Genesis 43

1 Now the famine was still severe in the land.

And the famine [is] severe in the land;

2 So when Jacob’s sons had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”

and it comes to pass, when they have finished eating the grain which they brought from Egypt, that their father says to them, “Return, buy for us a little food.”

3 But Judah replied, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’

And Judah speaks to him, saying, “The man protesting protested to us, saying, You do not see my face without your brother [being] with you;

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

if you are sending our brother with us, we go down, and buy for you food,

5 But if you will not send him, we will not go; for the man told us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”

and if you are not sending—we do not go down, for the man said to us, You do not see my face without your brother [being] with you.”

6 “Why did you bring this trouble upon me?” Israel asked. “Why did you tell the man you had another brother?”

And Israel says, “Why did you do evil to me, by declaring to the man that you had yet a brother?”

7 They replied, “The man questioned us in detail about ourselves and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”

And they say, “The man asked diligently concerning us, and concerning our family, saying, Is your father yet alive? Have you a brother? And we declare to him according to the tenor of these things; do we certainly know that he will say, Bring down your brother?”

8 And Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our children.

And Judah says to his father Israel, “Send the youth with me, and we arise, and go, and live, and do not die, both we, and you, and our infants.

9 I will guarantee his safety. You may hold me personally responsible. If I do not bring him back and set him before you, then may I bear the guilt before you all my life.

I am guarantor [for] him, from my hand you require him; if I have not brought him to you, and set him before you—then I have sinned against you all the days;

10 If we had not delayed, we could have come and gone twice by now.”

for if we had not lingered, surely now we had returned these two times.”

11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.

And their father Israel says to them, “If so, now, do this: take of the praised thing of the land in your vessels, and take down to the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds;

12 Take double the silver with you so that you may return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake.

and double money take in your hand, even the money which is brought back in the mouth of your bags, you take back in your hand, it may be it [is] an oversight.

13 Take your brother as well, and return to the man at once.

And take your brother, and rise, return to the man;

14 May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother along with Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

and God Almighty give to you mercies before the man, so that he has sent to you your other brother and Benjamin; and I, when I am bereaved—I am bereaved.”

15 So the men took these gifts, along with double the amount of silver, and Benjamin as well. Then they hurried down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

And the men take this present, double money also they have taken in their hand, and Benjamin; and they rise, and go down to Egypt, and stand before Joseph;

16 When Joseph saw Benjamin with his brothers, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for they shall dine with me at noon.”

and Joseph sees Benjamin with them and says to him who [is] over his house, “Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal, and make ready, for the men eat with me at noon.”

17 The man did as Joseph had commanded and took the brothers to Joseph’s house.

And the man does as Joseph has said, and the man brings in the men into the house of Joseph,

18 But the brothers were frightened that they had been taken to Joseph’s house. “We have been brought here because of the silver that was returned in our bags the first time,” they said. “They intend to overpower us and take us as slaves, along with our donkeys.”

and the men are afraid because they have been brought into the house of Joseph, and they say, “For the matter of the money which was put back in our bags at the commencement are we brought in—to roll himself on us, and to throw himself on us, and to take us for servants—our donkeys also.”

19 So they approached Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house.

And they come near to the man who [is] over the house of Joseph, and speak to him at the opening of the house,

20 “Please, sir,” they said, “we really did come down here the first time to buy food.

and say, “O my lord, we really come down at the commencement to buy food;

21 But when we came to the place we lodged for the night, we opened our sacks and, behold, each of us found his silver in the mouth of his sack! It was the full amount of our silver, and we have brought it back with us.

and it comes to pass, when we have come to the lodging-place, and open our bags, that behold, each one’s money [is] in the mouth of his bag, our money in its weight, and we bring it back in our hand;

22 We have brought additional silver with us to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our sacks.”

and other money have we brought down in our hand to buy food; we have not known who put our money in our bags.”

23 “It is fine,” said the steward. “Do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, gave you the treasure that was in your sacks. I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

And he says, “Peace to you, do not fear: your God and the God of your father has given to you hidden treasure in your bags, your money came to me”; and he brings out Simeon to them.

24 And the steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided food for their donkeys.

And the man brings in the men into Joseph’s house, and gives water, and they wash their feet; and he gives provender for their donkeys,

25 Since the brothers had been told that they were going to eat a meal there, they prepared their gift for Joseph’s arrival at noon.

and they prepare the present until the coming of Joseph at noon, for they have heard that there they eat bread.

26 When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought, and they bowed to the ground before him.

And Joseph comes into the house, and they bring to him the present which [is] in their hand, into the house, and bow themselves to him, to the earth;

27 He asked if they were well, and then he asked, “How is your elderly father you told me about? Is he still alive?”

and he asks of them of peace and says, “Is your father well? The aged man of whom you have spoken, is he yet alive?”

28 “Your servant our father is well,” they answered. “He is still alive.” And they bowed down to honor him.

And they say, “Your servant our father [is] well, he is yet alive”; and they bow, and pay respect.

29 When Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” Then he declared, “May God be gracious to you, my son.”

And he lifts up his eyes and sees his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and says, “Is this your young brother, of whom you have spoken to me?” And he says, “God favor you, my son.”

30 Joseph hurried out because he was moved to tears for his brother, and he went to a private room to weep.

And Joseph hurries, for his bowels have been moved for his brother, and he seeks to weep, and enters the inner chamber, and weeps there;

31 Then he washed his face and came back out. Regaining his composure, he said, “Serve the meal.”

and he washes his face, and goes out, and refrains himself, and says, “Place bread.”

32 They separately served Joseph, his brothers, and the Egyptians. They ate separately because the Egyptians would not eat with the Hebrews, since that was detestable to them.

And they place for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians who are eating with him by themselves: for the Egyptians are unable to eat bread with the Hebrews, for it [is] an abomination to the Egyptians.

33 They were seated before Joseph in order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest, and the men looked at one another in astonishment.

And they sit before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the young one according to his youth, and the men wonder one at another;

34 When the portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than any of the others. So they feasted and drank freely with Joseph.

and he lifts up gifts from before him to them, and the gift of Benjamin is five hands more than the gifts of all of them; and they drink, indeed, they drink abundantly with him.