431 Now the famine was severe in the land . 2 So it came about when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt , that their father said to them, "Go back , buy us a little food ." 3 Judah spoke to him, however, saying , " The man solemnly warned us, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.' 4 "If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food . 5 "But if you do not send him, we will not go down ; for the man said to us, 'You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.' " 6 Then Israel said , "Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man whether you still had another brother ?" 7 But they said , "The man questioned particularly about us and our relatives , saying , ' Is your father still alive ? Have you another brother ?' So we answered his questions . Could we possibly know that he would say , 'Bring your brother down '?" 8 Judah said to his father Israel , "Send the lad with me and we will arise and go , that we may live and not die , we as well as you and our little ones . 9 " I myself will be surety for him; you may hold e me responsible e for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame before you forever e . 10 "For if we had not delayed , surely by now we could have returned twice ."
11 Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so , then do this : take some of the best products of the land in your bags , and carry down to the man as a present , a little balm and a little honey , aromatic gum and myrrh , pistachio nuts and almonds . 12 "Take double the money in your hand , and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks ; perhaps it was a mistake . 13 "Take your brother also, and arise , return to the man ; 14 and may God Almighty grant you compassion in the sight of the man , so that he will release to you your other brother and Benjamin . And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children , I am bereaved ."
15 So the men took this present , and they took double the money in their hand , and Benjamin ; then they arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph . 16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his house steward e , "Bring the men into the house , and slay an animal and make ready ; for the men are to dine with me at noon ." 17 So the man did as Joseph said , and brought the men to Joseph's house . 18 Now the men were afraid , because they were brought to Joseph's house ; and they said , "It is because e of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time that we are being brought in, that he may seek occasion against us and fall upon us, and take us for slaves with our donkeys ." 19 So they came near to Joseph's house steward e e , and spoke to him at the entrance of the house , 20 and said , "Oh , my lord , we indeed came down the first time to buy food , 21 and it came about when we came to the lodging place , that we opened our sacks , and behold , each man's money was in the mouth of his sack , our money in full . So we have brought it back in our hand . 22 "We have also brought down other money in our hand to buy food ; we do not know who put our money in our sacks ." 23 He said , "Be at ease , do not be afraid . Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks ; I had your money ." Then he brought Simeon out to them. 24 Then the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water , and they washed their feet ; and he gave their donkeys fodder . 25 So they prepared the present for Joseph's coming at noon ; for they had heard that they were to eat a meal there .
26 When Joseph came home , they brought into the house to him the present which was in their hand and bowed to the ground before him. 27 Then he asked them about their welfare , and said , " Is your old father well , of whom you spoke ? Is he still alive ?" 28 They said , "Your servant our father is well ; he is still alive ." They bowed down in homage . 29 As he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin , his mother's son , he said , "Is this your youngest brother , of whom you spoke to me?" And he said , " May God be gracious to you, my son ." 30 Joseph hurried out for he was deeply stirred over his brother , and he sought a place to weep ; and he entered his chamber and wept there . 31 Then he washed his face and came out; and he controlled himself and said , "Serve the meal ." 32 So they served him by himself , and them by themselves , and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves , because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews , for that is loathsome to the Egyptians . 33 Now they were seated before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth , and the men looked at one another in astonishment . 34 He took portions to them from his own table , but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they feasted and drank freely with him.
441 Then he commanded his house steward e , saying , "Fill the men's sacks with food , as much as they can carry , and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack . 2 "Put my cup , the silver cup , in the mouth of the sack of the youngest , and his money for the grain ." And he did as Joseph had told him. 3 As soon as it was light , the men were sent away , they with their donkeys . 4 They had just gone out of the city , and were not far off, when Joseph said to his house steward e , "Up, follow e the men ; and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good ? 5 'Is not this the one from which my lord drinks and which he indeed uses for divination ? You have done wrong in doing this .' " 6 So he overtook them and spoke these words to them. 7 They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words as these ? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing . 8 "Behold , the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks we have brought back to you from the land of Canaan . How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house ? 9 " With whomever of your servants it is found , let him die , and we also will be my lord's slaves ." 10 So he said , "Now let it also be according to your words ; he with whom it is found shall be my slave , and the rest of you shall be innocent ." 11 Then they hurried , each man lowered his sack to the ground , and each man opened his sack . 12 He searched , beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest , and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack . 13 Then they tore their clothes , and when each man loaded his donkey , they returned to the city . 14 When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house , he was still there , and they fell to the ground before him. 15 Joseph said to them, "What is this deed that you have done ? Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed practice divination ?" 16 So Judah said , "What can we say to my lord ? What can we speak ? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants ; behold , we are my lord's slaves , both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been found ." 17 But he said , "Far be it from me to do this . The man in whose possession the cup has been found , he shall be my slave ; but as for you, go up in peace to your father ."
18 Then Judah approached him, and said , "Oh my lord , may your servant please speak a word in my lord's ears , and do not be angry e with your servant ; for you are equal to Pharaoh . 19 " My lord asked his servants , saying , 'Have you a father or a brother ?' 20 "We said to my lord , 'We have an old father and a little child of his old age . Now his brother is dead , so he alone is left of his mother , and his father loves him.' 21 "Then you said to your servants , ' Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him.' 22 "But we said to my lord , 'The lad cannot e leave his father , for if he should leave his father , his father would die .' 23 "You said to your servants , however, ' Unless e your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again .' 24 "Thus it came about when we went up to your servant my father , we told him the words of my lord . 25 " Our father said , 'Go back , buy us a little food .' 26 "But we said , 'We cannot e go down . If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down ; for we cannot e see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.' 27 "Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons; 28 and the one went out from me, and I said , "Surely he is torn in pieces ," and I have not seen him since e . 29 'If you take this one also from me, and harm befalls him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow .' 30 "Now , therefore, when I come to your servant my father , and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad's life , 31 when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die . Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow . 32 "For your servant became surety for the lad to my father , saying , 'If I do not bring him back to you, then let me bear the blame before my father forever e .' 33 "Now , therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my lord , and let the lad go up with his brothers . 34 "For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me-for fear that I see the evil that would overtake my father ?"
451 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried , "Have everyone go out from me." So there was no man with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers . 2 He wept e e so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it. 3 Then Joseph said to his brothers , " I am Joseph ! Is my father still alive ?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence . 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers , "Please come closer to me." And they came closer . And he said , "I am your brother Joseph , whom you sold into Egypt . 5 "Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves , because you sold me here , for God sent me before you to preserve life . 6 "For the famine has been in the land these two years , and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting . 7 " God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth , and to keep you alive by a great deliverance . 8 "Now , therefore, it was not you who sent me here , but God ; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt . 9 "Hurry and go up to my father , and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph , "God has made me lord of all Egypt ; come down to me, do not delay . 10 "You shall live in the land of Goshen , and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. 11 "There I will also provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished ."' 12 "Behold , your eyes see , and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you. 13 "Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt , and all that you have seen ; and you must hurry and bring my father down here ." 14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept , and Benjamin wept on his neck . 15 He kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward e his brothers talked with him.
16 Now when the news was heard in Pharaoh's house that Joseph's brothers had come , it pleased e Pharaoh and his servants . 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph , "Say to your brothers , 'Do this : load your beasts and go e to the land of Canaan , 18 and take your father and your households and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you will eat the fat of the land .' 19 "Now you are ordered , 'Do this : take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives , and bring your father and come . 20 'Do not concern e yourselves with your goods , for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.' " 21 Then the sons of Israel did so ; and Joseph gave them wagons according to the command of Pharaoh , and gave them provisions for the journey . 22 To each e of them he gave changes of garments , but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments . 23 To his father he sent as follows : ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt , and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and sustenance for his father on the journey . 24 So he sent his brothers away , and as they departed , he said to them, "Do not quarrel on the journey ."
25 Then they went up from Egypt , and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob . 26 They told him, saying , "Joseph is still alive , and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt ." But he was stunned , for he did not believe them. 27 When they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived . 28 Then Israel said , "It is enough ; my son Joseph is still alive . I will go and see him before I die ."
24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said , "This man casts out demons only e e by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons ." 25 And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste ; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand . 26 "If Satan casts out Satan , he is divided against himself ; how then will his kingdom stand ? 27 "If I by Beelzebul cast out demons , by whom do your sons cast them out? For this e reason e they will be your judges . 28 "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God , then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 "Or how can anyone enter the strong man's house and carry off his property , unless e he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house . 30 " He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters . 31 " Therefore e I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people , but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven . 32 " Whoever e speaks a word against the Son of Man , it shall be forgiven him; but whoever e speaks against the Holy Spirit , it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come . 33 "Either make the tree good and its fruit good , or make the tree bad and its fruit bad ; for the tree is known by its fruit . 34 " You brood of vipers , how can you, being evil , speak what is good ? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart . 35 " The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good ; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil . 36 "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak , they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment . 37 "For by your words you will be justified , and by your words you will be condemned ."
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, "Teacher , we want to see a sign from You." 39 But He answered and said to them, " An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign ; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet ; 40 for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER , so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth . 41 " The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment , and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah ; and behold , something greater than Jonah is here . 42 " The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and behold , something greater than Solomon is here .
43 " Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man , it passes through waterless places seeking rest , and does not find it. 44 "Then it says , 'I will return to my house from which I came '; and when it comes , it finds it unoccupied , swept , and put in order . 45 "Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself , and they go in and live there ; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first . That is the way it will also be with this evil generation ."
46 While He was still speaking to the crowds , behold , His mother and brothers were standing outside , seeking to speak to Him. 47 Someone said to Him, "Behold , Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You." 48 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said , "Who is My mother and who are My brothers ?" 49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples , He said , "Behold My mother and My brothers ! 50 "For whoever e does the will of My Father who is in heaven , he is My brother and sister and mother ."
(Read Matthew 12:22-30)
A soul under Satan's power, and led captive by him, is blind in the things of God, and dumb at the throne of grace; sees nothing, and says nothing to the purpose. Satan blinds the eyes by unbelief, and seals up the lips from prayer. The more people magnified Christ, the more desirous the Pharisees were to vilify him. It was evident that if Satan aided Jesus in casting out devils, the kingdom of hell was divided against itself; how then could it stand! And if they said that Jesus cast out devils by the prince of the devils, they could not prove that their children cast them out by any other power. There are two great interests in the world; and when unclean spirits are cast out by the Holy Spirit, in the conversion of sinners to a life of faith and obedience, the kingdom of God is come unto us. All who do not aid or rejoice in such a change are against Christ.
(Read Matthew 12:31-32)
Here is a gracious assurance of the pardon of all sin upon gospel terms. Christ herein has set an example to the sons of men, to be ready to forgive words spoken against them. But humble and conscientious believers, at times are tempted to think they have committed the unpardonable sin, while those who have come the nearest to it, seldom have any fear about it. We may be sure that those who indeed repent and believe the gospel, have not committed this sin, or any other of the same kind; for repentance and faith are the special gifts of God, which he would not bestow on any man, if he were determined never to pardon him; and those who fear they have committed this sin, give a good sign that they have not. The trembling, contrite sinner, has the witness in himself that this is not his case.
(Read Matthew 12:33-37)
Men's language discovers what country they are of, likewise what manner of spirit they are of. The heart is the fountain, words are the streams. A troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring, must send forth muddy and unpleasant streams. Nothing but the salt of grace, cast into the spring, will heal the waters, season the speech, and purify the corrupt communication. An evil man has an evil treasure in his heart, and out of it brings forth evil things. Lusts and corruptions, dwelling and reigning in the heart, are an evil treasure, out of which the sinner brings forth bad words and actions, to dishonour God, and hurt others. Let us keep constant watch over ourselves, that we may speak words agreeable to the Christian character.
(Read Matthew 12:38-45)
Though Christ is always ready to hear and answer holy desires and prayers, yet those who ask amiss, ask and have not. Signs were granted to those who desired them to confirm their faith, as Abraham and Gideon; but denied to those who demanded them to excuse their unbelief. The resurrection of Christ from the dead by his own power, called here the sign of the prophet Jonah, was the great proof of Christ's being the Messiah. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale, and then came out again alive, thus Christ would be so long in the grave, and then rise again. The Ninevites would shame the Jews for not repenting; the queen of Sheba, for not believing in Christ. And we have no such cares to hinder us, we come not to Christ upon such uncertainties. This parable represents the case of the Jewish church and nation. It is also applicable to all those who hear the word of God, and are in part reformed, but not truly converted. The unclean spirit leaves for a time, but when he returns, he finds Christ is not there to shut him out; the heart is swept by outward reformation, but garnished by preparation to comply with evil suggestions, and the man becomes a more decided enemy of the truth. Every heart is the residence of unclean spirits, except those which are temples of the Holy Ghost, by faith in Christ.
(Read Matthew 12:46-50)
Christ's preaching was plain, easy, and familiar, and suited to his hearers. His mother and brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him, when they should have been standing within, desiring to hear him. Frequently, those who are nearest to the means of knowledge and grace are most negligent. We are apt to neglect that which we think we may have any day, forgetting that to-morrow is not ours. We often meet with hinderances in our work from friends about us, and are taken off by care for the things of this life, from the concerns of our souls. Christ was so intent on his work, that no natural or other duty took him from it. Not that, under pretence of religion, we may be disrespectful to parents, or unkind to relations; but the lesser duty must stand by, while the greater is done. Let us cease from men, and cleave to Christ; let us look upon every Christian, in whatever condition of life, as the brother, sister, or mother of the Lord of glory; let us love, respect, and be kind to them, for his sake, and after his example.
