Jubilees 42:1-25

¹And in the first year of the third week of the forty-fifth jubilee the famine began to come into the land [2171 A.M.], and the rain refused to fall on the earth, for none whatever came down.

²And the earth grew barren, but in the land of Egypt there was food, for Joseph had gathered the seed of the land in the seven years of plenty and had preserved it.

³And the Egyptians came to Joseph that he might give them food, and he opened the storehouses where the grain of the first year was kept, and he sold it to the people of the land for gold.

⁴Now 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 to procure food for him in Egypt; but Benjamin he did not send, and the ten sons of Jacob arrived in Egypt among those who went there.

⁵And 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?' And he put them in custody.

⁶And after that he set them free again, and detained Simeon alone and sent off his nine brothers.

⁷And he filled their sacks with grain, and he put their gold in their sacks, and they did not know it.

⁸And he commanded them to bring their younger brother, for they had told him their father was living and that they had a younger brother.

⁹And they went up from the land of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan; and they told their father all that had happened to them, and how the lord of the country had spoken roughly to them, and had seized Simeon until they should bring Benjamin.

¹⁰And Jacob said: 'You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, and Simeon also is no more, and you will take Benjamin away. On me has your wickedness come.'

¹¹And he said: 'My son will not go down with you, lest perhaps he fall sick; for their mother gave birth to two sons, and one has perished, and this one also you will take from me. If by chance he took a fever on the road, you would bring down my old age with sorrow to death.' For he saw that their money had been returned to every man in his sack, and for this reason he feared to send him.

¹²And 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 seed for food from the time when they saw Joseph gathering seed together and putting it in storehouses and preserving it for the years of famine.

¹³And the people of Egypt fed themselves on it during the first year of their famine.

¹⁴But when Israel saw that the famine was very severe in the land, and that there was no deliverance, he said to his sons: 'Go again, and procure food for us, that we do not die.'

¹⁵And they said: 'We shall not go; unless our youngest brother goes with us, we shall not go.'

¹⁶And Israel saw that if he did not send him with them, they would all perish because of the famine.

¹⁷And Reuben said: 'Give him into my hand, and if I do not bring him back to you, kill my two sons instead of his life.' And he said to him: 'He shall not go with you.'

¹⁸And 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.'

¹⁹And he sent him with them in the second year of this week on the first day of the month [2172 A.M.], 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.

²⁰And they went and stood before Joseph, and he saw Benjamin his brother, and he recognized 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!'

²¹And 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.

²²And 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.

²³And they ate and drank and arose and remained with their donkeys.

²⁴And Joseph devised a plan by which he might learn their thoughts, as to whether thoughts of peace prevailed among them, and he said to the steward who was over his house: 'Fill all their sacks with food, and return their money to them in their vessels, and my cup, the silver cup out of which I drink, put it in the sack of the youngest, and send them away.'

²⁵And Joseph devised a plan by which he might learn their thoughts, as to whether thoughts of peace prevailed among them, and he said to the steward who was over his house: 'Fill all their sacks with food, and return their money to them in their vessels, and my cup, the silver cup out of which I drink, put it in the sack of the youngest, and send them away.'