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45
Joseph told his brothers who he was
1 Joseph was not able to control his feelings any longer. He did not want to cry in front of his servants, so he said to them loudly, “All of you go outside!” After they went outside, there was no one else there with Joseph when he told his brothers who he was. 2 He cried so loudly that the people of Egypt who were outside heard it, and even the people in the king’s palace heard it. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is our father still alive?” But his brothers were not able to reply, because they were frightened because of what he said. 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me!” When they came closer, he said, “I am your brother Joseph! I am the one you sold to traders who brought me here to Egypt! 5 But now, do not be distressed, and do not be angry with yourselves for having sold me to people who brought me here, because it was to save you from dying because of the famine that God sent me here ahead of you. 6 There has been a famine in this country for two years, and it will continue for five more years, so that no one will plow ground, and there will be no crops to harvest. 7 But God sent me here ahead of you, to keep you from starving, and to make sure that your descendants will survive. 8 Therefore, it was not you who sent me here; it was God who sent me here! He has caused me to become like a father to the king. I am in charge of everything in his palace and the governor of everyone in Egypt! 9 Now return to my father quickly, and say to him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has caused me to become the governor over the whole land of Egypt. Come down to me immediately! 10 You can live in the Goshen region. You and your children and your grandchildren, your sheep and goats and cattle, and everything that you own, will be near me. 11 Since there will be five more years of famine, I will make sure that you have food. If you do not come here, you and your family and all of your servants will starve. [EUP]” ’
12 “Look closely, and all of you can see, including my brother Benjamin, that it is really I, Joseph, who am speaking to you. 13 Go and tell my father about how greatly I am honored here in Egypt. And tell him about everything else that you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly!”
14 Then he threw his arms around his younger brother Benjamin’s neck and cried. And Benjamin hugged him and cried. 15 And then as he kissed his older brothers on their cheeks, he cried. After that, his brothers started to talk with him.
The king invited Joseph’s family to come and live in Egypt
16 Someone went to the palace and told the news that Joseph’s brothers had come. The king and all his officials were pleased. 17 The king said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers this: ‘Put loads of grain on your animals and return to the Canaan region. 18 Then bring your father and your families back here. I will give you the best land in Egypt, and you will have the best food in the land to eat.’ 19 “Also tell this to your brothers: ‘Take some carts from Egypt to carry your children and your wives, and get them and your father and come back here quickly. 20 Do not worry about bringing your possessions, because the best things in Egypt will be yours. Because of that, you will not need to bring any of your things from Canaan.’ ”
21 Jacob’s sons did what the king suggested. Joseph gave them carts and food to eat along the way, as the king had ordered. 22 To each of them he gave new clothes, but he gave 300 pieces of silver and five sets of new clothes to Benjamin! 23 And this is what he sent to his father: Ten male donkeys, loaded with some of the best goods that come from Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other food for his father’s trip to Egypt. 24 Then he sent his brothers on their way, saying to them “Do not quarrel along the way!”
25 So they left Egypt and came to their father Jacob in Canaan. 26 One of them told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is the governor over all of Egypt!” Jacob was extremely astonished; he could not believe that it was true. 27 But they told him everything that Joseph had said to them, and Jacob saw the carts that Joseph had sent to carry him and his family and possessions to Egypt. Then their father Jacob’s shock ended. 28 He said, “What you have said is enough to convince me! My son Joseph is still alive, and I will go and see him before I die!”

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© 2008-2017 Ellis W. Deibler, Jr.