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 restrain himself before all who were stationed near him, so he cried out—Have forth every man from me! And there stood no man with him, when Joseph made himself known unto 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.
Then gave he forth 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.
Then said Joseph unto his brethren: I, am Joseph, is my father yet alive? But his brethren could not answer him, for they were terrified because of him.
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!
Then said Joseph unto his brethren—Draw near I pray you, unto me. And they drew 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, do not grieve, neither let it be vexing in your eyes, that ye sold me hither, —for, to save 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 in the midst of the land, —and, yet five years, are there, in which there shall 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 then God sent me before you, to plant for you a remainder 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!
Now, therefore it was not ye, who sent me hither, but, God, himself, —who also appointed me to be a father to Pharaoh, and a lord to all his house, and a ruler 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 ye and go up unto my father, then shall ye say unto him—Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath appointed me lord to all Egypt, —come down unto me do not delay;
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.
so shalt thou dwell in the land of Goshen, and shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy sons, and thy sons’ sons, —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]”’
so will I sustain thee, there, for there are yet five years of famine, —lest thou come to poverty—thou and thy house and all who are thine.
12 “Look closely, and all of you can see, including my brother Benjamin, that it is really I, Joseph, who am speaking to you.
Now lo! your own eyes do see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, —that it is my own mouth, that doth speak 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!”
As soon as ye have told my father all my honour in Egypt, and all that ye have seen, so soon shall ye 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.
Then fell he upon the neck of Benjamin his brother, 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.
Then kissed he all his brethren, and wept upon them, —and, thereafter, his brethren spake 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.
Now, the report, was heard by the house of Pharaoh, saying, The brethren of Joseph have come in, And it was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all 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.
So then Pharaoh said unto Joseph—Say unto thy brethren This, do, —lade your asses, and go enter 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 fetch your father and your households and come in unto me, —that I may give you the best of the land of Egypt, and eat ye 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.
Thou, therefore command them, This, do ye, —Take you out of the land of Egypt, waggons for your little ones and for your wives, so shall ye bring your father and come in.
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.’”
Your eye, moreover, let it not look with pity upon your 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 sons of Israel did so, and Joseph gave them waggons, at the bidding of Pharaoh, —and gave them provisions 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, gave he to each man 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.
Moreover, to his father, sent he as followeth—ten he-asses, laden from the best of Egypt, —and ten she-asses laden with corn and bread and nourishing food for his father for the way.
24 Then he sent his brothers on their way, saying to them “Do not quarrel along the way!”
Thus sent he forth his brethren 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 up 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, yea, indeed, he, is ruler in all the land of Egypt. And his heart became faint, 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.
So they spake unto him all the words of Joseph which he had spoken unto them h then saw he the waggons, which 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, Enough! Joseph my son is, yet alive, I must go and see him before I die!
