We are from a family of twelve brothers; we are the sons of one father. ¹  One is no longer alive, ²  and the youngest is with our father at this time ³  in the land of Canaan.’

He replied, “You have suggested your own punishment! ¹  The one who has it will become my slave, ²  but the rest of ³  you will go free.” ⁴ 

We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves his father, his father ¹  will die.’ ² 

For these past two years there has been famine in ¹  the land and for five more years there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

After these things Joseph was told, ¹  “Your father is weakening.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him.

But his bow will remain steady, and his hands ¹  will be skillful; because of the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of ²  the Shepherd, the Rock ³  of Israel,

all Joseph’s household, his brothers, and his father’s household. But they left their little children and their flocks and herds in the land of Goshen.

So the Lord said, “I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – everything from humankind to animals, ¹  including creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for I regret that I have made them.”

And the Lord said, “If as one people all sharing a common language ¹  they have begun to do this, then ²  nothing they plan to do will be beyond them. ³ 

So Sarai said to Abram, “Since ¹  the Lord has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with ²  my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.” ³  Abram did what ⁴  Sarai told him.

God said, “No, Sarah your wife is going to bear you a son, and you will name him Isaac. ¹  I will confirm my covenant with him as a perpetual ²  covenant for his descendants after him.

“Listen, sir, ¹  you are a mighty prince ²  among us! You may bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb to prevent you ³  from burying your dead.”

Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am deeply depressed ¹  because of these daughters of Heth. ²  If Jacob were to marry one of these daughters of Heth who live in this land, I would want to die!” ³ 

But Leah replied, ¹  “Wasn’t it enough that you’ve taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes too?” “All right,” ²  Rachel said, “he may sleep ³  with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

“No, please take them,” Jacob said. ¹  “If I have found favor in your sight, accept ²  my gift from my hand. Now that I have seen your face and you have accepted me, ³  it is as if I have seen the face of God. ⁴ 

Then he had another dream, ¹  and told it to his brothers. “Look,” ²  he said. “I had another dream. The sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

All his sons and daughters stood by ¹  him to console him, but he refused to be consoled. “No,” he said, “I will go to the grave mourning my son.” ²  So Joseph’s ³  father wept for him.

“Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘This is how I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain ¹  for your hungry households and go.

When Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him. ¹  So he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.

But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He too will become a nation and he too will become great. In spite of this, his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will become a multitude ¹  of nations.”