Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis Reader

Now Joseph recognised his brethren, because, when separated from them, they had the token of the beard; but they did not recognise him, because (at that time) he had not the token of the beard, and at this hour he had it.

And Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, You are spies: to see the nakedness of the shame of the land are you come.

They answered, Thy servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man, in the land of Kenaan; and, behold, the youngest is tojday with our father, and one went from us, and we know not what hath been in his end!

Send one of you, and bring your brother; but you shall be bound, and your words be proved if the truth is with you: and if not, (by) the life of Pharoh you are spies.

If you are true, let one of your brothers be bound in the house of your confinement and go you, carry the corn, that you may buy for the hunger of your house,

And they said, a man to his brother, In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, when we saw the distress of his soul, when be entreated us, and we would not hearken to him; therefore hath this affliction come upon us.

And Reuben answered them and said, Did I not tell you, saying, Do not sin against the youth? But you would not listen to me; and thus, behold, his blood is required of us.

And he withdrew from them and wept, and returned and, spake with them. And from them he took Shimeon, who had counselled them to kill him, and bound him before them.

And Joseph commanded his servant to fill their vehicles with corn, and to return each man's money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the way. And he did so for them.

Levi, who had been left without Shimeon his companion, opened his sack to give food to his ass at the place of lodging, and saw his money: behold, it was in the mouth of his pannier.

And he said to his brothers, My money is returned, behold, it is in my pannier. And knowledge failed from their hearts, and each wondered with his brother, saying, What is this which the Lord hath done, and not for sin of ours?

And the man, the lord of the land said to us, By this I shall know that you are true. Leave me one of your brothers with me, and what is needed by the hunger of your houses take, and go,

and bring your youngest brother to me, and I shall know that you are not spies, but faithful. I will (then) restore your brother to you, and you shall transact business in the land.

And it was as they emptied their baggages, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his baggage; and they and their father saw the bundles of money, and they were afraid on account of Shimeon whom they had left there.

And Jakob their father said to them, Me have you bereaved! Of Joseph you said, An evil beast hath devoured him; of Shimeon you have said, The king of the land hath bound him; and Benjamin you seek to take away: upon me is the anguish of all of them.

And Reuben spake to his father, saying Slay my two sons with a curse if I do not bring him to thee. Give him into my hand, and I will restore him to thee.

But he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone remains of his mother; and if death should befall him in the way that you go, you will bring down my age with mourning to the grave.

And Jehuda spake to him, saying, The man attesting attested to us saying, You shall not see the sight of my face unless your youngest brother be with you.

And they said, The man demanding demanded (to know) about us, and about our family, saying Is your father yet living? Have you a brother? And we informed him according to the word of these things. Could we know that be would say, Bring your brother down?

And Jehuda said to Israel his father, Send the youth with me, that we may arise and go; and that we may live and not die, both we, and you, and our little ones.

I will be surety for him: of my hand shalt thou require him. If I bring him not to thee again, and set him before thee, the guilt be upon me before thee all days.

And Israel their father said to them, If it must be so, do this: Take of the praiseworthy things of the land, and put them in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little gum and a little honey, wax and ladanum, the oil of nuts, and the oil of almonds,

and money two upon one take in your hands, even the money that was returned in the mouth of your baggage, take back in your hands; perhaps it was done in error.

and God the Almighty give you mercies before the man, that he may release to you your other brother, and Benjamin: and I, behold, I am now certified by the Holy Spirit that if I am bereaved of Joseph, I shall also be bereaved of Shimeon and of Benjamin.

And Joseph saw Benjamin with them: and he said to Menasheh whom he had made superintendent over his house, Bring the men into the house, and unloose the house of slaughter, and take out the sinew that shrank, and prepare meat before them; for the man shall eat with me at the time of the noonjday meal.

The men feared when they were brought into Joseph's house, and said, For the money that was returned in our sacks at the first are we brought in, that be may find occasion against us and condemn us, and sell us for slaves, and take our asses.

But it was when we had come to our place of lodging, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, the money of a man was in the mouth of his sack: but we have brought it back in our hand.

And he said, Peace to you; be not afraid of my lord. Your God and the God of your fathers gave you treasure in your sacks: your money came to me. And he brought out Shimeon to them.

And he lifted up his eyes and saw Benjamin his brother, the son of his mother, and said, Is this your youngest brother of whom you told me? And he said, Mercy from the Lord be upon thee, my son!

And Joseph made haste, for his compassions were moved upon his brother, and he sought to weep, and he went into the chamber the house of sleep, and wept there.

And they set for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Mizraee who ate with him by themselves; for it was not proper for the Mizraee to eat bread with the Yehudaee, because the animals which the Mizraee worshipped the Yehudaee ate.

And they sat around him, the greatest according to his majority, and the less according to his minority. For he had taken the silver cup in his hand, and, sounding as if divining he had set in order the sons of Leah on one side, and the sons of Zilpha on the other side, and the sons of Bilhah on another side, and Benjamin the son of Rahel he ordered by the side of himself. And the men wondered each at the other.

And he sent portions from his table, and they set them forth from him before them. But Benjamin's portion was larger than the portions of any of them; five portions: one was his own portion one portion from himself, one from his wife, and two portions from his two sons. And they drank and were drunken with him; for from the day when they were separated from him they had not drunk wine, neither he nor they, until that day.

And he commanded Menasheh whom he had appointed intendant of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with corn, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his bag.

And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his purchase money. And he did according to the word which Joseph had spoken.

They had not gone far from city, when Joseph said to Measheh whom he had appointed the intendant of his house, Arise, follow after the men, overtake them and say to them, Why have ye returned evil for good?

Behold, the money which we found in the mouth of our bags we brought to thee again from the land of Kenaan; how then should we steal from thy lord's house vessels of silver, or vessels of gold?

And Jehuda said to him What shall we say to my lord concerning the former money, and what concerning the latter money? and how shall we be acquitted concerning the cup? From before the Lord there is sin found upon thy servants. Behold, we are my lord's servants, and he in whose hand the chalice hath been found.

But he said, Far be it from me to do thus; the man in whose hand the chalice hath been found shall be my slave; but you, go up in peace to your father.

And Jehuda came near to him and said, In imploring my lord, let thy servant, I implore, speak a word in the hearing of my lord, and let not thy anger grow strong against thy servant; for at the hour that we came to thee thou didst say to us, I fear before the Lord; and now thy judgments are rendered like (the judgments) of a prince of Pharoh.