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45 And Joseph hath not been able to refrain himself before all those standing by him, and he calleth, `Put out every man from me;' and no man hath stood with him when Joseph maketh himself known unto his brethren,

and he giveth forth his voice in weeping, and the Egyptians hear, and the house of Pharaoh heareth.

And Joseph saith unto his brethren, `I [am] Joseph, is my father yet alive?' and his brethren have not been able to answer him, for they have been troubled at his presence.

And Joseph saith unto his brethren, `Come nigh unto me, I pray you,' and they come nigh; and he saith, `I [am] Joseph, your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt;

and now, be not grieved, nor let it be displeasing in your eyes that ye sold me hither, for to preserve life hath God sent me before you.

`Because these two years the famine [is] in the heart of the land, and yet [are] five years, [in] which there is neither ploughing nor harvest;

and God sendeth me before you, to place of you a remnant in the land, and to give life to you by a great escape;

and now, ye -- ye have not sent me hither, but God, and He doth set me for a father to Pharaoh, and for lord to all his house, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

`Haste, and go up unto my father, then ye have said to him, Thus said Joseph thy son, God hath set me for lord to all Egypt; come down unto me, stay not,

10 and thou hast dwelt in the land of Goshen, and been near unto me, thou and thy sons, and thy son's sons, and thy flock, and thy herd, and all that thou hast,

11 and I have nourished thee there -- for yet [are] five years of famine -- lest thou become poor, thou and thy household, and all that thou hast.

12 `And lo, your eyes are seeing, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that [it is] my mouth which is speaking unto you;

13 and ye have declared to my father all my honour in Egypt, and all that ye have seen, and ye have hasted, and have brought down my father hither.'

14 And he falleth on the neck of Benjamin his brother, and weepeth, and Benjamin hath wept on his neck;

15 and he kisseth all his brethren, and weepeth over them; and afterwards have his brethren spoken with him.

16 And the sound hath been heard in the house of Pharaoh, saying, `Come have the brethren of Joseph;' and it is good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants,

17 and Pharaoh saith unto Joseph, `Say unto thy brethren, This do ye: lade your beasts, and go, enter ye the land of Canaan,

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

19 `Yea, thou -- thou hast been commanded: this do ye, take for yourselves out of the land of Egypt, waggons for your infants, and for your wives, and ye have brought your father, and come;

20 and your eye hath no pity on your vessels, for the good of all the land of Egypt [is] yours.'

21 And the sons of Israel do so, and Joseph giveth waggons to them by the command of Pharaoh, and he giveth to them provision for the way;

22 to all of them hath he given -- to each changes of garments, and to Benjamin he hath given three hundred silverlings, and five changes of garments;

23 and to his father he hath sent thus: ten asses bearing of the good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses bearing corn and bread, even food for his father for the way.

24 And he sendeth his brethren away, and they go; and he saith unto them, `Be not angry in the way.'

25 And they go up out of Egypt, and come in to the land of Canaan, unto Jacob their father,

26 and they declare to him, saying, `Joseph [is] yet alive,' and that he [is] ruler over all the land of Egypt; and his heart ceaseth, for he hath not given credence to them.

27 And they speak unto him all the words of Joseph, which he hath spoken unto them, and he seeth the waggons which Joseph hath sent to bear him away, and live doth the spirit of Jacob their father;

28 and Israel saith, `Enough! Joseph my son [is] yet alive; I 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

45 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man 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; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.

And Joseph said unto his brethren, 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 hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life.

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

And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

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

Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath 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 children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast:

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

12 And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh 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 hither.

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 thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.

17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you 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, this do ye; take you 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 your's.

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

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

23 And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way.

24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by 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 governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not.

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