Genesis 43:1-18 ▼

1 And the famine was severe in the land.

2 And it came to pass when they had finished eating the grain that they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Return, buy for us a little food.”

3 And Judah said to him, saying, “The man surely warned us, saying, ‘You? shall not see my face unless your? brother is with you?.’

4 If you send our brother with us, we will go down and we will buy for you food.

5 But if you are not sending him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You? shall not see my face unless your? brother is with you?.’”

6 And Israel said, “Why have you? done evil to me, to tell the man you had yet to you? a brother?”

7 And they said, “The man surely asked about us and about our family, saying, ‘Is your? father still alive? Is there unto you? a brother?’ And we told him, according to the mouth, these words. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring down your? brother’?”

8 And Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me, and let us arise and let us go and we will live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.

9 I myself will guarantee him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then I shall bear the blame to you all the days.

10 For if we had not lingered, surely now we would have returned these two times.”

11 And Israel their father said to them, “If so, then do this: Take from the best products of the land in your? vessels, and carry down to the man as a gift—a little balm, and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.

12 And double the silver take in your? hand, and the silver that was returned in the mouth of your? bags you? shall return in your? hand. Perhaps it was a mistake.

13 And take your? brother and arise; return to the man.

14 And may El-Shaddai give to you? mercy before the man, and may he release to you? your? other brother and Benjamin! And I—if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

15 And the men took this gift, and double the silver they took in their hand, and Benjamin. And they arose and went down to Egypt, and they stood before Joseph.

16 And Joseph saw Benjamin with them, and he said to the one over his house, “Bring the men to the house, and slaughter an animal and prepare it, for the men will eat with me at noon.”

17 And the man did as Joseph had said, and the man brought the men into the house of Joseph.

18 And the men were afraid because they were brought into the house of Joseph. And they said, “It is because of the silver that was returned in our bags the first time that we are being brought in, to roll himself upon us, and to fall upon us, and to take us for servants, and our donkeys.”