And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every
man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their
father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. And Jacob their
father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is
not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these
things are against me. And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay
my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and
I will bring him to thee again. And he said, My son shall not go down
with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief
befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my
gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
CHAPTER 22
BENJAMIN BROUGHT TO JOSEPH
AND the famine was sore in the land. And it came to pass, when they had
eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father
said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. And Judah spake unto
him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not
see my face, except your brother be with you. If thou wilt send our
brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food: but if thou wilt
not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall
not see my face, except your brother be with you.
And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man
whether ye had yet a brother? And they said, The man asked us straitly
of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive?
have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of
these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your
brother down?
And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we
will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou,
and also our little ones. I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt
thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before
thee, then let me bear the blame for ever: for except we had lingered,
surely now we had returned this second time.
And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this;
take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the
man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh,
nuts, and almonds: and take double money in your hand; and the money
that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in
your hand; peradventure it was an oversight: take also your brother,
and arise, go again unto the man: and God Almighty give you mercy
before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin.
If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.
And the men took that present, and they took double money in their
hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood
before Joseph. And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the
ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for
these men shall dine with me at noon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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