Genesis 45
Joseph Reveals Identity to Brothers
At that point Joseph couldn’t hold back the tears any more and started crying in front of everyone, so he said,
“Please, give me some privacy with our guests.”
So the Egyptians left and weren’t around when he told his brothers his identity. Joesph cried so loudly that Egyptians and Pharaoh’s household could hear him. Then he told his brothers,
“I am Joseph! Is dad still alive?”
But his brothers were so terrified that they couldn’t even answer him. So Joseph said,
“Please, come closer.”
So they came closer and he said,
“I’m your brother Joseph! The one you sold to Egypt! But don’t worry—you don’t have to be mad at yourselves for selling me, because God sent me ahead of you guys to save your lives! This famine has been going on for 2 years now, but there are gonna be 5 more where farming won’t be possible. God sent me ahead of you to ensure your survival, sustain your lives, and make a way for you to escape the famine’s clutches. So you weren’t the ones who sent me here—God was! He turned me into one of Pharaoh’s protectors who overseers Pharaoh’s household and rules over all of Egypt!
“Hurry up and bring dad a message for me. His son Joseph wants him to know that God promoted me to be Egypt’s ruler, and he should come to Egypt right away! Tell him he can live in Goshen [Northern Egypt] where he can be close to me. Tell him to bring himself, his children, his grandkids, his livestock, and all his possessions! I will support him and keep him nourished since there are still 5 more years of the famine. Otherwise, he and his entire family would have been impoverished. All of you, including Benjamin, can see with your own eyes that it’s me who’s telling you this. Tell dad that you’ve seen all my abundance in Egypt with your own eyes. Please, go as fast as you can to bring my father here!”
Then he threw himself into Benjamin’s arms and the two brothers wept together. He gave each of his brothers a kiss and wept with all of them. After they finished crying, they all caught up with each other.
Pharaoh and his servants were all happy for Joseph when they found out that he had been reunited with his brothers. He told Joseph,
“Tell your brothers to load up their animals, go to Canaan, and move their entire family here. I’ll give you some of Egypt’s best property, and you can live off the abundance of the land. Take as many of our wagons as you need to transport your father and all the wives and children of your family. Don’t even worry about bringing your possessions, because all of Egypt’s abundance will be yours.”
Brothers Tell Father
So that’s what Israel’s sons did. Joseph gave them plenty of wagons and filled them with lots of provisions for the journey. Joseph gave each of them a new change of clothes, but he gave Benjamin 5 pairs of clothes and 300 pieces of silver. For his dad, he sent 10 male donkeys loaded with Egypt’s finest goods and 10 female donkeys loaded with food for his journey.
So he sent off his brothers and reminded them as they were leaving,
“Don’t be nervous during your travels.”
So the brothers left Egypt, and when they got back to Canaan, they told their father,
“Joseph is still alive! Not only that, but he’s the ruler over the entire country of Egypt!”
But Jacob was dumbfounded and couldn’t believe them. But then they delivered Joseph’s message, and showed him the wagons that Joseph sent for him. That filled Jacob with new life, and he said,
“This is so amazing! My son Joseph is still alive, and I get to see him before I die!”