13. Take your brother, too, and be off on your way back to the man.
14. May God Almighty grant you mercy in the presence of the man, so that he may let your other brother go, as well as Benjamin. As for me, if I am to suffer bereavement, I shall suffer it.”
15. So the men took those gifts and double the money and Benjamin. They made their way down to Egypt and presented themselves before Joseph.
16. When Joseph saw them and Benjamin, he told his steward, “Take the men into the house, and have an animal slaughtered and prepared, for they are to dine with me at noon.”
17. Doing as Joseph had ordered, the steward conducted the men to Joseph’s house.
18. But they became apprehensive when they were led to his house. “It must be,” they thought, “on account of the money put back in our bags the first time, that we are taken inside—in order to attack us and take our donkeys and seize us as slaves.”
19. So they went up to Joseph’s steward and talked to him at the entrance of the house.
20. “If you please, sir,” they said, “we came down here once before to buy food.
21. But when we arrived at a night’s encampment and opened our bags, there was each man’s money in the mouth of his bag—our money in the full amount! We have now brought it back.
22. We have brought other money to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our bags.”
23. He replied, “Calm down! Do not fear! Your God and the God of your father must have put treasure in your bags for you. As for your money, I received it.” With that, he led Simeon out to them.
24. The steward then brought the men inside Joseph’s house. He gave them water to wash their feet, and gave fodder to their donkeys.
25. Then they set out their gifts to await Joseph’s arrival at noon, for they had heard that they were to dine there.
26. When Joseph came home, they presented him with the gifts they had brought inside, while they bowed down before him to the ground.
27. After inquiring how they were, he asked them, “And how is your aged father, of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?”
28. “Your servant our father is still alive and doing well,” they said, as they knelt and bowed down.