Genesis 50:15-21

50:15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge and wants to repay ¹  us in full ²  for all the harm ³  we did to him?” 50:16 So they sent word ⁴  to Joseph, saying, “Your father gave these instructions before he died: 50:17 ‘Tell Joseph this: Please forgive the sin of your brothers and the wrong they did when they treated you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sin of the servants of the God of your father.” When this message was reported to him, Joseph wept. ⁵  50:18 Then his brothers also came and threw themselves down before him; they said, “Here we are; we are your slaves.” 50:19 But Joseph answered them, “Don’t be afraid. Am ⁶  I in the place of God? 50:20 As for you, you meant to harm me, ⁷  but God intended it for a good purpose, so he could preserve the lives of many people, as you can see this day. ⁸  50:21 So now, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your little children.” Then he consoled them and spoke kindly ⁹  to them.

[50:15]  ¹ tn The imperfect tense could be a simple future; it could also have a desiderative nuance.

[50:15]  ² tn The infinitive absolute makes the statement emphatic, “repay in full.”

[50:15]  ³ tn Or “evil.”

[50:16]  ⁴ tn The verb means “command,” but they would hardly be commanding him. It probably means they sent their father’s instructions to Joseph.

[50:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “and Joseph wept when they spoke to him.”

[50:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “For am I.”

[50:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “you devised against me evil.”

[50:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “God devised it for good in order to do, like this day, to preserve alive a great nation.”

[50:21]  ⁹ tn Heb “spoke to their heart.”