Genesis 43

The famine was still severe in the land.

So when they'd eaten all the grain they'd brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a bit more food.”

But Judah said to him, “The man warned us solemnly. ‘You won't see my face unless your brother's with you.’

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

But if you won't send him, we won't go, because the man said, ‘You won't see my face unless your brother's with you.’”

And Israel said, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?”

And they said, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still alive? Have you got another brother?’ We just answered his questions. How could we know he'd say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”

And Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me and we'll go at once, so we can live and not die — us, and you, and our children.

I'll guarantee his safety. You can hold me responsible for him. If I don't bring him back to you and set him here in front of you, I'll bear the blame for the rest of my life.

If we hadn't held off, we could have gone and come back twice by now.”

Then their father Israel said to them, “If it has to 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 bit of balm, a bit of honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.

Take twice the silver with you, and take back the silver that was put in the mouths of your sacks. Maybe it was a mistake.

Take your brother too, and go straight back to the man.

And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, so he lets your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I'm bereaved, I'm bereaved.”

So the men took the gift and twice the silver, and Benjamin. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to 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 it. They're eating with me at midday.”

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. “It's because of the silver that was put back in our sacks the first time,” they said. “He wants to attack us and overpower us and take us as slaves, and our donkeys as well.”

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

“Please, sir,” they said, “we came down here the first time to buy food.

But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks, and there was each man's silver, the full amount, in the mouth of his sack. So we've brought it back with us.

And we've brought more silver with us to buy food. We don't know who put our silver in our sacks.”

“It's alright,” he said. “Don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks. I received your silver.” And he brought Simeon out to them.

Then the steward took the men into Joseph's house, gave them water to wash their feet, and gave their donkeys feed.

They got the gift ready for Joseph's arrival at midday, because they'd heard they were going to eat there.

When Joseph came home, they brought him the gift they'd brought into the house, and bowed down to the ground in front of him.

He asked them how they were, and then he said, “How's your aged father, the one you told me about? Is he still alive?”

“Your servant our father is still alive and well,” they said. And they bowed low to show their respect.

And he looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son, and he said, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, son.”

And Joseph hurried out, because he was overcome at the sight of his brother and about to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.

Then he washed his face and came out, and holding himself together he said, “Serve the food.”

They served him on his own, the brothers on their own, and the Egyptians who ate with him on their own, because Egyptians couldn't eat with Hebrews — it was detestable to them.

The men had been seated in front of him in order of age, from the firstborn to the youngest, and they looked at each other in astonishment.

And portions were taken to them from Joseph's table, but Benjamin's was five times as much as anyone else's. So they drank and had a good time with him.