The Return to Egypt
Genesis 43The famine was severe in the land. When they had eaten up the grain which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them, “Y’all go again and buy us a little more food.”
Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man warned-warned us, saying, ‘Y’all will not see my face, unless y’all’s brother is with y’all.’ If you will send our brother with us, we’ll go down and buy you food; but if you don’t send him, we won’t go down, for the man said to us, ‘Y’all will not see my face, unless y’all’s brother is with y’all.’”
Israel said, “Why did y’all treat me so badly, telling the man that y’all had another brother?”
They said, “The man questioned-questioned us about ourselves and our relatives, saying, ‘Is y’all’s father still alive? Have y’all another brother?’ We just answered his questions. Could we have known-known that he would say, ‘Bring y’all’s brother down?’”
Judah said to Israel, his father, “Send the boy with me, and we’ll get up and go, so that we may live, and not die, we as well as you and also our little ones. I’ll be collateral for him. From my hand will you require him. If I don’t bring him to you, and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever; for if we hadn’t delayed, surely we would have returned a second time by now.”
Their father, Israel, said to them, “If it must be so, then y’all do this: Y’all take from the choice fruits of the land in y’all’s bags, and carry down a present for the man, a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts, and almonds. Y’all take double money in y’all’s hand, and take back the money that was returned in the mouth of y’all’s sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. Y’all Take y’all’s brother also, get up, and return to the man. May God Almighty give y’all mercy before the man, that he may release y’all’s other brother and Benjamin to y’all. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”
So the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin also. They got up, went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, and butcher an animal, and prepare it; for the men will dine with me at noon.”
The man did as Joseph commanded, and the man brought the men to Joseph’s house. The men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time that we are being brought in. He wants to seek occasion against us, attack us, and seize us as slaves, along with our donkeys.” They came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they spoke to him at the door of the house, and said, “Oh, my lord, we came-came here the first time to buy food. When we came to the lodging place, we opened our sacks, and saw that each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. We have brought it back in our hand. We have brought down other money in our hand to buy food. We don’t know who put our money in our sacks.”
He said, “Peace be to y’all. Don’t y’all be afraid. Y’all’s God, and the God of y’all’s father, has given y’all treasure in y’all’s sacks. I received y’all’s money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. The man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet. He gave their donkeys fodder. They prepared the present for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.
When Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves down to the earth before him. He asked them of their welfare, and said, “Is y’all’s father well, the old man of whom y’all spoke? Is he yet alive?”
They said, “Your servant, our father, is well. He is still alive.” They bowed down humbly. He lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin, his brother, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this y’all’s youngest brother, of whom y’all spoke to me?”
He said, “God be gracious to you, my son.”
Then Joseph hurried out because his compassion was kindled over his brother, and he sought a place to weep. He entered into his room and wept there. Then he washed his face and came out. He controlled himself and said, “Y’all serve the meal.”
They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians don’t eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. They sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth, and the men marveled with one another. He sent portions to them from before him, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. They drank and were merry with him.