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10 They said to him, “No, my lord; your servants have come to buy food.
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11 We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.
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11 We are all sons of one man; we are honest men; your servants have never been spies.”
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12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
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12 But he said to them, “No, you have come to see the nakedness of the land!”
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13 And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.
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13 They said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of a certain man in the land of Canaan; the youngest, however, is now with our father, and one is no more.”
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14 And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies:
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14 But Joseph said to them, “It is just as I have said to you; you are spies!
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15 Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.
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15 Here is how you shall be tested: as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here!
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16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.
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16 Let one of you go and bring your brother, while the rest of you remain in prison, in order that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you; or else, as Pharaoh lives, surely you are spies.”
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17 And he put them all together into ward three days.
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17 And he put them all together in prison for three days.
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18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:
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18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God:
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19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:
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19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here where you are imprisoned. The rest of you shall go and carry grain for the famine of your households,
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20 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
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20 and bring your youngest brother to me. Thus your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they agreed to do so.
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21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.
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21 They said to one another, “Alas, we are paying the penalty for what we did to our brother; we saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this anguish has come upon us.”
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22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.
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22 Then Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to wrong the boy? But you would not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.”
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23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.
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23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, since he spoke with them through an interpreter.
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24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.
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24 He turned away from them and wept; then he returned and spoke to them. And he picked out Simeon and had him bound before their eyes.
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25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them.
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25 Joseph then gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This was done for them.
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MAIN THOUGHT: And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. (Genesis 42:22, KJV)
LESSON SETTING
Time: Unknown
Place: Egypt
LESSON OUTLINE
I. Joseph’s Revenge (Genesis 42:6–17)
II. Joseph’s Mercy (Genesis 42:18–25)
UNIFYING PRINCIPLE
Some people allow guilt from their past to poison their present. Is it ever possible to be free from condemnation for our past actions?
When Joseph saw and remembered his brothers who sold him into Egyptian slavery, he showed compassion while motivating them to recall and take responsibility for their earlier actions.
INTRODUCTION
Whether one calls it revenge, vengeance, or reprisal, all forms of retribution are someone’s idea of justice without mercy (which isn’t justice, by the way). In a hostile world, redress is a natural response of those who have been offended. According to popular society, it’s like a “dish best served cold,” referring to the so-called “sweet” benefits of payback. But the sweetness of revenge is bad for our health and fails to deliver the delight one would think it does. Retaliating against one who has wronged us always will result in unsatisfying outcomes. In fact, behavioral scientists have observed that instead of quenching hostility, revenge only prolongs the unpleasantness of the original offense. Merely bringing harm upon an offender is not enough to satisfy a person’s vengeful spirit. This is evidence that revenge was never meant for us to dispense but is an act that should be left for God to orchestrate.
Paul
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