1 THEN JOSEPH could not restrain himself [any longer] before all those who stood by him, and he called out, Cause every man to go out from me! So no one stood there with Joseph while he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept and sobbed aloud, and the Egyptians [who had just left him] heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard about it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph! Is my father still alive? And his brothers could not reply, for they were distressingly disturbed and dismayed at [the startling realization that they were in] his presence.
4 And Joseph said to his brothers, Come near to me, I pray you. And they did so. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt! 5 But now, do not be distressed and disheartened or vexed and angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to preserve life. 6 For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years more in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 God sent me before you to preserve for you a posterity and to continue a remnant on the earth, to save your lives by a great escape and save for you many survivors. 8 So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. 9 Hurry and go up to my father and tell him, Your son Joseph says this to you: God has put me in charge of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not delay. 10 You will live in the land of Goshen, and you will be close to me--you and your children and your grandchildren, your flocks, your herds, and all you have. 11 And there I will sustain and provide for you, so that you and your household and all that are yours may not come to poverty and want, for there are yet five [more] years of [the scarcity, hunger, and starvation of] famine. 12 Now notice! Your own eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin can see that I am talking to you personally [in your language and not through an interpreter]. 13 And you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt and of all that you have seen; and you shall hurry and bring my father down here. 14 And he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 15 Moreover, he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers conversed with him.
16 When the report was heard in Pharaoh's house that Joseph's brothers had come, it pleased Pharaoh and his servants well. 17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Tell your brothers this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, 18 And get your father and your households and come to me. And I will give you the best in the land of Egypt and you will live on the fat of the land. 19 You therefore command them, saying, You do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father and come. 20 Also do not look with regret or concern upon your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.
21 And the sons of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons, as the order of Pharaoh permitted, and gave them provisions for the journey. 22 To each of them he gave changes of raiment, but to Benjamin he gave 300 pieces of silver and five changes of raiment. 23 And to his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten she-donkeys laden with grain, bread, and nourishing food and provision for his father [to supply all who were with him] on the way. 24 So he sent his brothers away, and they departed, and he said to them, See that you do not disagree (get excited, quarrel) along the road.
25 So they went up out of Egypt and came into the land of Canaan to Jacob their father, 26 And they said to him, Joseph is still alive! And he is governor over all the land of Egypt! And Jacob's heart began to stop beating and [he almost] fainted, for he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him all the words of Joseph which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived [and warmth and life returned]. 28 And Israel said, It is enough! Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.