Joseph’s Brothers, including Benjamin, Return to the Country of Egypt

43:1-34

43 Now the famine was heavy in the land. 2 So it happened when they finished eating the grain that they had brought from Egypt, then their father said to them, “Return, buy a little food for us.” 3 But Judah said to him, saying, “The man strongly warned us, saying, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you!’ 4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 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 unless your brother is with you!’ ”

6 Then Israel said, “Why did you treat me badly by telling the man you have yet another brother?” 7 And they said, “The man asked persistently about us and our relatives, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him according to those words. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the young man with me, and we will get up and go so that both we and you and our little ones will live and not die. 9 I myself will guarantee him. From my hand you can require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then I will have sinned against you all the days. 10 Surely if we had not delayed, surely we could have returned here twice by now.” 11 Then Israel their father said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the choice produce of the land in your bags, and take it down to the man as a gift: a little balm, and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 And take double the silver in your hands, because you must return in your hands the silver that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 So take your brother and get up, return to the man. 14 And may God Almighty give you mercies before the man, and may he send your other brother and Benjamin with you. And I, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

15 Then the men took that gift, and they took double the silver in their hands, and Benjamin. Then they got up and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. 16 And Joseph saw Benjamin with them. Then he said to the one who was over his house, “Take the men to the house, and slaughter an animal and prepare a meal, because the men will eat with me at noon.”

17 So the man did just as Joseph had said, and the man brought the men to Joseph’s house. 18 And the men were afraid when they were brought to Joseph’s house, and they said, “Because of the matter of the silver that was returned in our sacks the first time, we have been brought. He wants to roll himself over us and throw himself on us and take us as slaves, and our donkeys!”

19 Then they went near to the man who was over Joseph’s house and spoke to him at the entrance of the house. 20 And they said, “Please, my lord, we surely came down here the first time to buy food. 21 But it happened when we came to the lodging place, we opened our sacks and behold, each man’s silver was in the mouth of his sack; our silver was there in its full weight! So we have brought it back in our hands. 22 And we have brought down other silver in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our sacks.” 23 But he said, “Peace be to you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you hidden treasure in your sacks; your silver came to me.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

24 Then the man took the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet, and he gave fodder to their donkeys. 25 And they prepared the gift for Joseph’s arrival at noon, because they had heard that they would eat bread there.

26 Then Joseph came to the house, and they brought to him the gift that was in their hands into the house, and they bowed down to him to the ground. 27 Then he asked them about their wellbeing, and he said, “Are things well for your aged father whom you spoke about? Is he still alive?” 28 And they said, “Things are well for your servant our father. He is still alive.” Then they bowed and bowed down.

29 Then he lifted his eyes and saw Benjamin his brother, the son of his mother, and he said, “Is this your youngest brother whom you spoke to me about?” Then he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 Then Joseph hurried out, because his emotions boiled over for his brother, and he sought to cry, and he went to the inner room and cried there.

31 Then he washed his face and came out. Then he controlled himself and said, “Serve the bread.” 32 So they served to him by himself, and to them by themselves, and to the Egyptians who were eating with him by themselves, because Egyptians cannot eat bread with Hebrews, because that is an abomination to Egyptians. 33 And they were sitting before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, and the men were astonished each to his neighbor. 34 Then he served to them servings of food from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times larger than any of their servings. And they drank and became drunk with him.