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.
Then could Joseph not refrain himself before all those that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there remained no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brothers.
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 it, and the house of Pharaoh heard it.
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 unto his brothers, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brothers could not answer him; for they were terrified 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 unto his brothers, 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.
But now be not grieved, nor be angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for in order to preserve life did God send me before you.
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 these two years hath the famine been already in the land; and there are yet five years, in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvesting.
7 But God sent me here ahead of you, to keep you from starving, and to make sure that your descendants will survive.
And God hath thus sent me before you to prepare for you a permanence on the earth, and to save your lives 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!
So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God; and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and a lord for all his house, and a ruler throughout 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 ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus hath said thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt; come down unto 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 unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that is thine.
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 I will maintain thee there; for there are yet five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.
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 own eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto 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 ye shall tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall hasten 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 upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon 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 brothers, and wept upon them; and after that his brothers spoke 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 thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brothers are come; and it was pleasing in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants.
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 unto Joseph, Say unto thy brothers, This do ye; load your beasts, and go, get you unto 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 unto me; and I will give you the best 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 ye, take unto yourselves out of the land of Egypt wagons 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 do ye feel no concern on account of your household goods; for the best of all the land of Egypt is 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 children of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the command of Pharaoh; and he 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 all of them he gave to each changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.
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 after this manner: ten asses laden with the best things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with corn and bread and other food for his father, for the journey.
24 Then he sent his brothers on their way, saying to them “Do not quarrel along the way!”
And he accompanied his brothers on the way, and they departed: and he said unto them, Do not fall out by the way.
25 So they left Egypt and came to their father Jacob in Canaan.
And they went out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan, unto 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 yet alive; and that he is governor over all the land of Egypt. But his heart remained cold, for he believed them not.
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.
But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them; and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him: 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, Enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.
