Joseph Saves His Family

Title ideas:Joseph Saved his Family.Joseph forgave his brothers.God plans evil [that others do] for good.

Joseph told the king of Egypt that their country would have seven good harvest years. And that happened.

Each year for seven years, Joseph took part of every Egyptian farmer’s crops [harvest], and put it in big storage places [granaries].

After the seven good harvests, seven years with bad harvests [hunger / famine] struck Egypt and nearby countries. So people were coming to Egypt from other countries, to buy food from Joseph.

Jacob and his sons lived [dwelt] in Canaan [country]. He said to them, “Go to Egypt and buy food to keep us alive. Without food, we will go hungry and die [starve].”

So Jacob’s sons took money and left for [traveled to] Egypt. Only Jacob’s youngest son, Benjamin, stayed behind [at home]. Jacob wanted to keep Benjamin safe, because he was Joseph’s only brother [from the same mother].

The king of Egypt had made Joseph governor over Egypt. Joseph was also boss or responsible for distributing and selling all the food stored in the granaries [large storage containers].

When Joseph’s brother came [arrived in Egypt] to buy food, they did not recognize him [their brother]. Thus, they bowed down before to Joseph [to show him their respect].

Joseph recognized [knew] his brothers, and he remembered what he had seen in dreams years ago [before].

Joseph wanted to know [to test] if his brothers [attitudes] had changed [to be kind] from what they had done to him [years before].

So Joseph [pretended to] threaten them. He shouted [spoke angrily to them through an interpreter (another man speaking their language)], “You are spies! You want to harm [attack or do bad to] Egypt!”

“Oh, no, Sir!” they replied, “We have come to buy food. We are all brothers from the same father who lives in Canaan with our youngest brother. Only one of our brothers has died.”

Joseph now knew that his brothers were telling him truth about Jacob and Benjamin.

Joseph wanted to test [prove] his brothers further [more], so he ordered his soldiers to put them into prison.

Three days later, Joseph came and said to his brothers [through an interpreter], “Because I fear God, I am going to let you return to your home. However, one of you must stay in prison until you bring to me your youngest brother. Then I will know that you have told me the truth.”

Speaking in their own language, the brothers said to each other, “We are in trouble today, because we caused trouble to our brother Joseph, years ago. When he pleaded with us to show mercy, we abused him [we showed him no mercy; we ignored him].”

When Joseph heard what his brothers were saying about him, he left them, [he went aside or away to another place/room], and cried [wept or shed tears].

Joseph came back to his brothers. He ordered his soldiers to bind [tie up] the brother named Simeon, and to put him [again] in prison. He then ordered [told] the other brothers to buy some food and go back to Canaan.

Joseph ordered [told] his servants to accept the brothers’ money to pay for their food, and to fill their sacks with plenty of food.

Joseph also ordered [told] his servants to put each brother’s money into his [their] food sacks, without their knowing it.

Thus [that’s how], the brothers started their journey [trip] back to Canaan, carrying their sacks of food.

That night, when they stopped to prepare a meal, they found their money in one sack. They became afraid. They said one to another, “God is doing something bad to us! [OR They asked each other What is God doing to us?]”

After they returned home to Canaan, they recounted [told] to their father Jacob, everything that had happened in Egypt.

Then they all opened their food sacks. In each sack, they found their money with which they had bought food. This worried [frightened] them even more!

Jacob also felt fearful [troubled; confused], so he scolded [blamed] his sons. He was afraid he might lose all his sons, as he had lost Simeon and Joseph.

Jacob loved young Benjamin and would not let him [Benjamin] go to [leave for] Egypt.

There was still not enough food in Canaan. Jacob and his family ate all the food they had bought in Egypt.

Jacob told [ordered] his older sons to go back to Egypt and buy food.They said, “Benjamin must go with us, as the governor ordered [told / commanded] us.”

But because they were so hungry for food, Jacob [reluctantly] let them take Benjamin with them. He also gave his sons twice the amount of money, along with gifts for the governor in Egypt.

Thus, the brothers went [traveled] back to Egypt. When they arrived, they offered [wanted/tried] to pay back the money they had found in their food sacks to Joseph’s house manager [official/servant]. But the manager said, “No. You paid us before. Do not worry. Perhaps your God put a gift [money] in your sacks.”

Joseph’s manager [servant / official] then brought Simeon out of prison, and Simeon rejoined [came to] his brothers.

The manager [official/servant] reported to Joseph that the brothers had come. Joseph invited them to eat a meal with him. When he saw his young brother Benjamin, he felt much joy and wanted to hold him [,but he resisted doing so].

Joseph went out and hid in another room where he wept [cried] with joy. After a while, he came back to them. Then servants brought their meal [food].

Joseph arranged [organized] so that the brothers sat at the table in order from the oldest to the youngest. This surprised the brothers. Then they saw that the governor gave to Benjamin more food than he gave to the older brothers.

After eating, Joseph ordered his servants to fill the brothers’ food sacks, and to again [secretly] put the brothers’ money in their sacks. Joseph also ordered a servant to put his [Joseph’s] own silver cup into Benjamin’s food sack.

Next morning, the brothers left on their journey [trip] back to Canaan.

When the brothers had gone a short distance, Joseph sent his manager [like a police] to chase after the brothers.

Catching up with the brothers, the manager accused the brothers, “You have stolen the governor’s silver cup! This is very bad [serious]!

They brothers replied, “We have stolen nothing! If you find something stolen in a brother’s sack, then kill that brother, and make us all the governor’s slaves.”

The manager looked in all of the food sacks, till he found the governor’s cup in Benjamin's food sack. He exclaimed [said], “Here it is!”

The brothers felt so afraid and sorrowful, that they tore their own clothes.

The manager led the brothers back to Joseph in the city. Joseph said them, “Why did you do this? You cannot hide bad deeds from a man like me!”

The brother [fourth oldest] called Judah replied, “We are not innocent men. Our God is punishing us for the wrong [evil / sins] we have done [committed]. Sir, we will be your slaves.”

Joseph said, “Only the person in whose sack the manager found my cup will stay here as my slave. You others can [will] return to your father.”

The brothers knew that their father would be very distressed [worried], when they returned to him without the young Benjamin.

So Judah replied, “Sir, we thank you for listening to us. If we return to our father without his youngest son, he may die because of sorrow [distress].

“So, please, let me stay here and be your slave instead of the young Benjamin. Let him [Benjamin] return with my brothers to our father.” Suddenly, Joseph ordered all the Egyptians to leave and go to another room. Only his brothers remained with him.

Joseph then began to weep [cry] and to wail so loudly that the Egyptians could hear it [him].

Joseph said loudly to his brothers in their language, “I am Joseph!” Joseph’s brothers understood his words, but they did not know what to say. They became very afraid [terrified / very worried].

Joseph said, “Do not be afraid. Do not blame yourselves for selling me as a slave. It is our God who sent me to Egypt ahead of you, because he wanted to save you from dying [your lives].”

“There will be five more years for severe famine or hunger]. Go back to Canaan and bring your father and mothers here. You will live [dwell] near me in a safe place in Egypt. I will keep you alive during the hungry [famine] years.”

With tears [Weeping because of joy], Joseph hugged [put his arms around] Benjamin. Then he hugged [and kissed on the cheek] each brother.

The Egyptian king agreed with Joseph. He ordered, “Bring to Egypt your father Jacob and all of his family [wives, sons, their wives and children], Also bring their animals [flocks / herds].”

So Joseph sent his brothers home, well supplied with food. He also sent wagons [carts] in which to bring them all to Egypt.

Back home in Canaan, the brothers told to Jacob their father everything. “Joseph is alive! He is governor of Egypt. He wants you and us to come to Egypt.” Jacob was stunned [unbelieving]. But then he replied, “I must go see Joseph.”

So the brothers loaded onto the wagons their parents, wives, children and possessions. So they all came safe to Joseph in Egypt.

Jacob, his sons and all of his grandsons numbered 66. (This number does not count their wives or daughters.)

When Jacob arrived in Egypt, Joseph came to meet him. They hugged each other and they wept [cried] with [because of] much joy.

The king of Egypt gave jobs [work for pay] to Jacob’s sons. They took care of [herded] the king’s animals [cows, sheep, goats, camels]. They could do this work because they were herdsmen [shepherds].

During the seven bad harvest [famine / hungry] years, the Egyptians sold all of their land and animals to the king, so that they could buy food from Joseph. The king soon owned the whole country [all the land].

After living 17 years in Egypt, Jacob was 147 years old, and was going to die. So he gathered together his sons and their sons. He then blessed them all.

After Jacob died, Joseph and his brothers carried his body to Canaan. There they mourned for him [during] seven days.

They buried [placed] Jacob’s body in the same cave where his father [Isaac] and grandfather [Abraham] were buried. This cave is in the land God had promised to give to their family forever.

The brothers all returned to Egypt. Soon they felt worried for fear that Joseph might punish [take vengeance on] them, now that their father had died.

The brothers came to Joseph and bowed down before [in front of] him. They pleaded with [begged] him, “We are you slaves. Please, forgive us for the bad way [in which] we treated you.”

Joseph spoke kindly with them, trying to reassure [comfort] them. He said, “I am not God. I will not punish you. So stop being afraid. I will take care of you and your families. [I forgive you.]”

“Yes, you tried to harm me, but God caused [planned/intended] all this to happen, so that I could save you and many others.”