Genesis 45
1 Joseph couldn't control his emotions any longer while all his attendants were there, so he shouted out, “Everybody leave me!” So there was nobody else there when Joseph revealed who he was to his brothers.
Then Joseph couldn’t control himself before all those who stood before him, and he called out, “Cause everyone to go out from me!” No one else stood with him, while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
2 But he cried so loudly that the Egyptians could hear him, and they told Pharaoh's household about it.
He wept aloud. The Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard.
3 “I'm Joseph!” he announced to his brothers. “Is my father still alive?” They couldn't answer him as they were so surprised to see him face to face.
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Does my father still live?” His brothers couldn’t answer him; for they were terrified at his presence.
4 “Please come closer to me,” he told his brothers. They came over to him. “I'm your brother Joseph who you sold into slavery in Egypt.
Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” They came near. He said, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.
5 But don't be worried or get angry with yourselves that you sold me to be a slave here, because it was God who sent me ahead of you to save lives.
Now don’t be grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
6 The country has suffered from famine for two years already, but there will be five more years with no plowing or reaping.
For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are yet five years, in which there will be no plowing and no harvest.
7 God sent me ahead of you to make sure you would still have descendants, to save your lives in this miraculous way.
God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to save you alive by a great deliverance.
8 So it wasn't you who sent me here, but God. He was the one who made me Pharaoh's chief advisor in charge of all his affairs, and ruler of the whole country of Egypt.
So now it wasn’t you who sent me here, but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.
9 Now hurry! Go back to my father and tell him, ‘This message comes from your son Joseph: God has made me the ruler of the whole of Egypt. Come to me now; don't wait.
Hurry, and go up to my father, and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says, “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me. Don’t wait.
10 You'll live in the land of Goshen so you can be close to me with your children and grandchildren, and with your flocks and herds and everything that belongs to you.
You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you will be near to me, you, your children, your children’s children, your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.
11 I'll make sure you have food, because there are still five more years of famine to come. Otherwise you and your family and your animals are going to starve.’”
There I will provide for you; for there are yet five years of famine; lest you come to poverty, you, and your household, and all that you have.”’
12 Then Joseph told his brothers, “You can all see for yourselves—including my brother Benjamin—that it's really me talking to you!
Behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaks to you.
13 Tell my father how much I'm respected in Egypt. Tell him everything that you've seen. Hurry! Bring my father here quickly!”
You shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. You shall hurry and bring my father down here.”
14 He hugged Benjamin, and Benjamin hugged him back. They both wept for joy.
He fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.
15 He kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers were able to start talking with him.
He kissed all his brothers, and wept on them. After that his brothers talked with him.
16 Word soon reached Pharaoh's palace that Joseph's brothers had arrived. Pharaoh and his officials were glad to hear the news.
The report of it was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, “Joseph’s brothers have come.” It pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.
17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘This is what you are to do: Load your donkeys with grain and go back to the country of Canaan.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals, and go, travel to the land of Canaan.
18 Then bring your father and your families and return here to me. I will give you the best land in Egypt, and you shall eat the best food the country has to offer.’
Take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.’
19 Tell them to do this as well, ‘Take some wagons from Egypt for your children and your wives. Bring them and your father here.
Now you are commanded to do this: Take wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.
20 Don't worry about bringing your possessions because the best of all Egypt is yours.’”
Also, don’t concern yourselves about your belongings, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.”
21 So that's what the sons of Israel did. Joseph provided them with wagons, as Pharaoh had ordered. He also gave them supplies for their journey.
The sons of Israel did so. Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.
22 He gave each of them new clothes. But to Benjamin he gave five sets of clothes and 300 pieces of silver.
He gave each one of them changes of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing.
23 Joseph also sent to his father the following: ten donkeys carrying the best things from Egypt, and ten female donkeys carrying grain and bread and supplies needed for his father's journey.
He sent the following to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and provision for his father by the way.
24 Then he saw his brothers off, and as they left he told them, “Don't argue on the way!”
So he sent his brothers away, and they departed. He said to them, “See that you don’t quarrel on the way.”
25 So they left Egypt and went back home to their father Jacob in the country of Canaan.
They went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father.
26 “Joseph's still alive!” they told him. “It's true, and he's the ruler of the whole country of Egypt!” Jacob was stunned at the news—he just couldn't believe it!
They told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” His heart fainted, for he didn’t believe them.
27 But when they told him everything that Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to take him to Egypt, Jacob came back to his senses.
They told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them. When he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob, their father, revived.
28 Israel said, “All right, I believe you! My son Joseph is still alive! I'm going to go and see him before I die.”
Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
