(3) So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to get grain rations in Egypt; (4) for Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, since he feared that he might meet with disaster. (5) Thus the sons of Israel were among those who came to procure rations, for the famine extended to the land of Canaan. (6) Now Joseph was the vizier of the land; it was he who dispensed rations to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed low to him, with their faces to the ground. (7) When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them; but he acted like a stranger toward them and spoke harshly to them. He asked them, “Where do you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan, to procure food.” (8) For though Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. (9) Recalling the dreams that he had dreamed about them, Joseph said to them, “You are spies, you have come to see the land in its nakedness.” (10) But they said to him, “No, my lord! Truly, your servants have come to procure food. (11) We are all of us sons of the same man; we are being honest; your servants have never been spies!” (12) And he said to them, “No, you have come to see the land in its nakedness!” (13) And they replied, “We your servants were twelve brothers, sons of a certain man in the land of Canaan; the youngest, however, is now with our father, and one is no more.” (14) But Joseph said to them, “It is just as I have told you: You are spies! (15) By this you shall be put to the test: unless your youngest brother comes here, by Pharaoh, you shall not depart from this place! (16) Let one of you go and bring your brother, while the rest of you remain confined, that your words may be put to the test whether there is truth in you. Else, by Pharaoh, you are nothing but spies!” (17) And he confined them in the guardhouse for three days.

(29) When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had befallen them, saying, (30) “The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the land. (31) We said to him, ‘We are being honest; we have never been spies! (32) There were twelve of us brothers, sons by the same father; but one is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’ (33) But the man—who is lord of the land—said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are being honest: leave one of your brothers with me, and take something for your starving households and be off. (34) And bring your youngest brother to me, that I may know that you are not spies, that you are being honest. I will then restore your brother to you, and you shall be free to move about in the land.’” (35) As they were emptying their sacks, there, in each one’s sack, was his money-bag! When they and their father saw their money-bags, they were dismayed.

(8) Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy in my care, and let us be on our way, that we may live and not die—you and we and our children. (9) I myself will be surety for him; you may hold me responsible: if I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, I shall stand guilty before you forever. (10) For we could have been there and back twice if we had not dawdled.” (11) Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, do this: take some of the choice products of the land in your baggage, and carry them down as a gift for the man—some balm and some honey, gum, ladanum, pistachio nuts, and almonds. (12) And take with you double the money, carrying back with you the money that was replaced in the mouths of your bags; perhaps it was a mistake. (13) Take your brother too; and go back at once to the man. (14) And may El Shaddai dispose the man to mercy toward you, that he may release to you your other brother, as well as Benjamin. As for me, if I am to be bereaved, I shall be bereaved.”

(15) So the agents took that gift, and they took with them double the money, as well as Benjamin. They made their way down to Egypt, where they presented themselves to Joseph. (16) When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his house steward, “Take those men into the house; slaughter and prepare an animal, for those men will dine with me at noon.” (17) The man did as Joseph said, and he brought the men into Joseph’s house. (18) But the men were frightened at being brought into Joseph’s house. “It must be,” they thought, “because of the money replaced in our bags the first time that we have been brought inside, as a pretext to attack us and seize us as slaves, with our pack animals.” (19) So they went up to Joseph’s house steward and spoke to him at the entrance of the house. (20) “If you please, my lord,” they said, “we came down once before to procure food. (21) But when we arrived at the night encampment and opened our bags, there was each one’s money in the mouth of his bag, our money in full. So we have brought it back with us. (22) And we have brought down with us other money to procure food. We do not know who put the money in our bags.” (23) He replied, “All is well with you; do not be afraid. Your God, the God of your father’s [house], must have put treasure in your bags for you. I got your payment.” And he brought out Simeon to them.

(26) When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts that they had brought with them into the house, bowing low before him to the ground. (27) He greeted them, and he said, “How is your aged father of whom you spoke? Is he still in good health?” (28) They replied, “It is well with your servant our father; he is still in good health.” And they bowed and made obeisance. (29) Looking about, he saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and asked, “Is this your youngest brother of whom you spoke to me?” And he went on, “May God be gracious to you, my boy.” (30) With that, Joseph hurried out, for he was overcome with feeling toward his brother and was on the verge of tears; he went into a room and wept there.

(33) As they were seated by his direction, from the oldest in the order of his seniority to the youngest in the order of his youth, the men looked at one another in astonishment. (34) Portions were served them from his table; but Benjamin’s portion was several times that of anyone else. And they drank their fill with him. (1) Then he instructed his house steward as follows, “Fill the men’s bags with food, as much as they can carry, and put each one’s money in the mouth of his bag. (2) Put my silver goblet in the mouth of the bag of the youngest one, together with his money for the rations.” And he did as Joseph told him.

(11) So each one hastened to lower his bag to the ground, and each one opened his bag. (12) He searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and the goblet turned up in Benjamin’s bag. (13) At this they rent their clothes. Each reloaded his pack animal, and they returned to the city. (14) When Judah and his brothers reentered the house of Joseph, who was still there, they threw themselves on the ground before him. (15) Joseph said to them, “What is this deed that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me practices divination?” (16) Judah replied, “What can we say to my lord? How can we plead, how can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered the crime of your servants. Here we are, then, slaves of my lord, the rest of us as much as he in whose possession the goblet was found.” (17) But he replied, “Far be it from me to act thus! Only the one in whose possession the goblet was found shall be my slave; the rest of you go back in peace to your father.”