Lead Strong: Leadership Lessons From The Bible - Part 2

Lead Strong: Leadership Lessons From The Bible - Part 3

The Leader's SEEcret

Becoming An Extraordinary Leader

Lead Or Be Lunch: The Power Of Earning Influence

Servant Leadership

Developing Your People Through Impactful Coaching

Top Ten Ways To Be A Great Leader

Visioneering

The Power of Earning Influence

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkGEN">
 <div class="chapter ch42" data-usfm="GEN.42">
 <div class="label">42</div><div class="s1">Joseph&#8217;s Brothers Go to Egypt</div><div class="p"> 1When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, &#8220;Why do you just keep looking at each other?&#8221; 2He continued, &#8220;I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3Then ten of Joseph&#8217;s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph&#8217;s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him. 5So Israel&#8217;s sons were among those who went to buy grain, for there was famine in the land of Canaan also.</div><div class="p"> 6Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph&#8217;s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. 7As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. &#8220;Where do you come from?&#8221; he asked.</div><div class="p">&#8220;From the land of Canaan,&#8221; they replied, &#8220;to buy food.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. 9Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, &#8220;You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10&#8220;No, my lord,&#8221; they answered. &#8220;Your servants have come to buy food. 11We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12&#8220;No!&#8221; he said to them. &#8220;You have come to see where our land is unprotected.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13But they replied, &#8220;Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14Joseph said to them, &#8220;It is just as I told you: You are spies! 15And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!&#8221; 17And he put them all in custody for three days.</div><div class="p"> 18On the third day, Joseph said to them, &#8220;Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. 20But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.&#8221; This they proceeded to do.</div><div class="p"> 21They said to one another, &#8220;Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that&#8217;s why this distress has come on us.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22Reuben replied, &#8220;Didn&#8217;t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn&#8217;t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.&#8221; 23They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.</div><div class="p"> 24He turned away from them and began to weep, but then came back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.</div><div class="p"> 25Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man&#8217;s silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, 26they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.</div><div class="p"> 27At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. 28&#8220;My silver has been returned,&#8221; he said to his brothers. &#8220;Here it is in my sack.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, &#8220;What is this that God has done to us?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, 30&#8220;The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land. 31But we said to him, &#8216;We are honest men; we are not spies. 32We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 33&#8220;Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, &#8216;This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go. 34But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade#42:34 Or move about freely in the land.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 35As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man&#8217;s sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. 36Their father Jacob said to them, &#8220;You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 37Then Reuben said to his father, &#8220;You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 38But Jacob said, &#8220;My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkGEN">
 <div class="chapter ch43" data-usfm="GEN.43">
 <div class="label">43</div><div class="s1">The Second Journey to Egypt</div><div class="p"> 1Now the famine was still severe in the land. 2So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, &#8220;Go back and buy us a little more food.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3But Judah said to him, &#8220;The man warned us solemnly, &#8216;You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.&#8217; 4If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 5But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, &#8216;You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6Israel asked, &#8220;Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7They replied, &#8220;The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. &#8216;Is your father still living?&#8217; he asked us. &#8216;Do you have another brother?&#8217; We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, &#8216;Bring your brother down here&#8217;?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Then Judah said to Israel his father, &#8220;Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. 9I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. 10As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Then their father Israel said to them, &#8220;If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift&#8212;a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. 14And may God Almighty#43:14 Hebrew El-Shaddai grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. 16When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, &#8220;Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal; they are to eat with me at noon.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph&#8217;s house. 18Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, &#8220;We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19So they went up to Joseph&#8217;s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. 20&#8220;We beg your pardon, our lord,&#8221; they said, &#8220;we came down here the first time to buy food. 21But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver&#8212;the exact weight&#8212;in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. 22We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don&#8217;t know who put our silver in our sacks.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23&#8220;It&#8217;s all right,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Don&#8217;t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.&#8221; Then he brought Simeon out to them.</div><div class="p"> 24The steward took the men into Joseph&#8217;s house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys. 25They prepared their gifts for Joseph&#8217;s arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there.</div><div class="p"> 26When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. 27He asked them how they were, and then he said, &#8220;How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28They replied, &#8220;Your servant our father is still alive and well.&#8221; And they bowed down, prostrating themselves before him.</div><div class="p"> 29As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother&#8217;s son, he asked, &#8220;Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?&#8221; And he said, &#8220;God be gracious to you, my son.&#8221; 30Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.</div><div class="p"> 31After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, &#8220;Serve the food.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 32They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians. 33The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment. 34When portions were served to them from Joseph&#8217;s table, Benjamin&#8217;s portion was five times as much as anyone else&#8217;s. So they feasted and drank freely with him.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkGEN">
 <div class="chapter ch45" data-usfm="GEN.45">
 <div class="label">45</div><div class="s1">Joseph Makes Himself Known</div><div class="p"> 1Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, &#8220;Have everyone leave my presence!&#8221; So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh&#8217;s household heard about it.</div><div class="p"> 3Joseph said to his brothers, &#8220;I am Joseph! Is my father still living?&#8221; But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.</div><div class="p"> 4Then Joseph said to his brothers, &#8220;Come close to me.&#8221; When they had done so, he said, &#8220;I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. 7But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.#45:7 Or save you as a great band of survivors</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 9Now hurry back to my father and say to him, &#8216;This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don&#8217;t delay. 10You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me&#8212;you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 12&#8220;You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 14Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.</div><div class="p"> 16When the news reached Pharaoh&#8217;s palace that Joseph&#8217;s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. 17Pharaoh said to Joseph, &#8220;Tell your brothers, &#8216;Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, 18and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 19&#8220;You are also directed to tell them, &#8216;Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. 20Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. 22To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels#45:22 That is, about 7 1/2 pounds or about 3.5 kilograms of silver and five sets of clothes. 23And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. 24Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, &#8220;Don&#8217;t quarrel on the way!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26They told him, &#8220;Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.&#8221; Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. 27But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28And Israel said, &#8220;I&#8217;m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.&#8221;</div>
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Lead Strong: Leadership Lessons From The Bible - Part 1Sample

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