Old Testament

New Testament

Genesis 42-45
Joseph and His Brothers
421When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you standing here looking at each other?” 2He also said, “Listen, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us there, so that we may live and not die.” 3So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin along with his other brothers, because he said, “Something bad might happen to him.”
5The sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain because of the famine in the land of Canaan. 6Joseph was the governor over the land. He was the one who sold grain to all the people of the land. Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. 7Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted like a stranger toward them and spoke harshly to them. He asked them, “Where did you come from?”
They said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”
8Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed about them and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see where the land is exposed.”
10They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food. 11We are all one man's sons. We are honest men. Your servants are not spies.”
12He said to them, “No, you have come to see where the land is exposed!”
13They said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. Listen, at the present time the youngest remains with our father, and one is no more.”
14Joseph said to them, “It is just as I said. You are spies! 15This is how you will be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall never get out of here, unless your youngest brother comes here. 16Send one of you to get your brother. The rest of you will be kept under arrest, so that your words may be tested, whether you are telling the truth. Otherwise, by the life of Pharaoh, you are spies.” 17He kept them all together, confined in the jail for three days.
18On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do what I tell you and you will live, because I fear God. 19If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in the jail, but the rest of you go and deliver grain to your houses to relieve the famine. 20Bring your youngest brother to me so that your words may be verified, and you will not die.” So they did as he said.
21They said to one another, “We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the misery of his soul when he begged us, but we would not listen. That is why this misery has come upon us.”
22Reuben answered them, “Didn't I tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’? But you would not listen. So now payment for his blood is being required from us.”
23They did not know that Joseph understood them, because an interpreter was being used between them. 24Joseph turned away from them and wept. After he returned and spoke to them, he seized Simeon from among them and tied him up before their very eyes. 25Then Joseph gave a command to fill their containers with grain, to return each man's money into his sack, and to give them food for the journey. So all this was done for them.
26They loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there. 27When one of them opened his sack at the lodging place to give his donkey food, he saw his money. It was right there in the mouth of his bag. 28He said to his brothers, “My money has been returned! Look, there it is, in my bag!” Their hearts sank, and they turned to one another trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”
29They came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him everything that had happened to them. They said, 30“The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us and accused us of being spies against the country. 31We said to him, ‘We are honest men. We are not spies. 32We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One brother is no more, and at the present time the youngest is with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 33That man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘This is how I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers with me. Take grain to relieve the famine at your houses, and go on your way. 34Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. Then I will release your brother to you, and you will be allowed to conduct business in the land.’”
35Then as they emptied their sacks, they were surprised to see that each man's pouch of money was in his sack. When they and their father saw their pouch of money, they were afraid.
36Jacob, their father, said to them, “You have deprived me of my children! Joseph is no more. Simeon is no more. And now you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.”
37Reuben spoke to his father, “You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back to you again.”
38Jacob said, “My son shall not go down with you, since his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If he has a mishap on the journey that you are taking, you will bring my gray hairs down to the grave with sorrow.”
431The famine in the land was severe, 2so when they had eaten all the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy a little more food for us.”
3Judah said to him, “The man sternly warned us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.’ 4If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you, 5but if you do not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”
6Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man that you had another brother?”
7They said, “The man interrogated us about ourselves and about our relatives. He asked, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ We just answered his questions. Is there any way we could have known that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”
8Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will get up and go, so that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. 9I will serve as a guarantee for him. You can hold me accountable for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him in front of you, then let me bear the blame forever. 10Look, if we had not delayed, we certainly could have returned for a second time by now.”
11Their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then this is what you should do: Put some of the best products of the land into your containers and take a gift for the man: a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds. 12Also take double the amount of silver with you. Take back the silver that was returned into the mouths of your bags. Perhaps it was an oversight. 13Also take your brother. Get going and return to the man. 14May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, so that he will release your other brother and Benjamin to you. But if I am deprived of my children, I am deprived.”
15The men took that present, and they took double the amount of silver with them. They also took Benjamin. They got up, went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 16When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the manager[] of his house, “Bring the men into the house. Butcher an animal and prepare it, for the men will dine with me at noon.”
17The manager did as Joseph commanded and brought the men to Joseph's house. 18The brothers were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph's house. They said, “Because of the money that was returned into our bags the first time, we are being brought in, so that he may find a pretext against us, pounce on us, seize us as slaves, and take our donkeys.”
19They approached the manager of Joseph's house and spoke to him at the door of the house. 20They said, “Please, my lord, we really did come down the first time to buy food. 21When we came to the lodging place, we opened our bags, and to our surprise each man's silver was in the mouth of his bag, the full amount of our money.[] We have brought it back with us. 22We have also brought down with us additional money to buy food. We do not know who put our money into our bags.”
23He said, “There is no problem. Do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your bags. I received your money.” He brought Simeon out to them. 24The man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, so they could wash their feet. He gave their donkeys fodder. 25They prepared the gift for Joseph, who was coming at noon, because they heard that they would be eating bread there.
26When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gift that they had brought to the house, and they bowed down to the ground in front of him. 27He asked them about their welfare: “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”
28They said, “Your servant, our father, is well. He is still alive.”[] They bowed down and prostrated themselves.
29Joseph looked up and saw Benjamin, his brother, his mother's son, and he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” He said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” 30Joseph hurried out, because he was overcome by his emotions over his brother, and he looked for a place to weep. He went into his room and wept there. 31Then he washed his face and came out. After he regained control of himself, he said, “Serve the meal.”
32They served Joseph by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians do not eat with Hebrews, for that is repulsive to the Egyptians. 33The brothers were seated in front of him. They were lined up in order, starting with the firstborn based on his birthright down to the youngest based on his youth, and the men expressed their amazement to each other. 34He sent servings to them from his table, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. They were drinking and they were feeling the effects.[]
441Joseph commanded the manager of his house, “Fill the men's bags with food, as much as they can carry. Put each man's money into the mouth of his bag. 2Put my cup, the silver cup, into the mouth of the bag of the youngest, along with his money for the grain.” The manager did exactly what Joseph told him to do.
3As soon as it became light in the morning, the men were sent on their way, with their donkeys. 4When they had left the city and still were not very far away, Joseph said to his manager, “Get up. Pursue those men. When you overtake them, ask them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? 5Isn't this the cup that my lord drinks from and that he uses for divination? By doing this you have done evil.’” 6The steward caught up to them and spoke those words to them.
7They replied to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Your servants would never do such a thing! 8That money, which we found in the mouths of our bags—we brought it back to you from the land of Canaan. Why then would we steal silver or gold out of your lord's house? 9If your cup is found with any of your servants, let him die, and we also will be my lord's slaves.”
10He said, “Fine, it will be just as you have said. If it is found with anyone, he will be my slave, and the rest of you will be blameless.”
11Then each man quickly lowered his bag to the ground, and each man opened his bag. 12The manager searched, beginning with the oldest and finishing with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's bag. 13Then they tore their clothing, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.
14When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there. They fell to the ground before him. 15Joseph said to them, “What did you think you were doing? Didn't you know that a man like me can discover things by divination?”
16Judah said, “What can we tell my lord? What can we say? How can we clear ourselves? God has exposed the guilt of your servants. Here we are. We are my lord's slaves, both we and the one in whose hand the cup was found.”
17Joseph said, “I would never do that. The man in whose hand the cup was found will be my slave, but as for the rest of you, go up in peace to your father.”
18Then Judah approached him and said, “O my lord, please let your servant speak to my lord directly. Do not let your anger burn against your servant, because you are just like Pharaoh. 19My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 20We said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child from his old age, a young one. His brother is dead, and he alone is left from his mother, and his father loves him.’ 21You said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, so that I may see him with my own eyes.’ 22We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he were to leave his father, his father would die.’ 23You said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will never see my face again.’ 24And so it was that when we came to your servant, my father, we told him about the words of my lord. 25Our father said, ‘Go again. Buy us a little food.’ 26We said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, we will go down, because we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27Your servant, my father, said to us, ‘You know that my wife gave birth to two sons for me. 28The one has departed from me and I said, “I am sure he is torn to pieces,” and I have not seen him since. 29If you take this one away from me as well, and mishap comes upon him, you will bring my gray hairs down to the grave with sorrow.’ 30So now when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, since my father's life is bound up in the boy's life, 31when he sees that the boy is no more, he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, to the grave with sorrow. 32For your servant became a guarantee for the boy to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him to you, then I will bear the blame before my father forever.’ 33So please let your servant stay as a slave to my lord instead of the boy, and let the boy go up with his brothers. 34For how can I go up to my father if the boy is not with me? How could I stand to see the evil that will come on my father?”
451Joseph was unable to control himself in front of all his attendants, so he called out, “Send everyone out from my presence!” When no one else was left with him, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers. 2He wept out loud. The Egyptians heard him, and the house of Pharaoh heard about it. 3Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?”
His brothers could not answer him, because they were terrified by his presence. 4Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me, please.”
They came closer. He said, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5Now do not be upset or angry with yourselves for selling me to this place, since God sent me ahead of you to preserve life. 6For two years now the famine has been in the land, and there are still five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7God sent me ahead of you to preserve you as survivors on the earth, and to keep you alive by a great act of deliverance. 8So it was not you who sent me here, but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord over his entire household, and ruler over the whole land of Egypt. 9Hurry, 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. Do not delay. 10You shall live in the land of Goshen, where you will be close to me—you, your children, your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11I will take care of you here, for there are still five years of famine. Otherwise you will come to ruin, you, and your household, and all that you have.”’ 12Pay attention. Your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you. 13You shall tell my father all about my position of honor in Egypt and about everything that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.”
14He threw his arms around his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his shoulder. 15He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. After that his brothers talked with him.
16This report was heard in Pharaoh's house: “Joseph's brothers have come.” This pleased Pharaoh and his officials.
17Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Load your animals. Travel quickly to the land of Canaan. 18Get your father and your households, and return to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the rich food of the land. 19Now I command you to do this: Take carts[] from the land of Egypt for your little ones and your wives, and bring your father here. 20Also, do not worry about your belongings, for the best of the whole land of Egypt is yours.’”
21So that is what the sons of Israel did. Joseph gave them carts as Pharaoh had commanded, and he gave them supplies for the journey. 22He gave each one of them a change of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing. 23He sent the following to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and supplies for his father on the journey. 24So he dismissed his brothers, and they departed. He said to them, “See to it that you do not quarrel on the way.”
25They went up from Egypt and came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan. 26They told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” He was stunned[] because he did not believe them. 27They told Jacob every word that Joseph had said to them. When he saw the carts that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.
28Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Footnotes

  • 43:16 Or steward
  • 43:21 There were no coins at this time. Money was silver that was weighed out.
  • 43:28 The Greek Old Testament adds a sentence: And he said, “Blessed be that man by God.”
  • 43:34 The word refers to some level of intoxication, not just to drinking a beverage.
  • 45:19 Or wagons. Ancient pictorial evidence suggests the vehicles were two-wheeled ox carts, not four-wheeled wagons.
  • 45:26 Literally his heart was numb