The Book Of Jubilees Chapter 42

Seven years of famine

1 And in the first year of the third week of the forty-fifth jubilee the famine began to come into the [2171 A.M.] land, and the rain refused to be given to the earth, for none whatever fell.

2 And the earth grew barren, but in the land of Egypt there was food, for Yoseph had gathered the seed of the land in the seven years of plenty and had preserved it.

3 And the Egyptians came to Yoseph that he might give them food, and he opened the store-houses where was the grain of the first year, and he sold it to the people of the land for gold.

4 And Yacob heard that there was food in Egypt, and he sent his ten sons that they should procure food for him in Egypt; but Benjamin he did not send, and arrived among those that went (there).

5 And Yoseph recognized them, but they did not recognise him, and he spoke unto them and questioned them, and he said to them; 'Are you not spies and have you not come to explore the approaches of the land?'

6 And he put them in ward. And after that he set them free again, and detained Simeon alone and sent off his nine brothers.

7 And he filled their sacks with corn, and he put their gold 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 was living and their younger brother.

9 And they went up from the land of Egypt and they came to the land of Canaan; and they told their father all that had befallen them, and how the lord of the country had spoken roughly to them, and had seized Simeon till they should bring Benjamin.

10 And Yacob said: 'Me have you bereaved of my children! Yoseph is not and Simeon also is not, and you will take Benjamin away. On me has your wickedness come.'

11 And he said: 'My son will not go down with you lest perchance he fall sick; for their mother gave birth to two sons, and one has perished, and this one also you will take from me. If perchance he took a fever on the road, you would bring down my old age with sorrow unto death.'

12 For he saw that their money had been returned to every man in his sack, and for this reason he feared to send him.

13 And the famine increased and became sore in the land of Canaan, and in all lands save in the land of Egypt, for many of the children of the Egyptians had stored up their seed for food from the time when they saw Yoseph gathering seed together and putting it in storehouses and preserving it for the years of famine.

14 And the people of Egypt fed themselves thereon during the first year of their famine.

15 But when Yisrael saw that the famine was very sore in the land, and that there was no deliverance, he said to his sons: 'Go again, and procure food for us that we die not.'

16 And they said: 'We shall not go; unless our youngest brother go with us, we shall not go.'

17 And Yisrael saw that if he did not send him with them, they should all perish by reason of the famine

18 And Reuben said: 'Give him into my hand, and if I do not bring him back to you, slay my two sons instead of his soul.'

19 And he said to him: 'He shall not go with you.' And Yahudah 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 [2172 A.m.] first day of the month, and they came to the land of Egypt with all those who went, and (they had) presents in their hands, stacte and almonds and terebinth nuts and pure honey.

21 And they went and stood before Yoseph, and he saw Benjamin his brother, and he knew him, and said to them: ‘Is this your youngest brother?' And they said to him: 'It is he.' And he said ‘YAHWEH be kind to you, my son!'

22 And he sent him into his house and he brought forth Simeon 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 eat before him and he gave them all a portion, but the portion of Benjamin was seven times larger than that of any of theirs.

24 And they eat and drank and arose and remained with their asses.

25 And Yoseph devised a plan whereby he might learn their thoughts as to whether thoughts of shalom prevailed amongst them, and he said to the steward who was over his house: 'Fill all their sacks with food, and return their money unto them into their vessels, and my cup, the silver cup out of which I drink, put it in the sack of the youngest, and send them away.'