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45 ¶ Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all those that stood by him, and he cried, Cause everyone to go out from me. And no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.

And he wept aloud; and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard.

And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; does my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him, for they were terrified at his presence.

Then Joseph said unto his brethren, Now come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.

Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves that ye sold me here, for God sent me before you for life.

For these two years the famine has been in the land, and yet there are five years in which there shall neither be plowing nor harvest.

And God sent me before you that you might remain in the earth and that you might be given life by great liberty.

So now it was not you that sent me here, but God; and he has made me as a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his house and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.

Make haste and go up to my father and say unto him: Thus saith thy son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down unto me, tarry not.

10 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou and thy sons and thy sons’ sons and thy herds and thy cows and all that thou hast.

11 And there I will nourish thee, for yet there are five years of famine, lest thou and thy household and all that thou hast perish of poverty.

12 And, behold, your eyes see and the eyes of my brother Benjamin that it is my mouth that speaks unto you.

13 And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father here.

14 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

15 Moreover he kissed all his brethren and wept upon them, and after that his brethren talked with him.

16 ¶ And the fame of this was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, Joseph’s brethren have come; and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his slaves.

17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, Do this: lade your beasts and go, return unto the land of Canaan

18 and take your father and your households and come unto me; and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.

19 Now thou art commanded, do this: take wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives and bring your father and come.

20 Also regard not your stuff, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.

21 And the sons of Israel did so, and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the way.

22 To each one of them all he gave changes of clothing; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing.

23 And to his father he sent after this manner: ten asses laden with the best of Egypt and ten she asses laden with wheat and bread and food for his father on the way.

24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed. And he said unto them, See that ye do not fight along the way.

25 ¶ And they went up out of Egypt and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob, their father,

26 and told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is lord over all the land of Egypt. And his heart fainted, for he did not believe them.

27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them; and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob, their father, revived:

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

Joseph Makes Himself Known

45 Then Joseph could no longer control himself(A) before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!”(B) So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept(C) so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.(D)

Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?”(E) But his brothers were not able to answer him,(F) because they were terrified at his presence.(G)

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.”(H) When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!(I) And now, do not be distressed(J) and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here,(K) because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.(L) For two years now there has been famine(M) in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant(N) on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.[a](O)

“So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.(P) He made me father(Q) to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.(R) Now hurry(S) back to my father and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay.(T) 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen(U) and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have.(V) 11 I will provide for you there,(W) because five years of famine(X) are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.’(Y)

12 “You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin,(Z) that it is really I who am speaking to you.(AA) 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt(AB) and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.(AC)

14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin(AD) embraced him,(AE) weeping. 15 And he kissed(AF) all his brothers and wept over them.(AG) Afterward his brothers talked with him.(AH)

16 When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come,(AI) Pharaoh and all his officials(AJ) were pleased.(AK) 17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals(AL) and return to the land of Canaan,(AM) 18 and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt(AN) and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’(AO)

19 “You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts(AP) from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. 20 Never mind about your belongings,(AQ) because the best of all Egypt(AR) will be yours.’”

21 So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts,(AS) as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey.(AT) 22 To each of them he gave new clothing,(AU) but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels[b] of silver and five sets of clothes.(AV) 23 And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys(AW) loaded with the best things(AX) of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey.(AY) 24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”(AZ)

25 So they went up out of Egypt(BA) and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan.(BB) 26 They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.”(BC) Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them.(BD) 27 But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts(BE) Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, “I’m convinced!(BF) My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”(BG)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 45:7 Or save you as a great band of survivors
  2. Genesis 45:22 That is, about 7 1/2 pounds or about 3.5 kilograms