Genesis 43

1The famine was severe in the land.

2And when they had finished eating the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back; buy us a little food.”

3Then Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”

4If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you.

5But 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.’

6Then Israel said, “Why did you do me harm by telling the man that you still had another brother?”

7They said, “The man questioned us closely about us and about our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ So we told him according to these words. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

8And Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me, and let us arise and go, so that we may live and not die—both we and you and our little ones.”

9I myself will guarantee him. From my hand you may require him. If I do not bring him to you and set him before you, then I will bear the blame to you all my days.

10For if we had not delayed, by now we would have returned twice.

11Then Israel their father said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice products of the land in your containers, and carry down to the man a gift—a little balm and a little honey, gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.”

12Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was a mistake.

13Take your brother also, and arise, return to the man.

14May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, so that he may send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.

15So the men took this gift, and they took double the money in their hand, and Benjamin. Then they arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

16When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the one over his household, “Bring the men into the house, slaughter an animal, and prepare it, because the men will eat with me at noon.”

17So the man did as Joseph said, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.

18The men were afraid because they had been brought into Joseph’s house, and they said, “It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time that we are being brought in, so that he may make a pretext against us and fall upon us and take us as servants, along with our donkeys.”

19So they approached the man who was over Joseph’s household and spoke to him at the entrance of the house,

20And they said, “Please, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food.”

21And when we came to the lodging place and opened our sacks, behold, each man's silver was in the mouth of his sack—our silver in its full weight—and we brought it back in our hand.

22And we have brought down other silver in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our sacks.

23He said, “Peace to you. Do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks. Your silver came to me.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

24The man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; then he gave fodder to their donkeys.

25And they prepared the gift until Joseph came at noon, because they had heard that they would eat bread there.

26When Joseph came into the house, they brought to him the gift that was in their hands into the house, and they bowed down to the ground before him.

27He asked them about their well-being and said, “Is your elderly father, whom you spoke of, well? Is he still alive?”

28They said, “Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.” Then they bowed down and prostrated themselves.

29He lifted up his eyes and saw Benjamin, his brother, his mother's son, and said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?” Then he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son.”

30Then Joseph hurried, because his compassion for his brother was stirred, and he sought a place to weep. He entered the room and wept there.

31Then he washed his face, came out, controlled himself, and said, “Serve the food.”

32So they served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians.

33And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at one another in astonishment.

34He sent portions to them from before him, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as all of theirs. So they drank and became drunk with him.