And the famine was severe in the land. 2 And when they had finished eating the corn which they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, Go back and buy a little food for us. 3 But Judah spoke to him, and said, The man warned us solemnly, and said, You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you. 4 If you will agree to send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you. 5 But if you will not agree to send 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 did you treat me so badly as to tell the man that you had another brother? 7 And they said, The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family, and said, Is your father still alive? Have you a brother? And we told him in so many words. Could we possibly know that he would say, Fetch your brother? 8 And Judah said to his father Israel, Send the lad with me, and let us get up and go so that we may live and not die, we and you and our children. 9 I will be surety for him; at my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him to you and set him before you, then I shall always be guilty before you. 10 For if we had not lingered, by now we would have returned a second time.

11 Then their father Israel said to them, If it has to be, then do this:

take some of the famed produce of the land in your bags, and take the man a present, a little balsam and a little honey, spice and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 And take double silver in your hands; and take back in your hands the silver that was returned in the mouth of your pouches; perhaps it was a mistake. 13 And take your brother; and go, return to the man. 14 May God Shaddai grant you mercy before the man, so that he may release to you your other brother, and Benjamin; and as for me, if I am to be bereaved, it will have to be. 15 So the men took this present, and took double money in their hands, and Benjamin; and they got up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

16 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the man who was over his house, Bring the men into the house; and slaughter meat, and prepare it, for the men shall eat with me at midday. 17 And the man did as Joseph said; and he conducted the men into Joseph's house. 18 And the men were afraid because they were taken into Joseph's house; and they said, We have been brought here because of the silver that was returned in our pouches the first time, so that he may come down on us, and fall on us, and seize us as slaves, and take our asses. 19 And they approached the man who was over Joseph's house; and they spoke to him at the door of the house, 20 and said, O my lord, we really did come down at the first to buy food; 21 and when we came to the lodging-place and opened our pouches, there was each man's silver in the mouth of his pouch, our silver in its full weight; and we have brought it again in our hands. 22 And we have brought other silver in our hands so as to buy food; we do not know who put our silver in our pouches. 23 And he said, All is well, have no fear; your God and the God of your father has given you a secret gift in your pouches; your silver reached me. And he brought Simeon out to them. 24 And when the man brought the men to Joseph's house, he gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave fodder to their asses. 25 Then they made ready the present for when Joseph came at midday, for they heard that they would have a meal there.

26 And when Joseph came home, they brought into the house for him the present which was in their hands, and they bowed down before him to the earth. 27 And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive? 28 And they said, Your servant our father is well; he is still alive; and they lowered 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 youngest brother, of whom you told me? And he said, God be kind to you, my son. 30 And Joseph hastened, for his affection grew warm towards his brother, and he looked for somewhere to weep; and he went into his room and wept there. 31 Then he washed his face, and came out; and beheld himself in check, and said, Serve the food. 32 And they served him by himself; and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who were eating with him by themselves; for the Egyptians could not eat any food with the Hebrews, for that would have been an abhorrence to the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth; and the men marvelled among themselves. 34 And he served portions to them from before him, and Benjamin's portion was five times as large as the portion of any of the others; and they drank, and drank plentifully with him.