When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he acted as if he did not know them. He asked them harshly, "Where do you come from?" "We have come from Canaan to buy food," they answered.

Joseph said to them, "No! You have come to find out where our country is weak."

One of you must go and get him. The rest of you will be kept under guard until the truth of what you say can be tested. Otherwise, as sure as the king lives, you are spies."

"The governor of Egypt spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying against his country.

Honor the LORD your God, worship only him, and make your promises in his name alone.

Hannah said to him, "Excuse me, sir. Do you remember me? I am the woman you saw standing here, praying to the LORD.

When Saul saw David going out to fight Goliath, he asked Abner, the commander of his army, "Abner, whose son is he?" "I have no idea, Your Majesty," Abner answered.

But David answered, "Your father knows very well how much you like me, and he has decided not to let you know what he plans to do, because you would be deeply hurt. I swear to you by the living LORD that I am only a step away from death!"

Even though you claim to worship the LORD, you do not mean what you say.

The LORD asked, "Why should I forgive the sins of my people? They have abandoned me and have worshiped gods that are not real. I fed my people until they were full, but they committed adultery and spent their time with prostitutes.

"You have also heard that people were told in the past, 'Do not break your promise, but do what you have vowed to the Lord to do.'

nor by earth, for it is the resting place for his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

Just say 'Yes' or 'No'---anything else you say comes from the Evil One.

"How terrible for you, blind guides! You teach, 'If someone swears by the Temple, he isn't bound by his vow; but if he swears by the gold in the Temple, he is bound.'

You also teach, 'If someone swears by the altar, he isn't bound by his vow; but if he swears by the gift on the altar, he is bound.'

So then, when a person swears by the altar, he is swearing by it and by all the gifts on it;

and when someone swears by heaven, he is swearing by God's throne and by him who sits on it.

Above all, my friends, do not use an oath when you make a promise. Do not swear by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Say only "Yes" when you mean yes, and "No" when you mean no, and then you will not come under God's judgment.

Then you must bring your youngest brother to me. This will prove that you have been telling the truth, and I will not put you to death." They agreed to this

Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but honest men; I will give your brother back to you, and you can stay here and trade.' "

Judah said to him, "The man sternly warned us that we would not be admitted to his presence unless we had our brother with us.

We answered, 'We have a father who is old and a younger brother, born to him in his old age. The boy's brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother's children still alive; his father loves him very much.'

and we answered that the boy could not leave his father; if he did, his father would die.

"When we went back to our father, we told him what you had said.

We answered, 'We cannot go; we will not be admitted to the man's presence unless our youngest brother is with us. We can go only if our youngest brother goes also.'

One of them has already left me. He must have been torn to pieces by wild animals, because I have not seen him since he left.

"And now, sir," Judah continued, "if I go back to my father without the boy, as soon as he sees that the boy is not with me, he will die. His life is wrapped up with the life of the boy, and he is so old that the sorrow we would cause him would kill him.

What is more, I pledged my life to my father for the boy. I told him that if I did not bring the boy back to him, I would bear the blame all my life.

How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I cannot bear to see this disaster come upon my father."