The Famine Begins

1 And in the first year of the third week of the forty-fifth jubilee [2171] the famine began to come into the land, and the rain was withheld from the earth, for none whatever fell. 2 And the earth grew barren, but in the land of Egypt there was food, for Joseph had gathered the grain of the land in the seven years of plenty and had preserved it. 3 And the Egyptians came to Joseph so that he might give them food, and he opened the storehouses where the grain was of the first year, and he sold it to the people of the land for gold.

The Brothers’ First Journey to Egypt

4 Now the famine was very severe in the land of Canaan, and Jacob heard that there was food in Egypt, and he sent his ten sons that they should obtain food for him in Egypt; but he did not send Benjamin, and the ten sons of Jacob arrived in Egypt among those that went (there). 5 And Joseph recognized them, but they did not recognize him, and he spoke to them and questioned them, and he said to them: 'Are you not spies and have you not come to explore the approaches of the land?'⁠a And he put them in custody. 6 And after that he set them free again, and detained Simeon alone and sent off his nine brothers. 7 And he filled their sacks with grain, and he put their gold in their sacks,⁠b and they did not know. 8 And he commanded them to bring their younger brother, for they had told him their father was living and their younger brother. 9 And they went up from the land of Egypt and they came to the land of Canaan; and they told their father all that had happened to them, and how the ruler of the country had spoken roughly to them, and had seized Simeon until they should bring Benjamin. 10 And Jacob said: 'You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is gone and Simeon is gone too, and you will take Benjamin away. On me has your wickedness come.⁠c 11 'And he said: 'My son will not go down with you for fear that he might fall sick; for their mother gave birth to two sons, and one has perished, and this one also you will take from me. If perhaps he developed a fever on the road, you would bring down my old age with sorrow to death.' 12 For he saw that their money had been returned to every man in his sack, and for this reason he feared to send him. 13 And the famine increased and became severe in the land of Canaan, and in all lands except in the land of Egypt, for many of the children of the Egyptians had stored up their grain for food from the time when they saw Joseph gathering grain together and putting it in storehouses and preserving it for the years of famine. 14 And the people of Egypt fed themselves on it during the first year of their famine.

Benjamin and the Second Journey

15 But when Israel saw that the famine was very severe in the land, and that there was no escape, he said to his sons: 'Go again, and obtain food for us so that we do not die.' 16 And they said: 'We shall not go; unless our youngest brother goes with us, we shall not go.' 17 And Israel saw that if he did not send him with them, they should all perish because of the famine 18 And Reuben said: 'Give him into my hand, and if I do not bring him back to you, kill my two sons in his place.' 19 And he said to him: 'He shall not go with you.' And Judah came near and said: 'Send him with me, and if I do not bring him back to you, let me bear the blame before you all the days of my life.' 20 And he sent him with them in the second year of this week on the first day of the month [2172], and they came to the land of Egypt with all those who went, and (they had) presents in their hands, stacte and almonds and terebinth nuts and pure honey. 21 And they went and stood before Joseph, and he saw Benjamin his brother, and he knew him, and said to them: 'Is this your youngest brother?' And they said to him: 'It is he.' And he said: 'The Lord be gracious to you, my son!' 22 And he sent him into his house and he brought out Simeon to them and he made a feast for them, and they presented to him the gift which they had brought in their hands. 23 And they ate before him and he gave them all a portion, but the portion of Benjamin was seven times larger than that of any of theirs. 24 And they ate and drank and got up and remained with their donkeys. 25 And Joseph devised a plan by which he might learn whether their intentions toward one another were peaceful, and he said to the steward who was over his house: 'Fill all their sacks with food, and return their money to them into their containers, and my cup, the silver cup out of which I drink, put it in the sack of the youngest, and send them away.'