Genesis - Chapter 45

¹ Then Joseph could not control his feelings in front of all his retainers, and he exclaimed, 'Let everyone leave me.' No one therefore was present with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers,

² but he wept so loudly that all the Egyptians heard, and the news reached Pharaoh's palace.

³ Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am Joseph. Is my father really still alive?' His brothers could not answer him, they were so dumbfounded at seeing him.

⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'Come closer to me.' When they had come closer to him he said, 'I am your brother Joseph whom you sold into Egypt.

⁵ But now, do not grieve, do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here, since God sent me before you to preserve your lives.

⁶ For this is the second year there has been famine in the country, and there are still five years to come without ploughing or harvest.

⁷ God sent me before you to assure the survival of your race on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

⁸ So it was not you who sent me here but God, and he has set me up as a father to Pharaoh, as lord of all his household and governor of the whole of Egypt.

⁹ 'Return quickly to your father and tell him, "Your son Joseph says this: 'God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me without delay.

¹⁰ You will live in the region of Goshen where you will be near me, you, your children and your grandchildren, your flocks, your cattle and all your possessions.

¹¹ There I shall provide for you -- for there are five years of famine still to come -- so that you, your household and all yours are not reduced to penury.' "

¹² You can see with your own eyes, and my brother Benjamin can see too, that I am who I say I am.

¹³ Give my father a full report of all the honour I enjoy in Egypt, and of all you have seen; and quickly bring my father down here.'

¹⁴ Then throwing his arms round the neck of his brother Benjamin he wept; and Benjamin wept on his shoulder.

¹⁵ He kissed all his brothers, weeping on each one. Only then were his brothers able to talk to him.

¹⁶ News reached Pharaoh's palace that Joseph's brothers had come, and Pharaoh was pleased to hear it, as were his servants.

¹⁷ Pharaoh told Joseph, 'Say to your brothers, "Do this: load your beasts and hurry away to Canaan.

¹⁸ Fetch your father and your families, and come back to me. I will give you the best territory in Egypt, where you will live off the fat of the land."

¹⁹ And you, for your part, give them this order: "Do this: take waggons from Egypt, for your little ones and your wives. Get your father and come.

²⁰ Never mind about your property, for the best of all Egypt will be yours." '

²¹ Israel's sons did as they were told. Joseph gave them waggons as Pharaoh had ordered, and he gave them provisions for the journey.

²² To each and every one he gave new clothes, and to Benjamin three hundred shekels of silver and five changes of clothes.

²³ And to his father he sent ten donkeys laden with the best that Egypt offered, and ten she-donkeys laden with grain, bread and food for his father's journey.

²⁴ And so he sent his brothers on their way. His final words to them were, 'And let there be no upsets on the way!'

²⁵ And so they left Egypt. When they reached their father Jacob in Canaan,

²⁶ they gave him this report, 'Joseph is still alive. He is at this moment governor of all Egypt!' But he was as one stunned, for he did not believe them.

²⁷ However, when they told him all Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the waggons that Joseph had sent to fetch him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived,

²⁸ and Israel said, 'That is enough! My son Joseph is still alive. I must go and see him before I die.'

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