Genesis 45
1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood before him, so he cried out, "Send everyone away from me." So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.
Joseph was not able to control his feelings any longer. He did not want to cry in front of his servants, so he said to them loudly, “All of you go outside!” After they went outside, there was no one else there with Joseph when he told his brothers who he was.
2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the house of Pharaoh heard about it.
He cried so loudly that the people of Egypt who were outside heard it, and even the people in the king’s palace heard it.
3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" But his brothers couldn't answer him, for they were terrified at his presence.
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is our father still alive?” But his brothers were not able to reply, because they were frightened because of what he said.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come near to me, please." So they moved closer. And he said, "I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.
Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me!” When they came closer, he said, “I am your brother Joseph! I am the one you sold to traders who brought me here to Egypt!
5 Now do not be upset or angry with yourselves that you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
But now, do not be distressed, and do not be angry with yourselves for having sold me to people who brought me here, because it was to save you from dying [because of the famine] that God sent me here ahead of you.
6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there will be five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.
There has been a famine in this country for two years, and it will continue for five more years, so that no one will plow ground, and there will be no crops to harvest.
7 God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
But God sent me here ahead of you, to keep you from starving, and to make sure that your descendants will survive.
8 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.
Therefore, it was not you who sent me here; it was God who sent me here! He has caused me to become like a father to the king. I am in charge of everything in his palace and the governor of everyone in Egypt!
9 Now 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. Do not delay.
Now return to my father quickly, and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has caused me to become the governor over the whole land of Egypt. Come down to me immediately!
10 You shall dwell in the land of Gesen, and you will be near to me, you, your children, and your children's children, and your flocks, and your herds, and everything that you have.
You can live in the Goshen region. You and your children and your grandchildren, your sheep and goats and cattle, and everything that you own, will be near me.
11 There I will provide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, otherwise you and your household and all that you have would become destitute.
Since there will be five more years of famine, I will make sure that you have food. If you do not come here, you and your family and all of your servants will starve. [EUP]”’
12 Look, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth which is speaking to you.
“Look closely, and all of you can see, including my brother Benjamin, that it is really I, Joseph, who am speaking to you.
13 So you must tell my father about all my glory in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. But you must hurry and bring my father down here."
Go and tell my father about how greatly I am honored here in Egypt. And tell him about everything else that you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly!”
14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his shoulder.
Then he threw his arms around his [younger] brother Benjamin’s neck and cried. And Benjamin hugged him and cried.
15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and after that his brothers talked with him.
And then as he kissed his older brothers [on their cheeks], he cried. After that, his brothers started to talk with him.
16 Now the report of it was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, "Joseph's brothers have come." It pleased Pharaoh and his servants.
Someone went to the palace and told the news that Joseph’s brothers had come. The king and all his officials were pleased.
17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers, 'Do this: Load your animals and go. Enter the land of Canaan.
The king said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers this: ‘Put loads of grain on your animals and return to the Canaan region.
18 Take your father and your families and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the richness of the land.'
Then bring your father and your families back here. I will give you the best land in Egypt, and you will have the best food in the land to eat.’
19 Now you are commanded, 'Do this: Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father and come.
“Also tell this to your brothers: ‘Take some carts from Egypt to carry your children and your wives, and get them and your father and come back here quickly.
20 Also, do not worry about your possessions, for the best of all of the land of Egypt is yours."
Do not worry about bringing your possessions, because the best things in Egypt will be yours. Because of that, you will not need to bring any of your things from Canaan.’”
21 So the sons of Israel did that. And Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey.
Jacob’s sons did what the king suggested. Joseph gave them carts and food to eat along the way, as the king had ordered.
22 He gave to all of them, to each one, a change of clothing. But to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing.
To each of them he gave new clothes, but he gave 300 pieces of silver and five sets of new clothes to Benjamin!
23 To his father he sent the following: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and food and provision for his father on the journey.
And this is what he sent to his father: Ten male donkeys, loaded with some of the best goods that come from Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other food for his father’s trip to Egypt.
24 So he sent his brothers off, and as they departed he said to them, "Do not be fearful on the journey."
Then he sent his brothers on their way, saying to them “Do not quarrel along the way!”
25 So they went up out of Egypt and came into the land of Canaan to their father Jacob.
So they left Egypt and came to their father Jacob in Canaan.
26 And they told him, saying, "Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt." But he was unmoved, because he did not believe them.
One of them told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is the governor over all of Egypt!” Jacob was extremely astonished; he could not believe that it was true.
27 But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to transport him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.
But they told him everything that Joseph had said to them, and Jacob saw the carts that Joseph had sent to carry him and his family and possessions to Egypt. Then their father Jacob’s shock ended.
28 Then Israel said, "I'm convinced. My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."
He said, “What you have said is enough to convince me! My son Joseph is still alive, and I will go and see him before I die!”
