- But the famine prevailed in the land.
- And it came to pass, when they had finished
eating the corn which they had brought out
of Egypt, that their father said to them,
Go again; buy us a little food.
- And Judas
spoke to him, saying, The man, the lord of
the country, positively testified to us, saying,
Ye shall not see my face, unless your
younger brother be with you.
- If, then,
thou send our brother with us, we will
go down, and buy thee food;
- but if thou send
not our brother with us, we will not go: for
the man spoke to us, saying, Ye shall not
see my face, unless your younger brother be
with you.
- And Israel said, Why did ye
harm me, inasmuch as ye told the man that
ye had a brother?
- And they said, The
man closely questioned us about our family
also, saying, Does your father yet live, and
have ye a brother? and we answered him
according to this question: did we know
that he would say to us, Bring your brother?
- And Judas said to his father Israel, Send
the boy with me, and we will arise and go,
that we may live and not die, both we and
thou, and our store.
- And I engage for
him; at my hand do thou require him;
if I bring him not to thee, and place him
before thee, I shall be guilty toward thee
for ever.
- For if we had not tarried, we
should now have returned twice.
- And
Israel, their father, said to them, If it be
so, do this; take of the fruits of the earth
in your vessels, and carry down to the
man presents of gum and honey, and frankincense,
and stacte, and turpentine, and
walnuts.
- And take double money in
your hands, and the money that was returned
in your sacks, carry back with you,
lest peradventure it is a mistake.
- And
take your brother; and arise, go down to
the man.
- And my God give you favour
in the sight of the man, and send away
your [a] other brother, and Benjamin, for I
accordingly as I have been bereaved, am
bereaved.
- And the men having taken these
presents, and the double money, took in
their hands also Benjamin; and they rose
up and went down to Egypt, and stood
before Joseph.
- And Joseph saw them
and his brother Benjamin, born of the
same mother; and he said to the steward
of his household, Bring the men into the
house, and slay beasts and make ready,
for the men are to eat bread with me at
noon.
- And the man did as Joseph said;
and he brought the men into the house
of Joseph.
- And the men, when they
perceived that they were brought into the
house of Joseph, said, We are brought
in because of the money that was returned
in our sacks at the first; even in order
to inform against us, and lay it to our
charge; to take us for servants, and our
asses.
- And having approached the man
who was over the house of Joseph, they
spoke to him in the porch of the house,
- saying, We pray thee, Sir; we came down
at first to buy food.
- And it came to pass,
when we came to unlade, and opened our
sacks, there was also this money of each in
his sack; we have now brought back our
money by weight in our hands.
- And we
have brought other money with us to buy
food; we know not who put the money
into our sacks.
- And he said to them,
God deal mercifully with you; be not
afraid; your God, and the God of your
fathers, has given you treasures in your
sacks, and [b] I have enough of your good
money. And he brought Symeon out to
them.
- And he brought water to wash
their feet; and gave provender to their
asses.
- And they prepared their gifts,
until Joseph came at noon, for they heard
that he was going to dine there.
- And
Joseph entered into the house, and they
brought him the gifts which they had
in their hands, into the house; and they
did him reverence with their face to the
ground.
- And he asked them, How are
ye? and he said to them, Is your father, the
old man of whom ye spoke, well? Does he
yet live?
- And they said, Thy servant our
father is well; he is yet alive. And he said,
Blessed be that man by God;-- and they
bowed, and did him reverence.
- And
Joseph [c] lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother
Benjamin, born of the same mother;
and he said, Is this your younger brother,
whom ye spoke of bringing to me? and he
said, God have mercy on thee, my son.
- And Joseph was troubled, for his bowels
yearned over his brother, and he sought to
weep; and he went into his chamber, and
wept there.
- And he washed his face and came out,
and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread.
- And they set on bread for him alone, and
for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians
feasting with him by themselves, for
the Egyptians could not eat bread with the
Hebrews, for it is an abomination to the
Egyptians.
- And they sat before him, the
first-born according to his seniority, and
the younger according to his youth; and the
men [d] looked with amazement every one at
his brother.
- And they took their portions
from him to themselves; but Benjamin's
portion was [e] five times as much as the portions
of the others. And they drank and
were filled with drink with him.
[a] Gr. one.
[b] q.d. I am satisfied with the money you have
given me, both as to quality and quantity.
[c] Gr. having looked up with, etc.
[d] Gr. were amazed.
[e] Gr. was magnified beyond the portions
of all five times in comparison of theirs.
[English translation of the Septuagint by Sir Lancelot Charles Lee
Brenton (1807-1862) originally published by Samuel Bagster & Sons,
Ltd., London, 1851]