Joseph

the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. And although there was famine in every country, there was food throughout the land of Egypt.

When extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”

When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.

And every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.

So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm might befall him.”

Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”

Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.

Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

Then Joseph declared, “Just as I said, you are spies!

and on the third day he said to them, “I fear God. So do this and you will live:

They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them.

Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s silver to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out,

Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!”

So the men took these gifts, along with double the amount of silver, and Benjamin as well. Then they hurried down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

When Joseph saw Benjamin with his brothers, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for they shall dine with me at noon.”

The man did as Joseph had commanded and took the brothers to Joseph’s house.

But the brothers were frightened that they had been taken to Joseph’s house. “We have been brought here because of the silver that was returned in our bags the first time,” they said. “They intend to overpower us and take us as slaves, along with our donkeys.”

So they approached Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house.

And the steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet, and provided food for their donkeys.

Since the brothers had been told that they were going to eat a meal there, they prepared their gift for Joseph’s arrival at noon.

When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought, and they bowed to the ground before him.

Joseph hurried out because he was moved to tears for his brother, and he went to a private room to weep.

Put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” So the steward did as Joseph had instructed.