43:1 Now the famine was still severe in the land.
43:2 So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”
43:3 But Judah said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’
43:4 If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you.
43:5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”
43:6 Israel asked, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?”
43:7 They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’ he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”
43:8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die.
43:9 I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life.
43:10 As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.”
43:11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift–a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.
43:12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake.
43:13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once.
43:14 And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
43:15 So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph.
43:16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare dinner; they are to eat with me at noon.”
43:17 The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph’s house.
43:18 Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.”
43:19 So they went up to Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house.
43:20 “Please, sir,” they said, “we came down here the first time to buy food.
43:21 But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver–the exact weight–in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us.
43:22 We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.”
43:23 “It’s all right,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.
43:24 The steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys.
43:25 They prepared their gifts for Joseph’s arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there.
43:26 When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground.
43:27 He asked them how they were, and then he said, “How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?”
43:28 They replied, “Your servant our father is still alive and well.” And they bowed low to pay him honor.
43:29 As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.”
43:30 Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.
43:31 After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, “Serve the food.”
43:32 They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians.
43:33 The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment.
43:34 When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s. So they feasted and drank freely with him.
43:1 Now the famine was severe in the land.
43:2 And when they had completely consumed the grain which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them, Go back; buy us a little food.
43:3 But Judah spoke to him, saying, The man solemnly warned us, saying, You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.
43:4 If you are willing to send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you grain for food;
43:5 But if you are not willing to send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.
43:6 And Israel said, Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother?
43:7 And they said, The man asked very carefully about us and about our relatives, saying, Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother? So we told him about these things. Could we possibly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?
43:8 And Judah said to Israel his father, Send the boy with me, and we will rise up and go, that we may live and not die, we and you and our little ones.
43:9 I myself will be surety for him; of my hand you may require him. If I do not bring him to you and set him before you, then I shall bear the blame of sinning before you forever.
43:10 For if we had not delayed, by now we could have returned twice.
43:11 And their father Israel said to them, If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man ? a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.
43:12 And take double the silver in your hand, and carry back in your hand the silver that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was a mistake.
43:13 Take your brother also, and rise up; return to the man.
43:14 And may the All-sufficient God grant you mercy before the man, that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am to be bereaved of my children, I shall be bereaved.
43:15 So the men took this present, and they took double the silver in their hand and Benjamin; and they rose up and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
43:16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to him who was over his house, Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal, and prepare it; for the men will eat with me at noon.
43:17 And the man did as Joseph said, and the man brought the men into Joseph s house.
43:18 And the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph s house; and they said, It is because of the silver that was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are being brought in, that he may come out against us and fall upon us and take us as slaves with our donkeys.
43:19 And they came near to the man who was over Joseph s house and spoke to him at the door of the house,
43:20 And said, Please, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy grain for food;
43:21 And when we came to the lodging place, we opened our sacks, and there was each man s silver, in the mouth of his sack, our silver in full weight. So we have brought it back in our hand.
43:22 And we have also brought down extra silver in our hand to buy grain for food. We do not know who put our silver in our sacks.
43:23 And he said, Be at peace; do not fear. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; your silver came to me. Then he brought Simeon out to them.
43:24 And the man brought the men into Joseph s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys fodder.
43:25 And they prepared the present for Joseph s coming at noon, for they had heard that they would eat a meal there.
43:26 And when Joseph came into the house, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house and bowed down to the ground to him.
43:27 And he asked them about their welfare and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?
43:28 And they said, Your servant our father is well; he is still alive. And they bowed and paid him homage.
43:29 And he lifted up his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother s son, and said, Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me? And he said, God be gracious to you, my son.
43:30 And Joseph hurried ? for his inward parts burned for his brother ? and sought a place to weep. So he entered into his chamber and wept there.
43:31 Then he washed his face and came out, and he controlled himself and said, Serve the meal.
43:32 And they served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat a meal with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.
43:33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at one another in astonishment.
43:34 And he had portions brought to them from before him; however Benjamin s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.