1
And the famine [is] severe in the land;
2
and it comes to pass, when they have finished eating the grain which they brought from Egypt, that their father says to them, “Return, buy for us a little food.”
3
And Judah speaks to him, saying, “The man protesting protested to us, saying, You do not see my face without your brother [being] with you;
4
if you are sending our brother with us, we go down, and buy for you food,
5
and if you are not sending—we do not go down, for the man said to us, You do not see my face without your brother [being] with you.”
6
And Israel says, “Why did you do evil to me, by declaring to the man that you had yet a brother?”
7
And they say, “The man asked diligently concerning us, and concerning our family, saying, Is your father yet alive? Have you a brother? And we declare to him according to the tenor of these things; do we certainly know that he will say, Bring down your brother?”
8
And Judah says to his father Israel, “Send the youth with me, and we arise, and go, and live, and do not die, both we, and you, and our infants.
9
I am guarantor [for] him, from my hand you require him; if I have not brought him to you, and set him before you—then I have sinned against you all the days;
10
for if we had not lingered, surely now we had returned these two times.”
11
And their father Israel says to them, “If so, now, do this: take of the praised thing of the land in your vessels, and take down to the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds;
12
and double money take in your hand, even the money which is brought back in the mouth of your bags, you take back in your hand, it may be it [is] an oversight.
13
And take your brother, and rise, return to the man;
14
and God Almighty give to you mercies before the man, so that he has sent to you your other brother and Benjamin; and I, when I am bereaved—I am bereaved.”
15
And the men take this present, double money also they have taken in their hand, and Benjamin; and they rise, and go down to Egypt, and stand before Joseph;
Joseph’s Hospitality to His Brothers
16
and Joseph sees Benjamin with them and says to him who [is] over his house, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal, and make ready, for the men eat with me at noon.”
17
And the man does as Joseph has said, and the man brings in the men into the house of Joseph,
18
and the men are afraid because they have been brought into the house of Joseph, and they say, “For the matter of the money which was put back in our bags at the commencement are we brought in—to roll himself on us, and to throw himself on us, and to take us for servants—our donkeys also.”
19
And they come near to the man who [is] over the house of Joseph, and speak to him at the opening of the house,
20
and say, “O my lord, we really come down at the commencement to buy food;
21
and it comes to pass, when we have come to the lodging-place, and open our bags, that behold, each one’s money [is] in the mouth of his bag, our money in its weight, and we bring it back in our hand;
22
and other money have we brought down in our hand to buy food; we have not known who put our money in our bags.”
23
And he says, “Peace to you, do not fear: your God and the God of your father has given to you hidden treasure in your bags, your money came to me”; and he brings out Simeon to them.
24
And the man brings in the men into Joseph’s house, and gives water, and they wash their feet; and he gives provender for their donkeys,
25
and they prepare the present until the coming of Joseph at noon, for they have heard that there they eat bread.
26
And Joseph comes into the house, and they bring to him the present which [is] in their hand, into the house, and bow themselves to him, to the earth;
27
and he asks of them of peace and says, “Is your father well? The aged man of whom you have spoken, is he yet alive?”
28
And they say, “Your servant our father [is] well, he is yet alive”; and they bow, and pay respect.
29
And he lifts up his eyes and sees his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and says, “Is this your young brother, of whom you have spoken to me?” And he says, “God favor you, my son.”
30
And Joseph hurries, for his bowels have been moved for his brother, and he seeks to weep, and enters the inner chamber, and weeps there;
31
and he washes his face, and goes out, and refrains himself, and says, “Place bread.”
32
And they place for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians who are eating with him by themselves: for the Egyptians are unable to eat bread with the Hebrews, for it [is] an abomination to the Egyptians.
33
And they sit before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the young one according to his youth, and the men wonder one at another;
34
and he lifts up gifts from before him to them, and the gift of Benjamin is five hands more than the gifts of all of them; and they drink, indeed, they drink abundantly with him.
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