Joseph Tests His Brothers

1 And he did as Joseph had told him, and filled all their sacks for them with food and put their money in their sacks, and put the cup in Benjamin's sack. 2 And early in the morning they departed, and when they had gone from there, Joseph said to the steward of his house: 'Pursue them, run and seize them, saying, "You have repaid my good with evil; you have stolen from me the silver cup out of which my lord drinks."⁠a And bring back to me their youngest brother, and bring (him) quickly before I go out to my seat of judgment.' 3 And he ran after them and said to them according to these words. 4 And they said to him: 'God forbid that your servants should do this thing, and steal from the house of your lord any utensil, and the money also which we found in our sacks the first time, we your servants brought back from the land of Canaan. 5 How then should we steal any utensil? Here we are, and search our sacks, and wherever you find the cup in the sack of any man among us, let him be killed, and we and our donkeys will serve your lord.' 6 And he said to them: 'Not so, the man with whom I find, I shall take only him as a servant, and you shall return in peace to your house.' 7 And as he was searching in their containers, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest, it was found in Benjamin's sack. 8 And they tore their clothes, and loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city and came to the house of Joseph, and they all bowed themselves on their faces to the ground before him. 9 And Joseph said to them: 'You have done evil.' And they said: 'What shall we say and how shall we defend ourselves? Our lord has discovered the transgression of his servants; look, we are the servants of our lord, and our donkeys also. 10 'And Joseph said to them: 'I too fear the Lord; as for you, go to your homes and let your brother be my servant, for you have done evil. Do you not know that a man delights in his cup as I with this cup? And yet you have stolen it from me.' 11 And Judah said: 'My lord, let your servant,⁠b please, speak a word in my lord's ear: your servant's mother bore two brothers to our father: one went away and was lost, and has not been found, and he alone is left of his mother, and your servant our father loves him, and his life also is bound up with the life of this (boy). 12 And when we go to your servant our father, and the boy is not with us, he will die, and we shall bring down our father with sorrow to death. 13 Now rather let me, your servant, remain instead of the boy as an enslaved servant to my lord, and let the boy go with his brothers, for I guaranteed his safety to your servant our father, and if I do not bring him back, your servant will bear the blame to our father forever.'

Joseph Reveals His Identity

14 And Joseph saw that they were all united in goodwill toward one another, and he could not hold back, and he told them that he was Joseph. 15 And he spoke with them in Hebrew and fell on their neck and wept. But they did not know him and they began to weep. 16 And he said to them: 'Do not weep over me, but hurry and bring my father to me; and you see that it is my mouth that speaks and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see. 17 For this is the second year of the famine, and there are still five years without harvest or fruit of trees or plowing. 18 Come down quickly, you and your households, so that you do not perish through the famine, and do not be grieved for your possessions, for the Lord sent me before you to set things in order that many people might live. 19 And tell my father that I am still alive, and you, look, you see that the Lord has made me as a father to Pharaoh, and ruler over his house and over all the land of Egypt. 20 And tell my father of all my glory, and all the riches and glory that the Lord has given me.' 21 And by the command of the mouth of Pharaoh he gave them chariots and provisions for the way, and he gave them all multicolored clothing and silver. 22 And to their father he sent clothing and silver and ten donkeys which carried grain, and he sent them away. 23 And they went up and told their father that Joseph was alive, and was measuring out grain to all the nations of the earth, and that he was ruler over all the land of Egypt. 24 And their father did not believe it, for he was too stunned to believe;⁠c but when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent, the life of his spirit revived, and he said: 'It is enough for me if Joseph lives; I will go down and see him before I die.'