Genesis 45
45
Chapter 45
Joseph says who he is
1After Judah said this, Joseph could not control himself. He did not want to cry in front of all his servants. So he shouted, ‘Make everyone go away from me!’ So there was no one still there with Joseph, except his brothers. Then he told his brothers who he was. 2Joseph wept loudly, so that the Egyptians heard him. All the people in Pharaoh's house knew about it.
3Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him because they were too frightened. They could see Joseph was there in front of them! #45:3 The brothers were frightened because they had sold Joseph, as a slave. They did not know what Joseph would do to them.
4Then Joseph said to them, ‘Come near to me.’ So they did that. He said, ‘I am your brother Joseph. I am the one that you sold to become a slave in Egypt! 5But do not be upset. Do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me like that. No! It was God who sent me here! He sent me here before you came. He did that so that I could save people's lives. 6There has been a famine for two years already. No food will grow for another five years. 7But God sent me to come here before you. Because of that, your family would stay alive. God would do a great thing to save you and your descendants. 8So you did not really send me here. It was God who did that! He made me Pharaoh's most important officer, as if I am his father. I take care of everything in Pharaoh's palace. I have authority to rule over all of Egypt. #45:8 Joseph knew that God had a plan for everything that had happened to him in Egypt. God wanted Jacob and his family to stay alive when there was a famine. 9Now hurry back to my father. Say to him, “This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord over all Egypt. Come here to me. Come now. 10You can live in the region called Goshen. You, your children and your grandchildren can live there. You can bring your sheep, goats and cows, together with everything that you have. In Goshen you will all be near me. 11I will take care of you there. I will give food to you, because there will be five more years of famine. If you do not come here, you and all your family and servants will become very poor.” ’
12Joseph continued to say to his brothers, ‘As I speak to you now, you can all see clearly that I really am Joseph. My brother Benjamin also knows that. 13Tell my father about the authority that I have here in Egypt. Tell him about everything that you have seen here. Then bring my father here quickly.’
14Then Joseph hugged his brother Benjamin and he wept. Benjamin hugged Joseph and he also wept. 15Joseph continued to weep as he kissed each of his other brothers too. After this, his brothers began to talk to Joseph.
16Pharaoh then heard that Joseph's brothers had arrived in Egypt. Pharaoh and his officers were happy to know that. 17Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Tell your brothers to do this. Say to them, “Put food on your donkeys and return home to Canaan. 18Then bring your father and your families to come here to me. I will give you the best land in Egypt to live on. You will have all the best things that the land gives to you.” 19You must also tell your brothers, “Take some carts from here in Egypt. Your wives and children can ride in them to come back here. Bring your father and come quickly. 20Do not worry. You do not have to bring all your things from your own country. The best things of Egypt will belong to you.” ’
21So Jacob's sons did what Pharaoh said. Joseph gave them carts as Pharaoh had told him to do. He also gave them food for their journey. 22Joseph gave new clothes to each of his brothers. But he gave 300 silver coins and five sets of clothes to Benjamin. 23Joseph also sent these things to his father:
10 donkeys that carried the best things from Egypt,
10 female donkeys that carried food and grain,
and other food for his father's journey.
24Then Joseph sent his brothers to start their journey. As they left, he said to them, ‘Do not argue with each other on your way home!’
25The brothers left Egypt and they returned home to their father Jacob in Canaan. 26They told him, ‘Joseph is still alive! He rules over all of Egypt!’ Jacob was so surprised that he did not believe what they said. 27So Jacob's sons told him everything that Joseph had said to them. Jacob saw the carts that Joseph had sent to carry him back to Egypt. Then Jacob felt stronger again. 28Jacob said, ‘Now I believe you! My son Joseph is still alive! I will go and see him before I die.’
MissionAssist 2018
Berĕshith (Genesis) 45
45
1And Yosĕph was unable to restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he called out, “Have everyone go out from me!” So no one stood with him while Yosĕph made himself known to his brothers.
2And he wept aloud, and the Mitsrites and the house of Pharaoh heard it.
3And Yosĕph said to his brothers, “I am Yosĕph, is my father still alive?” But his brothers were unable to answer him, for they trembled before him.
4Then Yosĕph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” And when they came near, he said, “I am Yosĕph your brother, whom you sold into Mitsrayim.
5“And now, do not be grieved nor displeased with yourselves because you sold me here, for Elohim sent me before you to preserve life.
6“For two years now the scarcity of food has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there is neither ploughing nor harvesting.
7“And Elohim sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to give life to you by a great escape.
8So then, you did not send me here, but Elohim. And He has set me for a father to Pharaoh, and master of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Mitsrayim.”
9Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Yosĕph, Elohim has made me master of all Mitsrayim. Come down to me, do not delay.
10“And you shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have.
11“And I shall provide for you there, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty, because five years of scarcity of food are still to come.” ’
12“And look, your eyes and the eyes of my brother Binyamin see that it is my mouth that speaks to you.
13“And you shall inform my father of all my esteem in Mitsrayim, and of all that you have seen. And you shall hurry and bring my father down here.”
14And he fell on his brother Binyamin’s neck and wept, and Binyamin wept on his neck.
15And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers spoke with him.
16And the report of it was heard by the house of Pharaoh, saying, “The brothers of Yosĕph have come.” And it was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants.
17And Pharaoh said to Yosĕph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your beasts and go, enter the land of Kena‛an,
18and take your father and your households and come to me, and I give you the best of the land of Mitsrayim, and you eat the fat of the land.
19And you, you have been commanded, do this: Take wagons out of the land of Mitsrayim for your little ones and your wives. And you shall bring your father, and come.
20And do not be concerned about your goods, for the best of all the land of Mitsrayim is yours.’ ”
21And the sons of Yisra’ĕl did so. And Yosĕph gave them wagons, according to the mouth of Pharaoh, and he gave them food for the journey.
22He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments, but to Binyamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.
23And he sent to his father this: ten donkeys loaded with the best of Mitsrayim, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, and bread, and food for his father for the journey.
24So he sent his brothers away, and they left. And he said to them, “Do not quarrel along the way.”
25And they went up out of Mitsrayim, and came to the land of Kena‛an to Ya‛aqoḇ their father.
26And they told him, saying, “Yosĕph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Mitsrayim.” And Ya‛aqoḇ’s heart ceased, for he did not believe them.
27But when they spoke to him all the words which Yosĕph had spoken to them, and when he saw the wagons which Yosĕph had sent to transport him, the spirit of Ya‛aqoḇ their father revived.
28And Yisra’ĕl said, “Enough! My son Yosĕph is still alive. Let me go and see him before I die.”
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