Genesis 45
1 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.
And Joseph could not control himself before all them that stood by him, and he cried, Put every man out from me! And no man stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brethren.
2 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.
And he raised his voice in weeping; and the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard.
3 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.
And Joseph said to his brethren, I am Joseph. Does my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence.
4 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!
And Joseph said to his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
5 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.
And now, be not grieved, and be not angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
6 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.
For the famine has been these two years in the land; and yet there are five years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest.
7 But God sent me here ahead of you, to keep you from starving, and to make sure that your descendants will survive.
So God sent me before you to preserve you a remnant in the earth, and to save you alive by a great deliverance.
8 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!
And now it was not you [that] sent me here, but God; and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and governor over all the land of Egypt.
9 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!
Haste and go up to my father, and say to him, Thus says thy son Joseph: God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, tarry not.
10 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.
And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near to me, thou, and thy sons, and thy sons' sons, and thy sheep, and thy cattle, and all that thou hast.
11 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]”’
And there will I maintain thee; for yet there are five years of famine; in order that thou be not impoverished, thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast.
12 “Look closely, and all of you can see, including my brother Benjamin, that it is really I, Joseph, who am speaking to you.
And behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth which speaks to you.
13 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!”
And tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen, and haste and bring down my father hither.
14 Then he threw his arms around his [younger] brother Benjamin’s neck and cried. And Benjamin hugged him and cried.
And he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept on his neck.
15 And then as he kissed his older brothers [on their cheeks], he cried. After that, his brothers started to talk with him.
And he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them; and after that his brethren talked with him.
16 Someone went to the palace and told the news that Joseph’s brothers had come. The king and all his officials were pleased.
And the report was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come. And it was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his bondmen.
17 The king said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers this: ‘Put loads of grain on your animals and return to the Canaan region.
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Say to thy brethren, Do this: load your beasts and depart, go into the land of Canaan,
18 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.’
and take your father and your households, and come to me; and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.
19 “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.
And thou art commanded — this do: take waggons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and take up your father, and come.
20 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.’”
And let not your eye regret your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt shall be yours.
21 Jacob’s sons did what the king suggested. Joseph gave them carts and food to eat along the way, as the king had ordered.
And the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them waggons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.
22 To each of them he gave new clothes, but he gave 300 pieces of silver and five sets of new clothes to Benjamin!
To each one of them all he gave changes of clothing; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred [pieces] of silver and five changes of clothing.
23 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.
And to his father he sent this: ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with corn and bread, and food for his father by the way.
24 Then he sent his brothers on their way, saying to them “Do not quarrel along the way!”
And he sent his brethren away, and they departed. And he said to them, Do not quarrel on the way.
25 So they left Egypt and came to their father Jacob in Canaan.
And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan to Jacob their father.
26 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.
And they told him, saying, Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And his heart fainted, for he did not believe them.
27 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.
And they spoke to him all the words of Joseph, which he had spoken to them. And he saw the waggons that Joseph had sent to carry him. And the spirit of Jacob their father revived.
28 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!”
And Israel said, It is enough: Joseph my son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die.
