43
📚And the famine was severe in the land.2 📚And when they had eaten up the grain they had brought from Egypt, it came about that their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food”.
3 📚And Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ 4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. 5 📚But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ ”
6 And Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly, telling the man whether you had another brother?”
7 📚And they said, “The man asked us particularly about our situation, and about our relatives, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we informed him in accordance with his words. Could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down?’”
8 📚And Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, so that we can live, and not die, both we, and you, and our little ones too. 9 📚I will be the guarantee for him. You can demand him from my hand. If I do not bring him to you, and place him before you, then let me bear the blame forever. 10 📚For if we had not delayed, surely by now we would have returned this second time”.
11 📚And their father Israel said to them, “If now it has to be so, do this: Take some of the best fruits in the land in your containers, and take down a present for the man, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds. 12 📚And in your hand take double the money, and the money that was brought back in the mouth of your sacks, take it back in your hand. Perhaps it was an oversight. 13 📚Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man. 14 📚And God Almighty 📖 give you mercy 📖 in the man’s presence, so that he may send your other brother and Benjamin away. If I am deprived of my children, I am deprived 📖”.
15 And the men took that present, and in their hand they took double the money, and Benjamin, and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 16 📚And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men home, and slaughter an animal, and prepare a meal, for these men will eat with me at noon”.
17 And the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man took the men to Joseph’s house. 18 📚And the men were afraid, because they were taken to Joseph’s house, and they said, “We are brought in here because of the money that was returned to our sacks the first time, so that he can find an opportunity to attack us and seize us as slaves along with our donkeys”.
19 And they approached the steward of Joseph’s house and talked with him at the door of the house, 20 📚and said, “O sir, we certainly did come down the first time to buy food, 21 📚and after we arrived at the inn, it so happened that we opened our sacks, and there in the mouth of the sack was each man’s money, our money in full weight. And we have brought it back in our hand. 22 And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We don’t know who put our money in our sacks”.
43:18-22 Joseph’s purpose in Gen 42:35 is being fulfilled. His brothers are being humbled.⚜
23 📚And he said, “You be at peace. Don’t be afraid. Your God, and the God 📖 of your father, has given you the treasure in your sacks. I had your money”. And he brought Simeon 📖 out to them.
24 📚And the man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet. And he gave feed for their donkeys. 25 📚And they prepared the present for the coming of Joseph at noon, for they heard that they would be eating bread there.
26 📚And when Joseph came home, they brought out to him the present which they had in the house, and bowed down to him to the ground 📖. 27 📚And he asked them about their welfare, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”
28 📚And they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health, he is still alive”. And they bent their heads, and bowed down.
29 📚And he raised his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son 📖, and said, “Is this your younger brother, of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son”. 30 📚And Joseph hurried out, for his heart was moved for his brother, and he looked for a place to weep. And he went into his room and wept there.
43:30 Joseph was obviously a man of tender heart.⚜
31 📚And he washed his face and went out, and restrained himself, and said, “Put the bread on”.
32 📚And they put it on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, who were eating with him, by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination 📖 to the Egyptians. 33 And they were seated in his presence, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at one another in amazement 📖. 34 📚And Joseph took and sent portions to them from his own table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were happy with him.