JubileesSecond Temple / PseudepigraphaAccepted by Some TraditionsHebrew, preserved substantially in Ge'ez with Greek and Latin witnessesShareJubilees 42R. H. Charles - EnglishMoreVersion - 1 availableR. H. CharlesLanguageEnglishEspañol‹Jubilees 1Jubilees 2Jubilees 3Jubilees 4Jubilees 5Jubilees 6Jubilees 7Jubilees 8Jubilees 9Jubilees 10Jubilees 11Jubilees 12Jubilees 13Jubilees 14Jubilees 15Jubilees 16Jubilees 17Jubilees 18Jubilees 19Jubilees 20Jubilees 21Jubilees 22Jubilees 23Jubilees 24Jubilees 25Jubilees 26Jubilees 27Jubilees 28Jubilees 29Jubilees 30Jubilees 31Jubilees 32Jubilees 33Jubilees 34Jubilees 35Jubilees 36Jubilees 37Jubilees 38Jubilees 39Jubilees 40Jubilees 41Jubilees 42Jubilees 43Jubilees 44Jubilees 45Jubilees 46Jubilees 47Jubilees 48Jubilees 49Jubilees 50›Jubilees 42Jubilees 42ListenPlay this chapter in spoken English.Save chapterListen to chapter1And 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. 2And the earth grew barren, but in the land of Egypt there was food, for Joseph had gathered the seed of the land in the seven years of plenty and had preserved it. 3And the Egyptians came to Joseph 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<Now the famine was very sore in the land of Canaan>, and Jacob 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 <the ten sons of Jacob> arrived <in Egypt> among those that went (there). 5And Joseph recognised them, but they did not recognise him, and he spake unto them and questioned them, and he said unto them; 'Are ye not spies and have ye not come to explore the approaches of the land? 'And he put them in ward. 6And after that he set them free again, and detained Simeon alone and sent off his nine brothers. 7And he filled their sacks with corn, and he put their gold in their sacks, and they did not know. 8And he commanded them to bring their younger brother, for they had told him their father was living and their younger brother. 9And 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. 10And Jacob said: 'Me have ye bereaved of my children! Joseph is not and Simeon also is not, and ye 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 ye will take from me. If perchance he took a fever on the road, ye would bring down my old age with sorrow unto death.' 12For he saw that their money had been returned to every man in his sack, and for this reason he feared to send him. 13And 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 Joseph gathering seed together and putting it in storehouses and preserving it for the years of famine. 14And the people of Egypt fed themselves thereon during the first year of their famine. 15But when Israel saw that the famine was very sore in the land, and that there was no deliverance, he said unto his sons: 'Go again, and procure food for us that we die not.' 16And they said: 'We shall not go; unless our youngest brother go with us, we shall not go.' 17And Israel saw that if he did not send him with them, they should all perish by reason of the famine 18And Reuben said: 'Give him into my hand, and if I do not bring him back to thee, slay my two sons instead of his soul.' 19And he said unto him: 'He shall not go with thee.' And Judah came near and said: 'Send him with me, and if I do not bring him back to thee, let me bear the blame before thee all the days of my life.' 20And 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. 21And they went and stood before Joseph, and he saw Benjamin his brother, and he knew him, and said unto them: Is this your youngest brother?' And they said unto him: 'It is he.' And he said The Lord be gracious to thee, my son!' 22And he sent him into his house and he brought forth Simeon unto them and he made a feast for them, and they presented to him the gift which they had brought in their hands. 23And 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. 24And they eat and drank and arose and remained with their asses. 25And Joseph devised a plan whereby he might learn their thoughts as to whether thoughts of peace 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.' ‹Previous chapterJubilees 41Next chapterJubilees 43›Similar passagesBy tradition and source labelFind similarCompare selectedCompare with similarAsk Deep ThoughtSelect passages to search for parallels.Tap any verse to select it, then compare selected passages or ask Deep Thought. Public-domain R. H. Charles English translation via CCEL