Joseph could no longer refrain himself before many that stood by: whereupon he commanded that all should go out, and no stranger be present at their knowing one another.

²And he lifted up his voice with weeping, which the Egyptians, and all the house of Pharao heard.

³And he said to his brethren: I am Joseph: Is my father yet living? His brethren could not answer him, being struck with exceeding great fear.

⁴And he said mildly to them: Come nearer to me. And when they were come near him, he said: I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

⁵Be not afraid, and let it not seem to you a hard case that you sold me into these countries: for God sent me before you into Egypt for your preservation.

⁶For it is two years since the famine began to be upon the land, and five years more remain, wherein there can be neither ploughing nor reaping.

⁷And God sent me before, that you may be preserved upon the earth, and may have food to live.

⁸Not by your counsel was I sent hither, but by the will of God: who hath made me as it were a father to Pharao, and lord of his whole house, and governor in all the land of Egypt.

⁹Make haste, and go ye up to my father, and say to him: Thus saith thy son Joseph: God hath made me lord of the whole land of Egypt; come down to me, linger not.

¹⁰And thou shalt dwell in the land of Gessen: and thou shalt be near me, thou and thy sons, and thy sons’ sons, thy sheep, and thy herds, and all things that thou hast.

¹¹And there I will feed thee, (for there are yet five years of famine remaining) lest both thou perish, and thy house, and all things that thou hast.

¹²Behold, your eyes, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, see that it is my mouth that speaketh to you.

¹³You shall tell my father of all my glory, and all things that you have seen in Egypt: make haste and bring him to me.

¹⁴And falling upon the neck of his brother Benjamin, he embraced him and wept: and Benjamin in like manner wept also on his neck.

¹⁵And Joseph kissed all his brethren, and wept upon every one of them: after which they were emboldened to speak to him.

¹⁶And it was heard, and the fame was spread abroad in the king’s court: The brethren of Joseph are come; and Pharao with all his family was glad.

¹⁷And he spoke to Joseph that he should give orders to his brethren, saying: Load your beasts, and go into the land of Chanaan,

¹⁸And bring away from thence your father and kindred, and come to me; and I will give you all the good things of Egypt, that you may eat the marrow of the land.

¹⁹Give orders also that they take wagons out of the land of Egypt, for the carriage of their children and their wives; and say: Take up your father, and make haste to come with all speed:

²⁰And leave nothing of your household stuff; for all the riches of Egypt shall be yours.

²¹And the sons of Israel did as they were bid. And Joseph gave them wagons according to Pharao’s commandment: and provisions for the way.

²²He ordered also to be brought out for every one of them two robes: but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, with five robes of the best:

²³Sending to his father as much money and raiment; adding besides, ten he asses, to carry off all the riches of Egypt, and as many she asses, carrying wheat and bread for the journey.

²⁴So he sent away his brethren, and at their departing said to them: Be not angry in the way.

²⁵And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Chanaan, to their father Jacob.

²⁶And they told him, saying: Joseph, thy son, is living; and he is ruler in all the land of Egypt. Which when Jacob heard, he awaked as it were out of a deep sleep, yet did not believe them.

²⁷They, on the other side, told the whole order of the thing. And when he saw the wagons, and all that he had sent, his spirit revived,

²⁸And he said: It is enough for me if Joseph, my son, be yet living: I will go and see him before I die.

Chapter 46

And Israel taking his journey, with all that he had, came to the well of the oath, and killing victims there to the God of his father Isaac,

²He heard him, by a vision in the night, calling him, and saying to him: Jacob, Jacob. And he answered him: Lo, here I am.

³God said to him: I am the most mighty God of thy father; fear not, go down into Egypt, for I will make a great nation of thee there.

⁴I will go down with thee thither, and will bring thee back again from thence: Joseph also shall put his hands upon thy eyes.

⁵And Jacob rose up from the well of the oath: and his sons took him up, with their children and wives in the wagons, which Pharao had sent to carry the old man,

⁶And all that he had in the land of Chanaan: and he came into Egypt with all his seed;

⁷His sons, and grandsons, daughters, and all his offspring together.

⁸And these are the names of the children of Israel, that entered into Egypt, he and his children. His firstborn Ruben,

⁹The sons of Ruben: Henoch and Phallu, and Hesron and Charmi.

¹⁰The sons of Simeon: Jamuel and Jamin and Ahod, and Jachin and Sohar, and Saul, the son of a woman of Chanaan.

¹¹The sons of Levi: Gerson and Caath, and Merari.

¹²The sons of Juda: Her and Onan, and Sela, and Phares and Zara. And Her and Onan died in the land of Chanaan. And sons were born to Phares: Hesron and Hamul.

¹³The sons of Issachar: Thola and Phua, and Job and Semron.

¹⁴The sons of Zabulon: Sared, and Elon, and Jahelel.

¹⁵These are the sons of Lia, whom she bore in Mesopotamia of Syria, with Dina, his daughter. All the souls of her sons and daughters, thirty-three.

¹⁶The sons of Gad: Sephion and Haggi, and Suni and Esebon, and Heri and Arodi, and Areli.

¹⁷The sons of Aser: Jamne and Jesua, and Jessuri and Beria, and Sara their sister. The sons of Beria: Heber and Melchiel.

¹⁸These are the sons of Zelpha, whom Laban gave to Lia, his daughter. And these she bore to Jacob, sixteen souls.

¹⁹The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife: Joseph and Benjamin.

²⁰And sons were born to Joseph, in the land of Egypt, whom Aseneth, the daughter of Putiphare, priest of Heliopolis, bore him: Manasses and Ephraim.

²¹The sons of Benjamin: Bela and Bechor, and Asbel and Gera, and Naaman and Echi, and Ross and Mophim, and Ophim and Ared.

²²These are the sons of Rachel, whom she bore to Jacob: all the souls, fourteen.

²³The sons of Dan: Husim.

²⁴The sons of Nephthali: Jaziel and Guni, and Jeser and Sallem.

²⁵These are the sons of Bala, whom Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter: and these she bore to Jacob: all the souls, seven.

²⁶All the souls that went with Jacob into Egypt, and that came out of his thigh, besides his sons’ wives, sixty-six.

²⁷And the sons of Joseph, that were born to him in the land of Egypt, two souls. All the souls of the house of Jacob, that entered into Egypt, were seventy.

²⁸And he sent Juda before him to Joseph, to tell him; and that he should meet him in Gessen.

²⁹And when he was come thither, Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet his father in the same place: and seeing him, he fell upon his neck, and embracing him, wept.

³⁰And the father said to Joseph: Now shall I die with joy, because I have seen thy face, and leave thee alive.

³¹And Joseph said to his brethren, and to all his father’s house: I will go up, and will tell Pharao, and will say to him: My brethren, and my father’s house, that were in the land of Chanaan, are come to me:

³²And the men are shepherds, and their occupation is to feed cattle; their flocks, and herds, and all they have, they have brought with them.

³³And when he shall call you, and shall say: What is your occupation?

³⁴You shall answer: We, thy servants, are shepherds, from our infancy until now, both we and our fathers. And this you shall say, that you may dwell in the land of Gessen, because the Egyptians have all shepherds in abomination.

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