1. Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said
unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?
2. And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in
Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence;
that we may live, and not die.
3. And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.
4. But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his
brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall
him.
5. And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that
came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
6. And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was
that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's
brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with
their faces to the earth.
7. And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made
himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and
he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the
land of Canaan to buy food.
8. And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
9. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them,
and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of
the land ye are come.
10. And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are
thy servants come.
11. We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are
no spies.
12. And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the
land ye are come.
13. And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of
one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is
this day with our father, and one is not.
14. And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you,
saying, Ye are spies:
15. Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall
not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come
hither.
16. Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye
shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved,
whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of
Pharaoh surely ye are spies.
17. And he put them all together into ward three days.
18. And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live;
for I fear God:
19. If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the
house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of
your houses:
20. But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words
be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
21. And they said one to another, We are verily guilty
concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his
soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore
is this distress come upon us.
22. And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you,
saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear?
therefore, behold, also his blood is required.
23. And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake
unto them by an interpreter.
24. And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and
returned to them again, and communed with them, and took
from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.
25. Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to
restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them
provision for the way: and thus did he unto them.
26. And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed
thence.
27. And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender
in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his
sack's mouth.
28. And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and,
lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and
they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that
God hath done unto us?
29. And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of
Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying,
30. The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us,
and took us for spies of the country.
31. And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:
32. We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and
the youngest is this day with our father in the land of
Canaan.
33. And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby
shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your
brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your
households, and be gone:
34. And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know
that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I
deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.
35. And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that,
behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and
when both they and their father saw the bundles of money,
they were afraid.
36. And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved
of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye
will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.
37. And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons,
if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I
will bring him to thee again.
38. And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his
brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall
him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down
my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
Chapter 43
1. And the famine was sore in the land.
2. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which
they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them,
Go again, buy us a little food.
3. And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly
protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except
your brother be with you.
4. If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and
buy thee food:
5. But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the
man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your
brother be with you.
6. And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to
tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?
7. And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and
of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye
another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of
these words: could we certainly know that he would say,
Bring your brother down?
8. And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me,
and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die,
both we, and thou, and also our little ones.
9. I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him:
if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then
let me bear the blame for ever:
10. For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this
second time.
11. And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so
now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your
vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm,
and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds:
12. And take double money in your hand; and the money that was
brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in
your hand; peradventure it was an oversight:
13. Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man:
14. And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may
send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved
of my children, I am bereaved.
15. And the men took that present, and they took double money in
their hand and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to
Egypt, and stood before Joseph.
16. And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler
of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make
ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon.
17. And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men
into Joseph's house.
18. And the men were afraid, because they were brought into
Joseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was
returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in;
that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and
take us for bondmen, and our asses.
19. And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and
they communed with him at the door of the house,
20. And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to
buy food:
21. And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened
our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the mouth
of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought
it again in our hand.
22. And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy
food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks.
23. And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the
God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I
had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them.
24. And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave
them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their
asses provender.
25. And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon:
for they heard that they should eat bread there.
26. And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present
which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves
to him to the earth.
27. And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father
well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?
28. And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health,
he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made
obeisance.
29. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his
mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of
whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto
thee, my son.
30. And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his
brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into
his chamber, and wept there.
31. And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself,
and said, Set on bread.
32. And they set on for him by himself, and for them by
themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him,
by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread
with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the
Egyptians.
33. And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his
birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the
men marvelled one at another.
34. And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but
Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of their's.
And they drank, and were merry with him.
Chapter 44
1. And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the
men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put
every man's money in his sack's mouth.
2. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the
youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the
word that Joseph had spoken.
3. As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away,
they and their asses.
4. And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far
off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men;
and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore
have ye rewarded evil for good?
5. Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed
he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.
6. And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same
words.
7. And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words?
God forbid that thy servants should do according to this
thing:
8. Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we
brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then
should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?
9. With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him
die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.
10. And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words:
he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall
be blameless.
11. Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the
ground, and opened every man his sack.
12. And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the
youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
13. Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass,
and returned to the city.
14. And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he
was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.
15. And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have
done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?
16. And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall
we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found
out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's
servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.
17. And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in
whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as
for you, get you up in peace unto your father.
18. Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy
servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and
let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art
even as Pharaoh.
19. My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a
brother?
20. And we said unto 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
loveth him.
21. And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me,
that I may set mine eyes upon him.
22. And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father:
for if he should leave his father, his father would die.
23. And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest
brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.
24. And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my
father, we told him the words of my lord.
25. And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.
26. And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be
with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's
face, except our youngest brother be with us.
27. And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife
bare me two sons:
28. And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn
in pieces; and I saw him not since:
29. And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him,
ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
30. Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the
lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the
lad's life;
31. It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not
with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down
the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the
grave.
32. For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father,
saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the
blame to my father for ever.
33. Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of
the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his
brethren.
34. For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with
me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my
father.
Chapter 45
1. Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that
stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from
me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made
himself known unto his brethren.
2. And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of
Pharaoh heard.
3. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my
father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for
they were troubled at his presence.
4. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray
you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your
brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
5. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves,
that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to
preserve life.
6. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and
yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither
be earing nor harvest.
7. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in
the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he
hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house,
and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
9. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus
saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt:
come down unto me, tarry not:
10. And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt
be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's
children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou
hast:
11. And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years
of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou
hast, come to poverty.
12. And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother
Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.
13. And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of
all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my
father hither.
14. And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and
Benjamin wept upon his neck.
15. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and
after that his brethren talked with him.
16. And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying,
Joseph's brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and
his servants.
17. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do
ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of
Canaan;
18. And take your father and your households, and come unto me:
and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye
shall eat the fat of the land.
19. Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of
the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives,
and bring your father, and come.
20. Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of
Egypt is your's.
21. And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them
wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave
them provision for the way.
22. To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to
Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five
changes of raiment.
23. And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden
with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with
corn and bread and meat for his father by the way.
24. So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said
unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.
25. And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of
Canaan unto Jacob their father,
26. And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is
governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart
fainted, for he believed them not.
27. And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said
unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent
to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived:
28. And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I
will go and see him before I die.
