Joseph Tells His Brothers Who He Is
1 Since Joseph could no longer control his feelings in front of his servants, he sent them out of the room. When he was alone with his brothers, he told them, “I am Joseph.” 2 Then he cried so loudly that the Egyptians heard him and told about it in the king's palace.
3 Joseph asked his brothers if his father was still alive, but they were too frightened to answer. 4 Joseph told them to come closer to him, and when they did, he said:
Yes, I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt. 5 Don't worry or blame yourselves for what you did. God is the one who sent me ahead of you to save lives.
6 There has already been a famine for two years, and for five more years no one will plow fields or harvest grain. 7 But God sent me on ahead of you to keep your families alive and to save you in this wonderful way. 8 After all, you weren't really the ones who sent me here—it was God. He made me the highest official in the king's court and placed me over all Egypt.
9 Now hurry back and tell my father that his son Joseph says, “God has made me ruler of Egypt. Come here as quickly as you can. 10 You will live near me in the region of Goshen with your children and grandchildren, as well as with your sheep, goats, cattle, and everything else you own. 11 I will take care of you there during the next five years of famine. But if you don't come, you and your family and your animals will starve to death.”
12 All of you, including my brother Benjamin, can tell by what I have said that I really am Joseph. 13 Tell my father about my great power here in Egypt and about everything you have seen. Hurry and bring him here.
14 Joseph and Benjamin hugged each other and started crying. 15 Joseph was still crying as he kissed each of his other brothers. After this, they started talking with Joseph.
16 When it was told in the palace that Joseph's brothers had come, the king and his officials were happy. 17 So the king said to Joseph:
Tell your brothers to load their donkeys and return to Canaan. 18 Tell them to bring their father and their families here. I will give them the best land in Egypt, and they can eat and enjoy everything that grows there. 19 Also tell your brothers to take some wagons from Egypt for their wives and children to ride in. And be sure they bring their father. 20 They can leave their possessions behind, because they will be given the best of everything in Egypt.
21 Jacob's sons agreed to do what the king had said. And Joseph gave them wagons and food for their trip home, just as the king had ordered. 22 Joseph gave some new clothes to each of his brothers, but to Benjamin he gave five new outfits and 300 pieces of silver. 23 To his father he sent ten donkeys loaded with the best things in Egypt, and ten other donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other food for the return trip. 24 Then he sent his brothers off and told them, “Don't argue on the way home!”
25 Joseph's brothers left Egypt, and when they arrived in Canaan, 26 they told their father that Joseph was still alive and was the ruler of Egypt. But their father was so surprised that he could not believe them. 27 Then they told him everything Joseph had said. When he saw the wagons Joseph had sent, he felt much better 28 and said, “Now I can believe you! My son Joseph must really be alive, and I will get to see him before I die.”
يوسف يتعرف إلى إخوته
1 فلم يقدِرْ يوسُفُ أن يَضبِطَ نفْسَهُ أمامَ جميعِ القائِمينَ على خِدمَتِهِ فصاحَ: «أخرِجُوا كُلَّ واحدٍ مِنْ هُنا». فلم يَكُنْ عِندَه أحدٌ حينَ تعَرَّفَ يوسُفُ إلى إخوتِهِ. 2 فرَفَعَ صوتَهُ بالبُكاءِ فسَمِعَهُ المِصْرِيُّونَ وسَمِعَه أهلُ بَيتِ فِرعَونَ. 3 وقالَ يوسُفُ لإخوتِهِ: «أنا يوسُفُ. أحَيٌّ أبـي بَعدُ؟» فلم يقدِرْ إخوَتُه أنْ يُجيـبُوه لِفَزَعِهِم مِنهُ.
4 فقالَ يوسُفُ لإخوتِهِ: «تقَدَّموا إليَّ» فتَقَدَّموا. فقالَ: «أنا يوسُفُ أخوكُم الّذي بِــعتُمُوه إلى مِصْرَ. 5 والآنَ لا تَأْسَفُوا ولا تَستاؤوا لأنَّكُم بِــعتُموني إلى هُنا، لأنَّ اللهَ أرسَلَني أمامَكُم لأحفَظَ حياتَكُم. 6 مَضَتِ الآنَ سنَتا جُوعٍ في الأرضِ، وبقيَ خَمْسُ سِنينَ لا فِلاحَةٌ فيها ولا حَصادٌ، 7 فأرسَلَني اللهُ أمامَكُم لِـيُبقيَ لكُم نَسلا في الأرضِ ويُنجِّيَ الأحياءَ مِنكُم. 8 فما أنتُمُ الّذينَ أرسَلْتُموني إلى هُنا، بل اللهُ. وهوَ جعَلَني وَصِيًّا عِندَ فِرعَونَ، وسيِّدا لِجميعِ أهلِ بَيتِهِ، ومُتسَلِّطا على كُلِّ أرضِ مِصْرَ. 9 فأسرِعوا بالعودَةِ إلى أبـي وقولوا لَه: هذا ما يقولُهُ ابنُكَ يوسُفُ: جعَلَني اللهُ سيِّدا لجميعِ المِصْريِّينَ. تَعالَ إليَّ ولا تَتأخَّرْ، 10 فتُقيمَ بأرضِ جاسانَ وتكونَ قريـبا منِّي، أنتَ وبَنوكَ وبَنو بَنيك وغنَمُكَ وبقَرُكَ وكُلُّ ما هوَ لكَ. 11 وأعولُكَ هُناكَ لأنَّه بقيَ خَمْسُ سِنينَ جُوعٍ، فلا يُعوِزُكَ شيءٌ، أَنتَ وأهلُ بـيتِكَ وكُلُّ ما هوَ لكَ 12 وهذِهِ عُيونُكُم ترى، وعَينا أخي بنيامينَ أيضا، أنّي أنا الّذي يُخاطِبُكُم. 13 فأخبِروا أبـي بِكُلِّ مَجدي في مِصْرَ وبِكُلِّ ما رَأيتُم، وأسرِعوا بالمَجيءِ بِه إلى هُنا».
14 وعانَقَ يوسُفُ بنيامينَ أخاهُ وبَكَى، وبَكَى بنيامينُ على عُنقِهِ. 15 وقبَّلَ سائِرَ إخوتِهِ وبَكى معَهُم. وبَعدَ ذلِكَ أخذوا يُكَلِّمُونَه.
دعوة فرعون
16 وبلَغَ قَصرَ فِرعَونَ خبَرُ مَجيءِ إخوةِ يوسُفَ، فَسَرَّ الخبَرُ فِرعَونَ ورِجالَ حاشيتِهِ 17 فقالَ فِرعَونُ ليوسُفَ: «قُلْ لإخوتِكَ: حَمِّلوا دَوَابَّكُم وارجِعُوا إلى أرضِ كنعانَ. 18 وخُذوا أباكُم وأهلَ بـيوتِكُم وتعالَوا إليَّ فأُعطيَكُم أجوَدَ أرضٍ في مِصْرَ، وتأكُلوا خَيراتِ الأرضِ. 19 وأُوصيكَ أنْ تقولَ لهُم أيضا: خُذوا لكُم مِنْ أرضِ مِصْرَ مَركباتٍ لاِطفالِكُم ونِسائِكُم، واحمِلوا أباكُم وتَعالوا. 20 وَلا تـتَوَجَّعْ قلوبُكُم على أملاكِكُم، فأجوَدُ جميعِ ما في أرضِ مِصْرَ هوَ لكُم».
العودة إلى أرض كنعان
21 ففعَلَ بَنو يعقوبَ كما أمرَهُم فِرعَونُ. وأعطاهُم يوسُفُ مَركباتٍ وزادا للطَّريقِ 22 وأعطَى كُلَّ واحِدٍ مِنهُم ثيابا فاخِرَةً، وخَصَّ بَنيامينَ بِثَلاثِ مئةٍ مِنَ الفِضَّةِ وخَمْسِ حُلَلٍ مِنَ الثِّيابِ، 23 وأرسَلَ إلى أبـيهِ أيضا عشَرَةَ حميرٍ مُحَمَّلَةً مِنْ خَير ما في مِصْرَ، وعشْرَ أُتُنٍ مُحَمَّلَةً قمحا وخبزا وزادا لِسفَرِ أبـيهِ. 24 ثُمَّ صَرَفَ إخوتَه في سبـيلهِم وقالَ لهُم: «لا تُبْطِئوا في الطَّريقِ».
25 فصَعِدوا مِنْ مِصْرَ وجاؤوا إلى يعقوبَ أبـيهِم في أرضِ كنعانَ. 26 وقالوا لَه: «يوسُفُ حَيٌّ بَعدُ، وهوَ مُتسلِّطٌ على جميعِ أرضِ مِصْرَ». فجَمَدَ قلبُه ولم يُصَدِّقْهُم. 27 فلمَّا أخبَروه بِكُلِّ ما قالَه لهُم يوسُفُ، ورأى المَركباتِ الّتي أرسَلَها يوسُفُ لِتَحمِلَه إلى مِصْرَ، انتَعَشَت رُوحُهُ 28 وقالَ لهُم: «كَفاني أنَّ يوسُفَ ابني حَيٌّ بَعدُ. أذهَبُ وأراهُ قَبلَ أنْ أموتَ».
