Joseph’s Brothers Come to Egypt: Recognition, Guilt, and a Hard Mercy

42:2He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy for us from there, so that we may live, and not die.”

42:3Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

42:4But Jacob didn’t send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers; for he said, “Lest perhaps harm happen to him.”

42:5The sons of Israel came to buy among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

42:6Joseph was the governor over the land. It was he who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph’s brothers came, and bowed themselves down to him with their faces to the earth.

42:7Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but acted like a stranger to them, and spoke roughly with them. He said to them, “Where did you come from?” They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.”

42:8Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him.

42:9Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land.”

42:10They said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.

42:11We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men. Your servants are not spies.”

42:12He said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land!”

42:13They said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is today with our father, and one is no more.”

42:14Joseph said to them, “It is like I told you, saying, ‘You are spies!’

42:15By this you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go out from here, unless your youngest brother comes here.

42:16Send one of you, and let him get your brother, and you shall be bound, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you, or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies.”

42:17He put them all together into custody for three days.

42:18Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this, and live, for I fear God.

42:19If you are honest men, then let one of your brothers be bound in your prison; but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses.

42:20Bring your youngest brother to me; so will your words be verified, and you won’t die.” They did so.

42:21They said to one another, “We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn’t listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us.”

42:22Reuben answered them, saying, “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘Don’t sin against the child,’ and you wouldn’t listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required.”

42:23They didn’t know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.

42:24He turned himself away from them, and wept. Then he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes.

42:25Then Joseph gave a command to fill their bags with grain, and to restore each man’s money into his sack, and to give them food for the way. So it was done to them.

42:26They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed from there.

42:27As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey food in the lodging place, he saw his money. Behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.

42:28He said to his brothers, “My money is restored! Behold, it is in my sack!” Their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”

42:29They came to Jacob their father, to the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them, saying,

42:30“The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country.

42:31We said to him, ‘We are honest men. We are no spies.

42:32We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is today with our father in the land of Canaan.’

42:33The man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way.

42:34Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. So I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’”

42:35As they emptied their sacks, behold, each man’s bundle of money was in his sack. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.

42:36Jacob, their father, said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.”

42:37Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons, if I don’t bring him to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him to you again.”

42:38He said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left. If harm happens to him along the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”

43:2When they had eaten up the grain which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little more food.”

43:3Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.’

43:4If you’ll send our brother with us, we’ll go down and buy you food;

43:5but if you don’t send him, we won’t go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.’”

43:6Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly, telling the man that you had another brother?”

43:7They said, “The man asked directly concerning ourselves, and concerning our relatives, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ We just answered his questions. Is there any way we could know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

43:8Judah 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, both we, and you, and also our little ones.

43:9I’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;

43:10for if we hadn’t delayed, surely we would have returned a second time by now.”

43:11Their father, Israel, said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take from the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry down a present for the man, a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts, and almonds;

43:12and take double money in your hand, and take back the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight.

43:13Take your brother also, get up, and return to the man.

43:14May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”

43:15The men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and got up, went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

43:16When 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; for the men will dine with me at noon.”

43:17The man did as Joseph commanded, and the man brought the men to Joseph’s house.

43:18The men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph’s house; and they said, “Because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time, we’re brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, attack us, and seize us as slaves, along with our donkeys.”

43:19They came near to the steward of Joseph’s house, and they spoke to him at the door of the house,

43:20and said, “Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food.

43:21When we came to the lodging place, we opened our sacks, and behold, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. We have brought it back in our hand.

43:22We have brought down other money in our hand to buy food. We don’t know who put our money in our sacks.”

43:23He said, “Peace be to you. Don’t be afraid. Your God, and the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks. I received your money.” He brought Simeon out to them.

43:24The man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet. He gave their donkeys fodder.

43:25They prepared the present for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they should eat bread there.

43:26When 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.

43:27He asked them of their welfare, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he yet alive?”

43:28They said, “Your servant, our father, is well. He is still alive.” They bowed down humbly.

43:29He lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin, his brother, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?” He said, “God be gracious to you, my son.”

43:30Joseph hurried, for his heart yearned over his brother; and he sought a place to weep. He entered into his room, and wept there.

43:31He washed his face, and came out. He controlled himself, and said, “Serve the meal.”

43:32They 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.

43:33They sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth, and the men marveled with one another.

43:34He 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.

44:2Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, with his grain money.” He did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

44:3As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

44:4When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men. When you overtake them, ask them, ‘Why have you rewarded evil for good?

44:5Isn’t this that from which my lord drinks, and by which he indeed divines? You have done evil in so doing.’”

44:6He overtook them, and he spoke these words to them.

44:7They said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing!

44:8Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks’ mouths, we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan. How then should we steal silver or gold out of your lord’s house?

44:9With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”

44:10He said, “Now also let it be according to your words. He with whom it is found will be my slave; and you will be blameless.”

44:11Then they hurried, and each man took his sack down to the ground, and each man opened his sack.

44:12He searched, beginning with the oldest, and ending at the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

44:13Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey, and returned to the city.

44:14Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there. They fell on the ground before him.

44:15Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Don’t you know that such a man as I can indeed do divination?”

44:16Judah said, “What will we tell my lord? What will we speak? How will we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and he also in whose hand the cup is found.”

44:17He said, “Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup is found, he will be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

44:18Then Judah came near to him, and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and don’t let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even as Pharaoh.

44:19My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father, or a brother?’

44:20We said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loves him.’

44:21You said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’

44:22We said to my lord, ‘The boy can’t leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’

44:23You said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will see my face no more.’

44:24When we came up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

44:25Our father said, ‘Go again and buy us a little food.’

44:26We said, ‘We can’t go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down: for we may not see the man’s face, unless our youngest brother is with us.’

44:27Your servant, my father, said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.

44:28One went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces;” and I haven’t seen him since.

44:29If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.’

44:30Now therefore when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us; since his life is bound up in the boy’s life;

44:31it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol.

44:32For your servant became collateral for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I don’t bring him to you, then I will bear the blame to my father forever.’

44:33Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy, my lord’s slave; and let the boy go up with his brothers.

44:34For how will I go up to my father, if the boy isn’t with me?—lest I see the evil that will come on my father.”

45:2He wept aloud. The Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard.

45:3Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Does my father still live?” His brothers couldn’t answer him; for they were terrified at his presence.

45:4Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” They came near. He said, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

45:5Now don’t be grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.

45:6For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are yet five years, in which there will be no plowing and no harvest.

45:7God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to save you alive by a great deliverance.

45:8So now it wasn’t you who sent me here, but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

45:9Hurry, and go up to my father, and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says, “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me. Don’t wait.

45:10You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you will be near to me, you, your children, your children’s children, your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.

45:11There I will provide for you; for there are yet five years of famine; lest you come to poverty, you, and your household, and all that you have.”’

45:12Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaks to you.

45:13You shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. You shall hurry and bring my father down here.”

45:14He fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.

45:15He kissed all his brothers, and wept on them. After that his brothers talked with him.

45:16The report of it was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” It pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.

45:17Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals, and go, travel to the land of Canaan.

45:18Take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.’

45:19Now you are commanded to do this: Take wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.

45:20Also, don’t concern yourselves about your belongings, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.”

45:21The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.

45:22He gave each one of them changes of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing.

45:23He sent the following to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and provision for his father by the way.

45:24So he sent his brothers away, and they departed. He said to them, “See that you don’t quarrel on the way.”

45:25They went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father.

45:26They told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” His heart fainted, for he didn’t believe them.

45:27They told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them. When he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob, their father, revived.

45:28Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”