Chapter 45

Joseph Deals Kindly with His Brothers

1 Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried, “Have everyone go out from me.” So there 1was no man with him awhen Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

2 aHe 1wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard of it.

3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “aI am Joseph! bIs my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for cthey were dismayed at his presence.

4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come 1closer to me.” And they came 1closer. And he said, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you asold into Egypt.

5 “Now do not be grieved or angry 1with yourselves, because ayou sold me here, for bGod sent me before you to preserve life.

6 “For the famine has been in the land athese two years, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

7 “aGod sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great 1deliverance.

8 “Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a afather to Pharaoh and lord of all his household and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

9 “Hurry and go up to my father, and asay to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay.

10 “You shall 1live in the land of aGoshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have.

11 “There I will also aprovide for you, for there are still five years of famine to come, and you and your household and all that you have would be impoverished.” ’

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

13 “Now you must tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen; and you must hurry and abring my father down here.”

14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin’s neck and awept, and Benjamin wept on his neck.

15 He kissed all his brothers and wept on them, and afterward his brothers talked with him.

16 Now when athe 1news was heard in Pharaoh’s house 2that Joseph’s brothers had come, it 3pleased Pharaoh and his servants.

17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and 1go to the land of Canaan,

18 and take your father and your households and come to me, and aI will give you the 1best of the land of Egypt and you will eat the fat of the land.’

19 “Now you are ordered, ‘Do this: 1take awagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father and come.

20 ‘Do not 1concern yourselves with your goods, for the 2best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’ ”

21 Then the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them awagons according to the 1command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey.

22 To 1each of them he gave achanges of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and bfive changes of garments.

23 To his father he sent 1as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the 2best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and sustenance for his father 3on the journey.

24 So he sent his brothers away, and 1as they departed, he said to them, “Do not 2quarrel on the journey.”

25 Then they went up from Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob.

26 They told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and indeed he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” But 1he was stunned, for ahe did not believe them.

27 When they told him all the words of Joseph that he had spoken to them, and when he saw the awagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.

28 Then Israel said, “It is enough; my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”