Joseph Sees His Father Again ... How It Came To Pass That The Israelites Lived In Egypt

Joseph's brothers left for their journey to bring Israel to his son, Joseph, whom then lived in Egypt and whom was the right hand to Pharaoh.

They finally reached Canaan and came unto Israel [Jacob], their father.  And then they told him the amazing news, saying: 'Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.'

And Jacob's heart fainted, for he didn't believe them.

So they told all the words that Joseph had spoken to them, and when Jacob saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob revived, and he said: 'It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive, and I will go and see him before I die'.

So Israel began his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.

That night God came to him in a vision and called to him: 'Jacob, Jacob'.  And Jacob answered: 'Here am I'.  The Lord then said to him: 'I am God, the God of thy father.  Fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will there make of thee a great nation.  I will go down with thee into Egypt, and I will also surely bring thee up again; and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.'

Joseph rose up from Beer-sheba; and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt ... Jacob, and all his seed with him.  All the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt were 310.

Jacob then sent Judah before him to Joseph, to direct him to Goshen ... Jacob was to meet Joseph there.

When Joseph got word that it was time to meet his father again, after all the years that had gone by, he made his chariot ready, and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen, and presented himself unto him;  and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.

And Israel said unto Joseph: 'Now, let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.'

Joseph said to his family that he would go to Pharaoh to inform him that they had arrived.  He also told them to tell Pharaoh, when they meet him, that they had raised and traded cattle, because sheperds were an abomination in Egypt.

Then Joseph went to meet with Pharaoh and told him that his family had reached Goshen.  He even took five of his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.

When Pharaoh asked them about themselves they told him what Joseph had told them to tell him.

Pharaoh then turned to Joseph and said to him: 'Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee.  The land of Egypt is before thee;  in the best of the land make thy father and thy brethren to dwell;  and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.'

And Joseph brought in his father and set him before Pharaoh;  and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh said unto Jacob: 'How old art thou?'

And Jacob said unto Pharaoh: 'The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years;  few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.'

And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

And Joseph placed his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh commanded.

And Joseph nourished his father, and his brothers, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families.

Source: Genesis 46

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Jacob Allow Benjamin To Go To Joseph

And Jacob [Israel] informed his sons that there is no way that Benjamin is going with them to Egypt, because they have already cost him one son, Joseph.  He was not prepared to loose another son.  Reuben then said to his father that he can kill both Ruben's sons if he didn't bring Benjamin back to his father.  But Jacob denied him his request.  He told Ruben that losing another son would surely kill him.

But famine was sore in the land.  And when all the corn was eaten that they brought from Egypt, Jacob ordered them to go back to Egypt to get more food.  They reminded him that Joseph insisted that Benjamin must come with them, otherwise travelling to Egypt would be for nothing.  They also told them that Joseph also queried if their father was still alive.

Israel gave in and told them if that was the only way to get food, then it was how it must be.  They could take Benjamin with them.  He also ordered them to take gifts to Joseph and double their money, including the money that was returned to them on the previous occasion.  He also spoke the Lord's mercy over them.

And so they took off with the presents, the money and Benjamin and travelled to Egypt.  They finally stood before Joseph.

And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house: 'Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready, for these men shall dine with me at noon.'

And the men did as Joseph said, and brought his brothers into the house.

But they were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house, and his servants gave them water and washed their feet, and they gave their donkeys food. 

And the brothers made ready to present Joseph at noon, for they have heard that they would eat bread there.

And when Joseph came home, they offered him the presents that they brought with them, and they bowed before his feet.

He, in return, ask them about their welfare and their father's welfare ... asking if he was still alive.

They replied that Jacob was in good wealth and bowed again before Joseph.

Joseph then lifted up his eyes and then he saw Benjamin, his mother's son.  He then ask the other brothers if Benjamin was the younger brother that they have spoken of.

Joseph then quietly went to his chambers and weep.  After he washed his face, he went out told them to eat.

The next morning, before they leave, Joseph ordered that his personal silver cup should be hidden in Benjamin's sack.  While they were deep into their journey, Joseph's servants caught up with them, informing them that Joseph's cup was stolen and that they are going to search the brother's sacks.  And then they found the cup in Benjamin's sack.

They returned the men to the city.  The brother's pleaded with Joseph to let Benjamin go with them, that he was innocent.  They told Joseph that if they had to get home without Benjamin, their father would die of sorrow, because he had already lost one son.

And then Joseph could not hold the truth to himself anymore.  He ordered his men to leave him, until he was alone with his brothers.  He made himself known to his brothers: 'I am Joseph, and is my father still alive?'  He brothers couldn't answer him, and just look at him in disbelief.

He asked them to came closer and said to them: 'Be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me.  For God did send me before you to preserve life.  So it was not you that sent me, but God'.  'Now go back to my father and tell him that I'm still alive, and that God made me lord of all of Egypt. and that all of you and everything that you have must come to me.  I will give you the the land of Goshen to dwell in.  And I will take care of you for the next 5 years until the famine will be over'.

Joseph then fell upon Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

When Farao heard that Joseph had reunited with his family, he and his house was very pleased.  He promised Joseph that he would take the best of care of Joseph's family, sending the best of wagons to go get Joseph's family, with presents for all.


Source:  Genesis Chapter 45

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Joseph's Brothers Came To Him For Food

When Jacob [Israel] saw that there were food in Egypt, he turn to his sons and ask them why are they just standing around and looking at each other, doing nothing.

He then said to them: 'Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt.  Get down there and buy food for us, so that we won't die.'

So 10 of Joseph's brother started their journey to Egypt to buy food.

But Jacob didn't send Benjamin with them, because he feared for Benjamin's safety.

And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for famine was in the land of Canaan.

And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he that sold to all the people of the land ... and Joseph's brothers came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

Joseph immediately recognised his brothers, but made himself strange unto them.

He said unto them: 'From where are you?.'  And they say: 'From the land of Canaan to buy food.'

Joseph remembered his dream where his brother would bow down to him, and said unto them: 'You are spies.  You came to see the nakedness of the land that you came to.'

And they said to him: 'No, my lord, we are only here to buy food, as your servants. We are are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are not spies.'

And he said unto them: 'No, you are here as spies.'

And they said: 'Thy servants are 12 brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.'

And Joseph said unto them: 'You will prove to me that you are not spies.  You will go nowhere until your youngest brother comes to me.  Send of you to fetch your brother, and the rest of you will be put in prison, that your words may be proved, if there is any proof in what you say ... or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies.'

And he put them all together in a ward for 3 days.

And Joseph said unto them the 3rd day: 'This will do, and live ... for I fear God.  If you are true men, let one of your brother be bound in the house of your prison ... go, carry corn for the hunger of your houses.  But bring your youngest brother to me; so shall your words be verified, and you shall not die.'

And they said one to another: 'We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.'

And Reuben answered them: 'Did I not spoke unto you, saying: Do not sin against the child, and you would not hear? Therefore, behold also his blood is required.'

They didn't know that Joseph could understand every word they say, because he was using an interpreter to speak to them.

And Joseph turned away from them and wept bitterly.

When he came back, he choose Simeon and bound him before his brother's eyes. He set the other brothers free.

The Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way.

So they started their journey back to Canaan.

Along the way the brothers stopped to feed there donkeys, and as one of them open his sack to feed his donkey, he nearly got a heart attack!

There in his sack were all his money, easy to see for anybody that would have looked.

He immediately alerted his brother and a great fear was in all their hearts.  And they said to one another: 'What is this that God hath done unto us?'

The dreaded journey eventually ended as they reached their father, and then they told him the whole story: 'The man, who is the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

And we said unto him that we are true men and not spies ... that we are 12 brothers, sons of our father; that one is not, and that the youngest stayed home with our father in the land of Canaan.

And the man said to us: 'Hereby shall I know that you are true men; leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone.

And bring your youngest brother to me, then I shall know that you are not spies, but true men. So shall I deliver your brother, and you shall freely travel the land.'

And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack; and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.



Source: Genesis 42

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