Chapter 43
Drafted by Grok 4.7 on 8 October 2026. First draft. Not independently reviewed. Leningrad Codex, through the Open Scriptures Westminster Leningrad Codex. The written consonants are printed. A Masoretic reading is footnoted when it differs. No Dead Sea reading was substituted unless it was read from a fragment. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Greek, Syriac, and Latin versions are witnesses, not the default.
1The famine was severe in the land.
2When they had eaten up the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little food.”
3Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’
4If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy food for you.
5But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”
6Israel said, “Why did you treat me so badly as to tell the man you had another brother?”
7They said, “The man asked closely about us and about our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ We answered him according to these words. How could we know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”
8Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will get up and go, so that we may live and not die, we and you and our little ones.
9I myself will be surety for him. From my hand you may require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, I will bear the blame before you all my days.
10If we had not delayed, we could by now have returned twice.”
11Israel their father said to them, “If it must be so, then do this. Take some of the choice produce of the land in your bags, and take the man a gift: a little balm, a little honey, gum, ladanum, pistachios, and almonds.
Notes (1)Hide notes
- Translation
Balm, gum, and ladanum translate tseri, nekoth, and lot, the same uncertain resins as in 37:25. Honey, pistachios, and almonds are the clearer words in the list.
12Take double silver in your hand, and take back in your hand the silver that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake.
13Take your brother too, and get up and return to the man.
14May God Shaddai grant you mercy before the man, so that he sends back your other brother and Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
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- Translation
Shaddai is kept as a name. See the glossary.
15The men took this gift, and they took double silver in their hand, and Benjamin, and they rose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.
16Joseph saw Benjamin with them and said to the steward of his house, “Bring the men into the house, slaughter an animal, and prepare it, for the men will eat with me at noon.”
17The man did as Joseph said, and he brought the men to Joseph’s house.
18The men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph’s house. They said, “It is because of the silver that was returned in our sacks the first time that we are brought in, so that he can fall on us and seize us as slaves, and take our donkeys.”
19They approached the man who was over Joseph’s house and spoke to him at the door of the house.
20They said, “Please, my lord, we came down the first time to buy food,
21and when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack, our silver by its weight. We have brought it back in our hand.
22We have brought down other silver in our hand to buy food. We do not know who put our silver in our sacks.”
23He said, “Peace to you. Do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father put treasure in your sacks for you. Your silver came to me.” And he brought Simeon out to them.
24The man brought the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water, and they washed their feet, and he gave their donkeys fodder.
25They prepared the gift until Joseph came at noon, for they had heard that they were to eat a meal there.
26When Joseph came into the house they brought him the gift that was in their hand, into the house, and they bowed to him to the ground.
27He asked them how they were and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”
28They said, “Your servant our father is well. He is still alive.” And they bowed and did homage.
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- Text
The written verb is the short form, as at 27:29. The reading tradition says the plural, “and they bowed.” The subject is the brothers, and the plural is printed.
29He lifted his eyes and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother’s son, and he said, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.”
30Joseph hurried out, because his feeling for his brother was so strong, and he looked for a place to weep. He went into his room and wept there.
31He washed his face and came out. He controlled himself and said, “Serve the meal.”
32They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat a meal with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians.
33They sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at one another in amazement.
34He sent portions to them from his own table, and Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. They drank and were merry with him.