The Famine Begins
42 And in the first year of the third week of the forty-fifth jubilee, the famine began to come into the land, and rain refused to be given to the earth; for none fell. 2And the earth was unfruitful, and in the land of Egypt alone there was food, for Joseph had gathered that he might give them food, and Joseph had gathered the seed of the earth in the seven years of fruitfulness and had guarded it.
3And the Egyptians came to Joseph that he should give them food, and he opened the storehouses where the grain was in the first year, and he sold it to the people of the land for gold.
The Sons of Jacob Enter Egypt
4And Jacob heard that there was food in the land of Egypt, and he sent ten sons, that they should go for him to Egypt, but Benjamin he did not send. 5And they came, together with those that went there. 6And Joseph knew them, but they did not know him; and he spoke with and asked them, and said to them: "Are ye not spies and have come to examine the traces of the land?"
7And he locked them in.
8And then again he released them and incarcerated Simeon alone, and his nine brothers he sent away. 9And he filled their sacks with grain, and he placed their gold in their sacks, and they did not know it. 10And he commanded them that they should bring their youngest brother, for they had told him that their father was yet living and also their youngest brother. 11And they went up from the land of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan, and told their father all that had happened to them, and how the prince of the land had spoken with them and had seized Simeon until they should bring Benjamin.
Jacob Refuses to Send Benjamin to Egypt
12And Jacob said, "Ye have robbed me of my children: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and ye will also take Benjamin; your wickedness is upon you." 13And he said: "My son shall not go with you; it is possible that he will become sick; for their mother has given birth to two sons, one is destroyed and this one ye will take. 14He might take a fever on the road, and ye will bring my gray hairs in sorrow into death." 15For he saw that all their gold was returned in their packages, and on this account he feared to send him.
16But the famine increased and became strong in the land of Canaan, and in all the lands, except in the land of Egypt, for many of the sons of Egypt had gathered their seeds for food when they saw that Joseph was collecting the seed and placing it into the storehouses, and preserving it for the years of famine, and the men of Egypt fed themselves in the first year of their famine.
17And when Israel saw that the famine was very powerful in the land, and that there was no deliverance, he said to his sons: "Go, return, and bring us food that we die not."
18And they said: "We will not go: unless our youngest brother goes with us we will not go."
19And Israel saw that if he would not send him with them all would be destroyed on account of the famine. 20And Reuben said: "Give him to me into my hand, and if I do not return him to thee, slay my two sons in place of his soul."
21And he said, "He shall not go with thee."
22And Judah approached and said to him: "Send him with me; and if I do not bring him back to thee, I shall be a transgressor before thee all the days of my life."
The Sons of Jacob Return to Egypt
23And he sent him with them in the second year of this week and in the new moon of the month, and they came to the land of Egypt with all those that went, and presents in their hands; and stacte and nuts and pistachio and pure honey. 24And they came and stood before Joseph, and he saw his brother Benjamin, and knew him, and said to them: "Is this your youngest brother?"
25And they said to him: "Yea, it is he."
26And he said, "The Lord be merciful to thee, my son."
27And he sent them into his house, and brought out Simeon to them and made them a feast, and they brought to him what they had brought in their hands. 28And they ate before him, and he gave them all a portion, and increased the portion of Benjamin over the portion of the others seven times, and they ate and drank, and arose and remained with their asses.
Joseph Puts His Brothers to the Test
29And Joseph thought out a plan how he could learn their thoughts, whether their thoughts were peace among each other; and he said to the man who was over his house: "Fill all their sacks with food, but their gold return to them in the midst of their receptacle, and my goblet out of which I drink put into the sack of the youngest, the silver goblet, and send them away."