The Story

The years of hunger had come, just as God had shown Pharaoh. There was no food in Canaan, where Jacob and his sons lived, but there was corn in Egypt. So Jacob sent his ten older sons down to Egypt to buy food — keeping only Benjamin, the youngest, safe at home. The brothers came before the great ruler of Egypt and bowed down low to the ground. They did not know him — but Joseph knew them! His brothers were bowing before him, just as in his dreams long ago.

Joseph did not tell them who he was right away. He wanted to see if their hearts had changed since the day they sold him. He spoke roughly to them, kept one brother in Egypt, and sent the others home for Benjamin. When they came back with Benjamin, Joseph tested them once more with his silver cup. The brothers' answers showed that their hearts truly had changed — Judah even offered to stay as a slave himself so that Benjamin could go free to their father.

Then Joseph could hold back no longer. He sent all the Egyptians out of the room, and he cried out to his brothers: "I am Joseph; doth my father yet live?" The brothers could not say a word — they were troubled and afraid. But Joseph called them near, and he spoke kindly. He told them, "God did send me before you to preserve life". God had a plan all along: Joseph was sent ahead to Egypt so that food would be stored up and the whole family would live through the famine. Joseph hugged and kissed all his brothers, and he wept over Benjamin, and Benjamin wept too.

The brothers hurried home with wagons and gifts and the amazing news. At first Jacob could not believe it. But when he saw the wagons Joseph had sent, his heart came alive again, and he said, "It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die." And so the whole family came down to Egypt and lived near Joseph, and there was food and joy for everyone.

Many years later, Jacob died, and the brothers grew afraid: would Joseph pay them back now? They sent him a message begging his forgiveness, and they fell down before him. Joseph wept, and he answered, "Fear not: for am I in the place of God?" Then he spoke our memory verse: they had thought evil against him, but God meant it unto good — to save many people alive. Joseph comforted them and spoke kindly to them. He forgave them with all his heart.