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”
16 But Yeshua said to them, “They don’t need to leave—you give them something to eat.”
17 “We have nothing here except five loaves and two fish,” they said to Him.
18 “Bring them here to Me,” He said.
19 Ordering the crowd to recline on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish; and looking up to heaven, He offered the bracha. After breaking the loaves, He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve baskets full of broken pieces left over. 21 Now those eating were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Testing Peter’s Faith to Walk on Water
22 Right away, Yeshua made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. 23 After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the hillside by Himself to pray. And when evening came, He was there alone. 24 But the boat was already a long way[a] from land, tossed around by the waves, for the wind was against it. 25 Now in the fourth watch[b] of the night, Yeshua came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It’s a ghost!” And they cried out with fear.
27 But immediately, Yeshua spoke to them, saying, “Take courage! I am. Don’t be afraid.”
28 Answering, Peter said to Him, “Master, if it’s You, command me to come to You on the water.”
29 And He said, “Come!”
And Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water to go to Yeshua. 30 But seeing the wind, he became terrified. And beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, “Master, save me!”
31 Immediately Yeshua reached out His hand and grabbed him. And He said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”
32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You really are Ben-Elohim!”[c]
34 After they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized Yeshua, they sent word into all the surrounding region. And they brought to Him all those who were in bad shape 36 and kept begging Him that they might just touch the tzitzit of His garment—and all who touched it were cured.
37 You broaden my steps beneath me,
so my ankles have not slipped.
38 I pursue my enemies and overtake them,
and will not return till they are wiped out.
39 I will crush them till they cannot rise,
till they fall beneath my feet.
40 For You girded me with strength for battle.
You made those who rose up against me bow down before me.
41 You also made my enemies turn their backs to me.
I cut off those who hate me.
42 They cry out, but there is none to save
—even to Adonai, but He did not answer them.
43 Then I beat them as fine as dust before the wind.
I pour them out like mud in the streets.
44 You free me from strifes of the people.
You set me as head of the nations—
people I did not know are serving me.
45 As soon as they hear, they obey me.
Children of foreigners cringe before me.
46 Children of foreigners lose heart
and come trembling from their hideouts.
47 Adonai lives! And blessed be my Rock!
Exalted be God my salvation!
48 God—He gives me vengeance
and subdues peoples under me.
49 He delivers me from my enemies.
Indeed You lift me up above those who rise up against me.
You deliver me from the violent man.
50 Therefore I praise You among the nations,
Adonai, and sing praises to Your Name.[a]
11 I instructed you in the way of wisdom.
I have guided you along straight paths.
12 When you walk, your step will not be hindered,
and when you run, you will not stumble.
13 Hold on tightly to instruction, do not let it go—
guard it, for it is your life.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.