Tanakh - The Holy Scriptures . Various Authors

their father Israel said unto them: 'If it be so now, do this: take of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and ladanum, nuts, and almonds; ¹²and take double money in your hand; and the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks carry back in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight; ¹³take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man; ¹⁴and God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release unto you your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.'

      ¹⁵And 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. ¹⁶And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house: 'Bring the men into the house, and kill the beasts, and prepare the meat; for the men shall dine with me at noon.' ¹⁷And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. ¹⁸And 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.' ¹⁹And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they spoke unto him at the door of the house, ²⁰and said: 'Oh my lord, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food. ²¹And it came to pass, when we came to the lodging-place, 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 back in our hand. ²²And other money have we brought down in our hand to buy food. We know not who put our money in our sacks.' ²³And 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. ²⁴And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender. ²⁵And they made ready the present against Joseph's coming at noon; for they heard that they should eat bread there. ²⁶And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down to him to the earth. ²⁷And he asked them of their welfare, and said: 'Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spoke? Is he yet alive?' ²⁸And they said: 'Thy servant our father is well, he is yet alive.' And they bowed the head, and made obeisance. ²⁹And he lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother's son, and said: 'Is this your youngest brother of whom ye spoke unto me?' And he said: 'God be gracious unto thee, my son.' ³⁰And Joseph made haste; for his heart yearned toward his brother; and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. ³¹And he washed his face, and came out; and he refrained himself, and said: 'Set on bread.' ³²And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, that did eat with him, by themselves; because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. ³³And they sat before him, the first-born according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth; and the men marvelled one with another. ³⁴And portions were taken unto them from before him; but Benjamin's portion was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

      44And 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. ²And put my goblet, the silver goblet, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money.' And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. ³As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. ⁴And when they were gone out of the city, and were 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? ⁵Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby he indeed divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.' ⁶And he overtook them, and he spoke unto them these words. ⁷And they said unto him: 'Wherefore speaketh my lord such words as these? Far be it from thy servants that they should do such a thing. ⁸Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought back unto thee out of the land of Canaan; how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold? ⁹With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.' ¹⁰And he said: 'Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my bondman; and ye shall be blameless.' ¹¹Then they hastened, and took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. ¹²And he searched, beginning at the eldest, and leaving off at the youngest; and the goblet was found in Benjamin's sack. ¹³And they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city. ¹⁴And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house, and he was yet there; and they fell before him on the ground. ¹⁵And Joseph said unto them: 'What deed is this that ye have done? know ye not that such a man as I will indeed divine?' ¹⁶And 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 bondmen, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup is found.' ¹⁷And he said: 'Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the goblet is found, he shall be my bondman; but as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.'

      ויגש

      ¹⁸Then 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. ¹⁹My lord asked his servants, saying: Have ye a father, or a brother? ²⁰And 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. ²¹And thou saidst unto thy servants: Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. ²²And we said unto my lord: The lad cannot leave his father; for if he should leave his father, his father would die. ²³And thou saidst unto thy servants: Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. ²⁴And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. ²⁵And our father said: Go again, buy us a little food. ²⁶And 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. ²⁷And thy servant my father said unto us: Ye know that my wife bore me two sons; ²⁸and the one went out from me, and I said: Surely he is torn in pieces; and I have not seen him since; ²⁹and if ye take this one also from me, and harm befall him, ye will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. ³⁰Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us; seeing that his soul is bound up with the lad's soul; ³¹it will come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die; and thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. ³²For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying: If I bring him not unto thee, then shall I bear the blame to my father for ever. ³³Now therefore, let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. ³⁴For how shall I go up to my father, if the lad be not with me? lest I look upon the evil that shall come on my father.'

      45Then 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. ²And he wept aloud; and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard. ³And Joseph said unto his brethren: 'I am Joseph; doth my father yet live?' And his brethren could not answer him; for they were affrighted at his presence. ⁴And 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. ⁵And now be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for God did send me before you to preserve life. ⁶For these two years hath the famine been in the land; and there are yet five years, in which there shall be neither plowing nor harvest. ⁷And God sent me before you to give you a remnant on the earth, and to save you alive for a great deliverance. ⁸So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God;