79 : Benjamin Goes to Egypt
The famine continued in the land.
And the time came when Jacob and his sons had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, and their father said to them:
"Go again, buy us a little food."
But Judah told him:
"If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food,
but if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us:
'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.'"
"Why did you deal so badly with me as to tell the man you had another brother?" asked Jacob.
And they explained: "The man asked many questions about ourselves and about our family,
saying: 'Is your father still alive?
Have you another brother?' We answered according to his questions.
How could we know that he would say: 'Bring to me your brother?"'
Then Judah said to his father Jacob:"Send the lad with me, and we shall arise and go,
so that we may live and not die, we and you and all our little ones.
"I will be responsible for him, and you may demand him of me.
If I do not bring him to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.
If we had not lingered so long surely we would already have been back a second time ?"
Their father said to them: "If it must be so now, do this:
Take some of the best fruits of the land in your sacks and carry down to the man presants,
a little balm, and a little honey' spices and myrrh, nuts and alrnonds.
Take twice the money in your hands.
In this way you will be able to give back the money that was in the mouths of your sacks.
It may be that it was an oversight.
"Take also your brother, and go again to the man.
May God Almighty grant you mercy from the man,
so that he may send home Benjamin and your other brother Simeon.
For if I must grieve for my children, it is bitter grief indeed."
And the men took presents, and they took double money in their hand.
They took also Benjamin and started off and went down to Egypt.
They came and stood before Joseph.
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