1 And in the first year of the third week of the forty-fifth Yoḇĕl, scarcity of food began to come into the land, and the rain refused to be given to the earth, for none whatsoever fell.
2 And the earth grew barren, but in the land of Mitsrayim there was food, for Yosĕph had gathered the seed of the land in the seven years of plenty and had preserved it.
3 And the Mitsrites came to Yosĕph that he might give them food, and he opened the storehouses where the grain of the first year was, and he sold it to the people of the land for gold.
4 And Ya’aqoḇ heard that there was food in Mitsrayim, and he sent his ten sons that they should obtain food for him in Mitsrayim, but he did not send Binyamin. And they arrived among those that went.
5 And Yosĕph recognised them, but they did not recognise him, and he spoke to them and questioned them, and he said to them, “Are you not spies, and have you not come to search out the nakedness of the land?” And he put them in prison.
6 And after that he released them again, and detained Shim’on alone and sent off his nine brothers.
7 And he filled their sacks with grain, and he put their silver in their sacks, and they did not know.
8 And he commanded them to bring their younger brother, for they had told him their father and their younger brother were living.
9 And they went up from the land of Mitsrayim and they came to the land of Kena’an; and they told their father all that had befallen them, and how the master of the country had spoken roughly to them, and had seized Shim’on till they should bring Binyamin.
10 And Ya’aqoḇ said, “You have bereaved me of my children! Yosĕph is no more and Shim’on also is no more, and you shall take Binyamin away? Your wickedness has come upon me!”
11 And he said, “My son shall not go down with you lest it be he falls sick; for their mother gave birth to two sons, and one has perished, and this one also you shall take from me. If it came to be he took a fever on the road, you would bring down my old age with sorrow to the grave.”
12 For he saw that their silver had been returned to every man in his sack, and for this reason he feared to send him.
13 And scarcity of food increased and became severe in the land of Kena’an, and in all lands except in the land of Mitsrayim, for many of the children of the Mitsrites had stored up their seed for food from the time when they saw Yosĕph gathering seed together and putting it in storehouses and preserving it for the years of scarcity of food.
14 And on this the people of Mitsrayim fed themselves during the first year of their scarcity of food.
15 But when Yisra’ĕl saw that scarcity of food was very severe in the land, and there was no deliverance, he said to his sons, “Go again, and obtain food for us so that we do not die.”
16 And they said, “We shall not go. Unless our youngest brother goes with us, we shall not go.”
17 And Yisra’ĕl saw that if he did not send him with them, they should all perish by reason of scarcity of food.
18 And Re’uḇĕn said, “Give him into my hand, and if I do not bring him back to you, slay my two sons instead of his being.” But he said to him, “He shall not go with you.”
19 And Yahuḏah 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.”
20 And he sent him with them in the second year of this week on the first day of the month. And they came to the land of Mitsrayim with all those who went, and presents in their hands: fragrant gum and almonds and pine nuts and pure honey.
21 And they went and stood before Yosĕph, and he saw Binyamin his brother, and he recognised him, and said to them, “Is this your youngest brother?” And they said to him, “It is he.” And he said, “𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 show favour to you, my son!”
22 And he sent him into his house and he brought out Shim’on to them and he made a feast for them, and they presented to him the gift which they had brought in their hands.
23 And they ate before him and he gave them all a portion, but the portion of Binyamin was seven times larger than that of any of theirs.
24 And they ate and drank and arose and remained with their donkeys.
25 And Yosĕph devised a plan whereby he might learn their thoughts as to whether thoughts of peace prevailed among them. And he said to the one who was over his house, “Fill all their sacks with food, and return their silver to them into their sacks, and my cup, the silver cup out of which I drink, put it in the sack of the youngest, and send them away.”