January 15
Genesis 43:1 —
45:28
43
And
the famine was severe in the land.
2 And
it came about that as soon as they had finished eating up the cereals they had
brought from Egypt, their father proceeded to say to them: “Return, buy a little
food for us.”
3 Then
Judah said to him: “The man unmistakably bore witness to us, saying, ‘YOU must
not see my face again unless YOUR brother is with YOU.’
4 If
you are sending our brother with us, we are willing to go down and buy food for
you.
5 But
if you are not sending him, we shall not go down, because the man did say to us,
‘YOU must not see my face again unless YOUR brother is with YOU.’”
6 And
Israel exclaimed: “Why did YOU have to do harm to me by telling the man YOU had
another brother?”
7 At
this they said: “The man directly inquired concerning us and our relatives,
saying, ‘Is YOUR father yet alive? Do YOU have another brother?’ and we went on
to tell him according to these facts. How could we know for certain that he
would say, ‘Bring YOUR brother down’?”
8 Finally
Judah said to Israel his father: “Send the boy with me, that we may get up and
go and that we may keep alive and not die off, both we and you and our little
children.
9 I
shall be the one to be surety for him. Out of my hand you may exact the penalty
for him. If I fail to bring him to you and present him to you, then I shall have
sinned against you for all time.
10 But
if we had not lingered around, we should by now have been there and back these
two times.”
11 So
Israel their father said to them: “If, then, that is the case, do this: Take the
finest products of the land in YOUR receptacles and carry them down to the man
as a gift: a little balsam, and a little honey, labdanum and resinous bark,
pistachio nuts and almonds.
12 Also,
take double the money in YOUR hand; and the money that was returned in the mouth
of YOUR bags YOU will take back in YOUR hand. Maybe it was a mistake.
13 And
take YOUR brother and get up, return to the man.
14 And
may God Almighty give YOU pity before the man, that he may certainly release to
YOU YOUR other brother and Benjamin. But I, in case I must be bereaved, I shall
certainly be bereaved!”
15 Accordingly
the men took this gift, and they took double the money in their hand and
Benjamin. Then they rose and went their way down to Egypt and got to stand
before Joseph.
16 When
Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he at once said to the man who was over his
house: “Take the men to the house and slaughter animals and make preparation,
because the men are to eat with me at noon.”
17 Immediately
the man did just as Joseph had said. So the man took the men to Joseph’s house.
18 But
the men got afraid because they had been taken to Joseph’s house, and they began
to say: “It is because of the money that went back with us in our bags at the
start that we are being brought here for them to fall upon us and attack us and
to take us for slaves and also our asses!”
19 Hence
they approached the man who was over Joseph’s house and spoke to him at the
entrance of the house,
20 and
they said: “Excuse us, my lord! We surely did come down at the start to buy
food.
21 But
what occurred was that when we came to the lodging place and began opening our
bags, why, here was the money of each one in the mouth of his bag, our money in
full weight. So we would like to return it with our own hands.
22 And
more money we have brought down in our hands to buy food. We certainly do not
know who placed our money in our bags.”
23 Then
he said: “It is all right with YOU. Do not be afraid. YOUR God and the God of
YOUR father gave YOU treasure in YOUR bags. YOUR money came first to me.” After
that he brought out Simeon
to them.
24 Then
the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave water that they might have
their feet washed, and he gave fodder for their asses.
25 And
they proceeded to get the gift ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, because they
had heard that it was there they were going to eat bread.
26 When
Joseph went on into the house, then they brought the gift that was in their hand
to him into the house, and prostrated themselves to him to the earth.
27 After
this he inquired whether they were getting along well and said: “Is YOUR father,
the aged man of whom YOU have spoken, getting along well? Is he still alive?”
28 To
this they said: “Your servant our father is getting along well. He is still
alive.” Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves.
29 When
he raised his eyes and saw Benjamin his brother, the son of his mother, he went
on to say: “Is this YOUR brother, the youngest one of whom YOU have spoken to
me?” And he added: “May God show you his favor, my son.”
30 Joseph
was now in a hurry, because his inward emotions were excited toward his brother,
so that he looked for a place to weep and he went into an interior room and gave
way to tears there.
31 After
that he washed his face and went out and kept control of himself and said: “SET
on the meal.”
32 And
they proceeded to set it on for him by himself and for them by themselves and
for the Egyptians who were eating with him by themselves; for the Egyptians were
not able to eat a meal with the Hebrews, because that is a detestable thing to
the Egyptians.
33 And
they were seated before him, the firstborn according to his right as firstborn
and the youngest according to his youngness; and the men kept looking at one
another in amazement.
34 And
he kept having portions carried from before him to them, but he would increase
Benjamin’s portion five times the size of the portions of all the others. So
they continued banqueting and drinking with him to the full.
44
Later on he commanded the man who was over his house, saying: “Fill the bags of
the men with food to the extent they are able to carry it and place the money of
each one in the mouth of his bag.
2 But
you must place my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the bag of the youngest
and the money for his cereals.” So he did according to the word of Joseph which
he had spoken.
3 The
morning had become light when the men were sent away, both they and their asses.
4 They
went out of the city. They had not gone far when Joseph said to the man who was
over his house: “Get up! Chase after the men and be certain to overtake them and
to say to them, ‘Why have YOU repaid bad for good?
5 Is
not this the thing that my master drinks from and by means of which he expertly
reads omens? It is a bad deed YOU have committed.’”
6 Eventually
he overtook them and spoke these words to them.
7 But
they said to him: “Why does my lord speak with such words as these? It is
unthinkable that your servants should do anything like this.
8 Why,
the money that we found in the mouth of our bags we brought back to you from the
land of Canaan. How, then, could we steal silver or gold from the house of your
master?
9 Let
the one of your slaves with whom it may be found die and let us ourselves also
become slaves to my master.”
10 So
he said: “Let it be now exactly according to YOUR words. Thus the one with whom
it may be found will become a slave to me, but YOU yourselves will be proved
innocent.”
11 With
that they quickly let down each one his bag to the earth and they opened each
one his own bag.
12 And
he went searching carefully. He started with the oldest and finished with the
youngest. At last the cup was found in Benjamin’s bag.
13 Then
they ripped their mantles apart and lifted each one his load back onto his ass
and returned to the city.
14 And
Judah and his brothers went on into Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and
they proceeded to fall before him to the earth.
15 Joseph
now said to them: “What sort of deed is this that YOU have done? Did YOU not
know that such a man as I am can expertly read omens?”
16 At
this Judah exclaimed: “What can we say to my master? What can we speak? And how
can we prove ourselves righteous? The [true] God has found out the error of your
slaves. Here we are slaves to my master, both we and the one in whose hand the
cup was found!”
17 However,
he said: “It is unthinkable for me to do this! The man in whose hand the cup was
found is the one who will become a slave to me. As for the rest of YOU, go up in
peace to YOUR father.”
18 Judah
now came near to him and said: “I pray you, my master, please let your slave
speak a word in the hearing of my master, and do not let your anger grow hot
against your slave, because it is the same with you as with Pharaoh.
19 My
master asked his slaves, saying, ‘Do YOU have a father or a brother?’
20 So
we said to my master, ‘We do have an aged father and a child of his old age, the
youngest. But his brother is dead so that he alone is left of his mother, and
his father does love him.’
21 After
that you said to your slaves, ‘Bring him down to me that I may set my eye upon
him.’
22 But
we said to my master, ‘The boy is not able to leave his father. If he did leave
his father, he would certainly die.’
23 Then
you said to your slaves, ‘Unless YOUR youngest brother comes down with YOU, YOU
may not see my face anymore.’
24 “And
it came about that we went up to your slave my father and then told him the
words of my master.
25 Later
our father said, ‘Return, buy a little food for us.’
26 But
we said, ‘We are not able to go down. If our youngest brother is with us we will
go down, because we are not able to see the man’s face in case our youngest
brother is not with us.’
27 Then
your slave my father said to us, ‘YOU yourselves well know that my wife bore but
two sons to me.
28 Later
the one went out from my company and I exclaimed: “Ah, he must surely be torn to
pieces!” and I have not seen him till now.
29 If
YOU were to take this one also out of my sight and a fatal accident were to
befall him, YOU would certainly bring down my gray hairs with calamity to Sheol.’
30 “And
now, as soon as I should come to your slave my father without the boy along with
us, when that one’s soul is bound up with this one’s soul,
31 then
it is certain to occur that as soon as he sees that the boy is not there he will
simply die, and your slaves will indeed bring down the gray hairs of your slave
our father with grief to Sheol.
32 For
your slave became surety for the boy when away from his father, saying, ‘If I
fail to bring him back to you, then I shall have sinned against my father
forever.’
33 So
now, please, let your slave stay instead of the boy as a slave to my master,
that the boy may go up with his brothers.
34 For
how can I go up to my father without the boy along with me, for fear that then I
may look upon the calamity that will find out my father?”
45
At this Joseph was no longer able to control himself before all those who were
stationed by him. So he cried out: “HAVE everybody go out from me!” And no one
else stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
2 And
he began to raise his voice in weeping, so that the Egyptians got to hear it and
Pharaoh’s house got to hear it.
3 Finally
Joseph said to his brothers: “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his
brothers were unable to answer him at all, because they were disturbed by reason
of him.
4 So
Joseph said to his brothers: “Come close to me, please.” With that they came
close to him.
Then he said: “I am Joseph YOUR brother, whom YOU sold into Egypt.
5 But
now do not feel hurt and do not be angry with yourselves because YOU sold me
here; because for the preservation of life God has sent me ahead of YOU.
6 For
this is the second year of the famine in the midst of the earth, and there are
yet five years in which there will be no plowing time or harvest.
7 Consequently
God sent me ahead of YOU in order to place a remnant for YOU men in the earth
and to keep YOU alive by a great escape.
8 So
now it was not YOU who sent me here, but it was the [true] God, that he might
appoint me a father to Pharaoh and a lord for all his house and as one
dominating over all the land of Egypt.
9 “Go
up quickly to my father, and YOU must say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph
has said: “God has appointed me lord for all Egypt. Come down to me. Do not
delay.
10 And
you must dwell in the land of Goshen, and you must continue near me, you and
your sons and the sons of your sons and your flocks and your herds and
everything you have.
11 And
I will supply you with food there, for there are yet five years of famine; for
fear you and your house and everything you have may come to poverty.”’
12 And
here YOUR eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin are seeing that it is my
mouth that is speaking to YOU.
13 So
YOU must tell my father about all my glory in Egypt and everything YOU have
seen; and YOU must hurry and bring my father down here.”
14 Then
he fell upon the neck of Benjamin his brother and gave way to weeping, and
Benjamin wept upon his neck.
15 And
he proceeded to kiss all his brothers and to weep over them, and after that his
brothers spoke with him.
16 And
the news was heard at the house of Pharaoh, saying: “Joseph’s brothers have
come!” And it proved to be good in the eyes of Pharaoh and of his servants.
17 Accordingly
Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load YOUR beasts of
burden and go enter the land of Canaan,
18 and
take YOUR father and YOUR households and come here to me, that I may give YOU
the good of the land of Egypt; and eat the fat part of the land.
19 And
you yourself are commanded: “Do this: TAKE for yourselves wagons from the land
of Egypt for YOUR little ones and YOUR wives, and YOU must lift YOUR father on
one and come here.
20 And
do not let YOUR eye feel sorry over YOUR equipment, because the good of all the
land of Egypt is YOURS.”’”
21 Following
that the sons of Israel did so, and Joseph gave them wagons according to Pharaoh’s
orders and gave them provisions for the way.
22 To
each of them he gave individual changes of mantles, but to Benjamin he gave
three hundred silver pieces and five changes of mantles.
23 And
to his father he sent as follows: ten asses carrying good things of Egypt and
ten she-asses carrying grain and bread and sustenance for his father for the
way.
24 Thus
he sent his brothers off, and they proceeded to go. However, he said to them:
“Do not get exasperated at one another on the way.”
25 And
they began going up out of Egypt and at length came into the land of Canaan to
Jacob their father.
26 Then
they reported to him, saying: “Joseph is still alive, and he is the one
dominating over all the land of Egypt!” But his heart grew numb, because he did
not believe them.
27 When
they went on speaking to him all of Joseph’s words that he had spoken to them
and he got to see the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of
Jacob their father began to revive.
28 Then
Israel exclaimed: “It is enough! Joseph my son is still alive! Ah, let me go and
see him before I die!”