Genesis

Now the famine was severe in the land.

So it happened that 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."

But Judah said to him, "The man solemnly warned us, 'You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.'

If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you.

But if you will not send him, we will not go; for the man said to us, 'You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'"

Israel asked, "Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?"

They replied, "The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. 'Is your father still living?' he asked. 'Do you have another brother?' We merely answered his questions. How could we possibly know he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?"

Then Judah said to his father Israel, "Send the boy with me and we will set out at once, so that we may live and not die—we and you and our children.

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 before your face, then let me bear the blame before you forever.

Indeed, if we had not delayed, we could have returned twice by now."

Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best products of the land in your bags and carry them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.

Take double the amount of silver with you, and take back the silver that was returned in the mouths of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight.

Take your brother also, and set out at once to return to the man.

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."

So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin. They set out, went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

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 a meal; they are to dine with me at noon."

The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph's house.

Now the men were frightened when they were taken to Joseph's 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."

So they went up to Joseph's steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house.

"Pardon, my lord," they said, "we came down the first time to buy food.

But when 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.

We have also brought additional silver to buy food. We do not know who put the silver in our sacks."

"It’s all right," he said. "Don’t be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver." Then he brought Simeon out to them.

The steward took the men into Joseph's house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided fodder for their donkeys.

They prepared their gifts for Joseph’s arrival at noon, for they had heard that they were to eat there.

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.

He asked them how they were and then said, "How is your aged father you spoke of? Is he still living?"

They replied, "Your servant our father is still alive and well." And they bowed down to show him honour.

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."

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.

After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, "Serve the food."

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.

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.

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.