And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
Then their father Israel said to them, 'If this is how it has to be, then do this: take some of the best products from our land in your bags and bring them as a gift to the man—some healing balm, honey, spices, myrrh, nuts, and almonds.'
Israel reluctantly agrees to send his sons back to Egypt with Benjamin, instructing them to bring valuable gifts from their homeland to show respect to the Egyptian ruler.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs during the severe famine when Jacob's family needed grain from Egypt. His sons had already made one trip but were told they couldn't return without their youngest brother Benjamin. Jacob (also called Israel) is finally agreeing to let Benjamin go, hoping gifts of local specialties might help secure the Egyptian official's favor—not knowing this official is actually his long-lost son Joseph.
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