Genesis 45
45
Joseph reveals his identity
1Joseph could no longer control himself in front of all his attendants, so he declared, “Everyone, leave now!” So no one stayed with him when he revealed his identity to his brothers. 2He wept so loudly that the Egyptians and Pharaoh’s household heard him. 3Joseph said to his brothers, “I’m Joseph! Is my father really still alive?” His brothers couldn’t respond because they were terrified before him.
4Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me,” and they moved closer. He said, “I’m your brother Joseph! The one you sold to Egypt. 5Now, don’t be upset and don’t be angry with yourselves that you sold me here. Actually, God sent me before you to save lives. 6We’ve already had two years of famine in the land, and there are five years left without planting or harvesting. 7God sent me before you to make sure you’d survive#45.7 Or survive on earth and to rescue your lives in this amazing way. 8You didn’t send me here; it was God who made me a father to Pharaoh, master of his entire household, and ruler of the whole land of Egypt.
9“Hurry! Go back to your father. Tell him this is what your son Joseph says: ‘God has made me master of all of Egypt. Come down to me. Don’t delay. 10You may live in the land of Goshen, so you will be near me, your children, your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and everyone with you. 11I will support you there, so you, your household, and everyone with you won’t starve, since the famine will still last five years.’ 12You and my brother Benjamin have seen with your own eyes that I’m speaking to you. 13Tell my father about my power in Egypt and about everything you’ve seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” 14He threw his arms around his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his shoulder. 15He kissed all of his brothers and wept, embracing them. After that, his brothers were finally able to talk to him.
Joseph’s brothers return for Jacob
16When Pharaoh’s household heard the message “Joseph’s brothers have arrived,” both Pharaoh and his servants were pleased. 17Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Give your brothers these instructions: Load your pack animals and go back to the land of Canaan. 18Get your father and your households and come back to me. Let me provide you with good things from the land of Egypt so that you may eat the land’s best food. 19Give them these instructions too: Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your children and wives, and pick up your father and come back. 20Don’t worry about your possessions because you will have good things from the entire land of Egypt.”
21So Israel’s sons did that. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh instructed, and he gave them provisions for the road. 22To all of them he gave a change of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing. 23To his father he sent ten male donkeys carrying goods from Egypt, ten female donkeys carrying grain and bread, and rations for his father for the road. 24He sent his brothers off; and as they were leaving, he told them, “Don’t be worried about the trip.”#45.24 Or Don’t quarrel during the trip.
25So they left Egypt and returned to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26They announced to him, “Joseph’s still alive! He’s actually ruler of all the land of Egypt!” Jacob’s heart nearly failed, and he didn’t believe them.
27When they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons Joseph had sent to carry him, Jacob recovered. 28Then Israel said, “This is too much! My son Joseph is still alive! Let me go and see him before I die.”
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Genesis 45: CEB
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2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Genesis 45
45
Joseph told his brothers the true story
1After Judah said all those things, Joseph really wanted to cry, and he wanted to tell those men that he was their brother. But lots of Joseph’s workers were there in that room, so Joseph said to them, “All of you workers, go out of this room.” Then all of Joseph’s workers went out, and Joseph stayed there with his brothers. 2Then Joseph started to cry really loud. He cried so loud that some of the Egypt people heard him, and those Egypt people went and told the people in Pharaoh’s house.
3Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am your brother Joseph. You said that my father is still alive. Is that true?”#Acts 7:13
Joseph’s brothers got a big shock. You see, before this, they thought that he was one of the Egypt people, but now they knew that he was their brother Joseph. They were really shocked and frightened, so they didn’t say anything.
4Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Please, come and stand more close to me.” So they went more close to him.
And Joseph said, “I am your brother Joseph. Remember, a long time ago, you sold me as a work-man to that Midian mob, and they brought me here to Egypt country. 5Listen, I can see that you are upset and angry with yourselves, because you sold me as a work-man. But don’t be upset or angry. You know, God was the one that made those things happen. Yes, God sent me here to Egypt, so that I can help people stay alive in these dry years with no food plants growing. And later on, he got you mob to come here to get food. 6You know, we already had 2 dry years with no rain, and there will be 5 more dry years. Yes, for 5 more years, nobody will be able to grow any food. 7But God wants to save you mob, so he did a great thing for you. He sent me here to Egypt, to get things ready for you. Now God is going to use me to make sure that you and your families stay alive. 8So I’m telling you, it wasn’t you mob that sent me here to Egypt. No, it was God that sent me here. He made me Pharaoh’s most important helper, and he made me boss over all of Pharaoh’s workers, and he put me in charge of all of Egypt.”
9Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Now you mob have to go quickly to my father. Say to him, ‘This is a message from your son Joseph. He says, “God put me in charge of all of Egypt country. Come and live in this country with me straight away.#Acts 7:14 10Bring your kids and your grand-kids, your sheep and cows, and everything that you own. You can live near me, in the place called Goshen. 11You know, there will be 5 more years of no rain and no food plants growing. But I will give food to you and your family and your animals for those 5 years. I will do that for you, so that you will not become really poor, and you and your animals will not die.” ’ ”
12Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Now you mob know that I really am Joseph. And my brother Benjamin, he knows that too. 13So you mob have to go and tell my father that I am very important in Egypt country. And tell him about everything else that you saw here. Go quickly, and then bring my father here.”
14Then Joseph put his arms around his brother Benjamin, and he hugged him. And Joseph cried, because he was so happy to see Benjamin again. And Benjamin hugged Joseph, and he cried too. 15Then Joseph kissed all his brothers on the cheek, and he kept on crying while he did that. Then Joseph’s brothers were not frightened any more, and they talked to Joseph.
Pharaoh was good to Joseph’s brothers
16Somebody went to Pharaoh’s house, and they said to Pharaoh and his workers, “Joseph’s brothers are here in Egypt country.” And Pharaoh and his workers were happy that Joseph’s brothers came. 17Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘This is what you have to do. Put your bags of food on your donkeys, and go back to Canaan country. 18Then get your father and your families, and bring them back here to Egypt. I will give you the best land in Egypt, and you can live on that land. And you can eat the best food that is in this country.’ ”
19Pharaoh kept on talking to Joseph. He said, “I want you to say to your brothers, ‘This is what you have to do. Get some of our cows and trailers that are here in Egypt country, and get those cows to pull those trailers back to your home country. Then get your little kids and your wives to sit in those trailers, and then those cows can bring them back here to Egypt. And bring your father too. 20You don’t need to bring all the things that you own, because I am going to give you the best things that are here in Egypt.’ ”
21Then Jacob’s sons did those things that Pharaoh said. Joseph gave them some cows and trailers, just like Pharaoh told him to do, and he gave them some food to eat on the way home. 22And he gave them all some new clothes. But he gave Benjamin more clothes than all the others. Yes, he gave Benjamin 5 sets of clothes. He also gave Benjamin 300 pieces of silver money.
23Joseph wanted to send some presents to his father too. So he got 10 male donkeys, and he got some really good things from Egypt country, and he put those good things into bags, and he put those bags on the donkeys to send them to his father. Joseph also got 10 female donkeys to send to his father, and he got wheat seeds, and bread, and lots of other food, and he put all that food into bags, and he put those bags on those 10 female donkeys. Joseph wanted to send that food to his father, so that his father could eat it on the way back to Egypt. 24After everything was ready, Joseph told his brothers to leave Egypt and go back to their home country. And he said to them, “Don’t argue on the way home.” So they left Egypt country to go home.
Joseph’s brothers told their father that Joseph was alive
25Joseph’s brothers went back to their father Jacob, in Canaan country. 26They said to Jacob, “Joseph is not dead. No, he is still alive, and he is in charge of all of Egypt country.”
Jacob got a big shock, and he didn’t believe those things that his sons said. You see, he thought that Joseph was dead. 27So Jacob’s sons told him everything that Joseph said to them, and they showed him those cows and trailers that Joseph sent. They said, “Joseph sent these cows and trailers so that we can take you and our families to Egypt country.”
Then Jacob felt better. 28He said, “Now I know that those things that you said, they are true. My son Joseph really is alive. I have to go and see him before I die.”
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