1 And they entered their house, and every man opened his sack and they looked and see, every man’s bundle of silver was there, at which they and their father were greatly afraid.
2 And Ya’aqoḇ said to them, “What is this that you have done to me? I sent your brother Yosĕph to inquire after your welfare and you said to me, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’
3 “And Shim’on went with you to buy food and you say, ‘The sovereign of Mitsrayim has confined him in prison.” And you want to take Binyamin to cause his death also, and bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave for the sake of Binyamin and his brother Yosĕph!
4 “Now therefore, my son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left, and harm may befall him by the way in which you go, as it befell his brother.
5 And Re’uḇĕn said to his father, “You shall slay my two sons if I do not bring your son and place him before you.” And Ya’aqoḇ said to his sons, “Stay here and do not go down to Mitsrayim, for my son shall not go down with you to Mitsrayim, nor die like his brother.”
6 And Yahuḏah said to them, “Withhold from him until the grain is finished, and then he will say, ‘Take down your brother,’ when he finds his own life and the life of his household in danger from the scarcity of food.”
7 And in those days the scarcity of food was severe throughout the land, and all the people of the earth went and came to Mitsrayim to buy food, for the scarcity of food was severe among them. And the sons of Ya’aqoḇ remained in Kena’an a year and two months until their grain was finished.
8 And it came to be after their grain was finished, the whole household of Ya’aqoḇ was starving, and all the infants of the sons of Ya’aqoḇ came together and they approached Ya’aqoḇ, and they all surrounded him, and they said to him, “Give bread to us, and why shall we all perish through hunger in your presence?”
9 Ya’aqoḇ heard the words of his son’s children, and he wept a great weeping, and his compassion was moved for them, and Ya’aqoḇ called to his sons and they all came and sat before him.
10 And Ya’aqoḇ said to them, “And have you not seen how your children have been weeping over me today, saying, ‘Give bread to us,’ and there is none? Now therefore return and buy a little food for us.
11 And Yahuḏah answered and said to his father, “If you will send our brother with us we will go down and buy grain for you, but if you will not send him then we will not go down, for indeed the sovereign of Mitsrayim vehemently warned us, saying, ‘You do not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ For the sovereign of Mitsrayim is a strong and mighty sovereign, and look, if we shall go to him without our brother we shall all be put to death!
12 “Do you not know and have you not heard that this sovereign is very powerful and wise, and there is none like him in all the earth? Look, we have seen all the sovereigns of the earth and we have not seen one like that sovereign, the sovereign of Mitsrayim. Indeed among all the sovereigns of the earth there is none greater than Aḇimeleḵ sovereign of the Pelishtites, yet the sovereign of Mitsrayim is greater and mightier than he, and Aḇimeleḵ can only be compared to one of his officers.
13 “Father, you have not seen his palace and his throne, and all his servants standing before him. You have not seen the sovereign on his throne in his splendour and royal appearance, dressed in his royal robes with a large golden crown upon his head. You have not seen the honour and esteem which Elohim has given to him, for there is none like him in all the earth!
14 “Father, you have not seen the wisdom, the understanding and the knowledge which Elohim has given in his heart, nor heard his pleasant voice when he spoke to us.
15 “We know not, father, who made known to him our names and all that befell us, yet he asked also after you, saying, ‘Is your father still living, and is it well with him?’
16 “You have not seen the matters of the reign of Mitsrayim regulated by him, without inquiring of Pharaoh his master. You have not seen the awe and fear which he impressed on all the Mitsrites.
17 “And also when we went from him, we threatened to do to Mitsrayim like the rest of the cities of the Amorites, and we were exceedingly wroth against all his words which he spoke concerning us as spies. But now when we shall again come before him, his fear will fall upon us all, and not one of us will be able to speak to him either a little or a great word.
18 “Now therefore father, please send the boy with us, and we will go down and buy you food for our support, and not die through hunger.” And Ya’aqoḇ said, “Why have you dealt so evilly with me to tell the sovereign you had a brother? What is this matter that you have done to me?”
19 And Yahuḏah said to Ya’aqoḇ his father, “Give the boy into my care and we will rise up and go down to Mitsrayim and buy grain, and then return. And it shall be when we return, if the boy be not with us, then let me bear your blame forever.
20 “Have you seen all our infants weeping over you through hunger and there is no power in your hand to satisfy them? Now let your compassion be roused for them and send our brother with us and we will go.
21 “For how will the kindness of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 to our ancestors be manifested to you when you say that the sovereign of Mitsrayim will take away your son? As 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 lives I will not leave him until I bring him and place him before you. But pray for us to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, that He may deal kindly with us, to cause us to be received favourably and kindly before the sovereign of Mitsrayim and his men. For had we not delayed, indeed by now we would have returned a second time with your son.”
22 And Ya’aqoḇ said to his sons, “I trust in 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim that He may deliver you and give you favour in the sight of the sovereign of Mitsrayim, and in the sight of all his men.
23 “Now therefore rise up and go to the man, and take for him in your hands a present from what can be obtained in the land and bring it before him. And may the Almighty Elohim give you favour before him that he may send Binyamin and Shim’on your brothers with you.”
24 And all the men rose up, and they took their brother Binyamin, and they took in their hands a large present of the best of the land, and they also took a double portion of silver.
25 And Ya’aqoḇ strictly commanded his sons concerning Binyamin, saying, “Take heed of him in the way in which you are going, and do not separate yourselves from him on the way, neither in Mitsrayim.”
26 And Ya’aqoḇ rose up from his sons and spread out his hands and he prayed to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 on behalf of his sons, saying, “O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim of the shamayim and earth, remember Your covenant with our father Aḇraham. Remember it with my father Yitsḥaq and deal kindly with my sons and deliver them not into the hands of the sovereign of Mitsrayim. Please do it O Elohim for the sake of Your compassion, and redeem all my children and rescue them from Mitsrite power, and send them their two brothers.”
27 And all the wives of the sons of Ya’aqoḇ and their children lifted up their eyes to the shamayim and they all wept before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and cried to Him to deliver their fathers from the hand of the sovereign of Mitsrayim.
28 And Ya’aqoḇ wrote a record to the sovereign of Mitsrayim and gave it into the hand of Yahuḏah and into the hands of his sons for the sovereign of Mitsrayim, saying:
29 “From your servant Ya’aqoḇ, son of Yitsḥaq, son of Aḇraham the Iḇri, the prince of Elohim, to the powerful and wise sovereign, the revealer of secrets, sovereign of Mitsrayim, greetings.
30 “Be it known to my master the sovereign of Mitsrayim, the scarcity of food was hard on us in the land of Kena’an, and I sent my sons to you to buy us a little food from you for our support.
31 “For my sons surrounded me and I, being very old cannot see with my eyes, for my eyes have become very heavy through age, as well as with daily weeping for my son, for Yosĕph who was lost from before me. And I commanded my sons that they should not enter the gates of the city when they came to Mitsrayim, on account of the inhabitants of the land.
32 “And I also commanded them to go about Mitsrayim to seek for my son Yosĕph; maybe they might find him there. And they did so, but you considered them as spies of the land.
33 “Have we not heard concerning you that you interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and spoke truly to him? How then do you not know in your wisdom whether my sons are spies or not?
34 “Now therefore, my master and sovereign, see, I have sent my son before you, as you spoke to my sons. Please keep your eyes on him until he is returned to me in peace with his brothers.
35 “For do you not know, or have you not heard that which our Elohim did to Pharaoh when he took my mother Sarah, and what He did to Aḇimeleḵ sovereign of the Pelishtites because of her, and also what our father Aḇraham did to the nine sovereigns of Ĕylam, how he smote them all with a few men that were with him?
36 “And also what my two sons Shim’on and Lĕwi did to the eight cities of the Amorites, how they destroyed them because of their sister Dinah?
37 “And also because of their brother Binyamin they consoled themselves for the loss of his brother Yosĕph. What will they then do for him when they see the hand of any people prevailing over them, for his sake?
38 “Do you not know, O sovereign of Mitsrayim, that the power of Elohim is with us, and also that Elohim always hears our prayers and does not forsake us all the days?
39 “And when my sons told me of your dealings with them, I did not call to 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 for your sake, for then you would have perished with your men before my son Binyamin came before you. But I thought that as Shim’on my son was in your house, maybe you might deal kindly with him, therefore I did not do this matter to you.
40 “Now therefore, see Binyamin my son comes to you with my sons. Take heed of him and keep your eyes on him, and then Elohim will place His eyes over you and throughout your reign.
41 “Now I have told you all that is in my heart, and see, my sons are coming to you with their brother. Search the face of the whole earth for their sake and send them back in peace with their brothers.”
42 And Ya’aqoḇ gave the record to his sons into the care of Yahuḏah to give it to the sovereign of Mitsrayim.