To recap, the brothers have already journeyed to Egypt to buy food during a brutal famine, encountering the powerful and mysterious Egyptian viceroy– who is secretly their long-lost brother, Joseph. Joseph, after some theatrics and accusations, has now demanded they bring their youngest brother, Benjamin, back to Egypt as proof of their honesty. But getting Jacob to agree? That’s the challenge.
When the brothers return home, they find that the money they paid for the grain has mysteriously reappeared in their sacks, terrifying them and Jacob. "What is this that you have done to me?" Jacob cries. According to the Book of Jasher, Jacob laments the potential loss of Benjamin, fearing he'll suffer the same fate as Joseph. He exclaims that he sent Joseph to inquire after their welfare, only to be told he was devoured by a wild beast. Now Simeon is held prisoner, and they want to take Benjamin as well? Jacob is understandably distraught.
Reuben, ever impetuous, offers a drastic guarantee: "Thou shalt slay my two sons if I do not bring thy son and place him before thee!" But Jacob isn't buying it. "Abide ye here," he says, refusing to risk another son. Judah urges them to wait until the famine worsens, knowing hunger will eventually force Jacob's hand.
And worsen it does. The famine grips the land. People are flocking to Egypt for food. Back in Canaan, the children of Jacob's sons are starving, surrounding their grandfather and begging for bread. Jacob, seeing their suffering, is moved to action. "Return and buy for us a little food," he tells his sons.
But Judah lays down the law. "If thou wilt send our brother with us we will go down and buy corn for thee, and if thou wilt not send him then we will not go down." He reminds Jacob of the viceroy's stern warning: no Benjamin, no audience. He then proceeds to lavish praise on the Egyptian ruler. According to Judah, no one compares to this king: not even Abimelech, the Philistine king.
He describes the viceroy's palace, his throne, his wisdom, his understanding, and knowledge. He even recalls the ruler asking about their father, Jacob. Judah explains that the brothers threatened to do to Egypt what was done to the cities of the Amorites. He insists that they bring Benjamin or face death. He pleads, "Send, we pray thee, the lad with us, and we will go down and buy thee food for our support, and not die through hunger."
Jacob, still resistant, asks, "Why have you dealt so ill with me to tell the king you had a brother?"
Judah then makes a powerful pledge, offering himself as collateral. "Give the lad into my care and we will rise up and go down to Egypt and buy corn, and then return, and it shall be when we return if the lad be not with us, then let me bear thy blame forever." He reminds Jacob of the weeping children and asks him to have pity.
He invokes the Lord's kindness to their ancestors and insists that he will not leave Benjamin until he brings him back. "Pray for us unto the Lord," he urges, "that he may deal kindly with us, to cause us to be received favorably and kindly before the king of Egypt and his men."
Finally, Jacob relents, placing his trust in God. He instructs his sons to prepare a gift, "a present from what can be obtained in the land," and to take a double portion of silver. He prays that the Almighty will grant them mercy and send Benjamin and Simeon back safely. According to the Book of Jasher, Jacob commands his sons concerning Benjamin, saying, "Take heed of him in the way in which you are going, and do not separate yourselves from him in the road, neither in Egypt."
Then, in a moving scene, Jacob prays to the Lord, invoking the covenant with Abraham and Isaac, pleading for his sons' safety. "O Lord God of heaven and earth, remember thy covenant with our father Abraham… and deliver them not into the hands of the king of Egypt." The wives and children of Jacob's sons join in, weeping and crying out to God.
Jacob even writes a letter to the king of Egypt, entrusting it to Judah. He describes the famine, his old age, and his failing eyesight. He mentions his lost son, Joseph, and explains why he instructed his sons not to enter the city gates. He reminds the king of Egypt that he interpreted Pharaoh's dreams. Jacob tells the king to protect Benjamin and reminds him of what God did to Pharaoh when he took his mother Sarah, and what Abraham did to the nine kings of Elam. Jacob makes it known that Simeon and Levi destroyed the cities of the Amorites on account of their sister Dinah, implying that the brothers will do anything for Benjamin.
"Dost thou not know, O king of Egypt, that the power of God is with us?" Jacob writes, asserting his faith. He explains that he has refrained from praying against the king of Egypt, hoping for kindness towards Simeon. He concludes by entrusting Benjamin to the king's care. "Examine the face of the whole earth for their sake and send them back in peace with their brethren."
With the letter in hand, and with Benjamin in tow, the brothers finally set off again for Egypt. It's a journey fraught with peril, not just from the powerful Egyptian ruler, but also from the gnawing uncertainty in their hearts. Will Jacob ever see all his sons together again?
This chapter from the Book of Jasher is a powerful reminder of the lengths we go to for family. Jacob, faced with the impossible choice of risking another son or watching his family starve, ultimately chooses to trust in God and send Benjamin into the unknown. It's a testament to the enduring power of hope, even in the darkest of times. What would you do in Jacob's situation? What lengths would you go to protect your family?
Sacred-texts Apocrypha Index Previous Next Book of Jasher, Chapter 52 1 And they entered their house, and every man opened his sack and they saw and behold every man's bundle of money was there, at which they and their father were greatly terrified. 2 And Jacob said unto them, What is this that you have done to me? I sent your brother Joseph to inquire after your welfare and you said unto me. A wild beast did devour him. 3 And Simeon went with you to buy food and you say the king of Egypt hath confined him in prison, and you wish to take Benjamin to cause his death also, and bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to the grave on account of Benjamin and his brother Joseph. 4 Now therefore my son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he is left alone, and mischief may befall him by the way in which you go, as it befell his brother. 5 And Reuben said unto his father, Thou shalt slay my two sons if I do not bring thy son and place him before thee; and Jacob said unto his sons, Abide ye here and do not go down to Egypt, for my son shall not go down with you to Egypt, nor die like his brother. 6 And Judah said unto them, refrain ye from him until the corn is finished, and he will then say, Take down your brother, when he will find his own life and the life of his household in danger from the famine. 7 And in those days the famine was sore throughout the land, and all the people of the earth went and came to Egypt to buy food, for the famine prevailed greatly amongst them, and the sons of Jacob remained in Canaan a year and two months until their corn was finished. 8 And it came to pass after their corn was finished, the whole household of Jacob was pinched with hunger, and all the infants of the sons of Jacob came together and they approached Jacob, and they all surrounded him, and they said unto him, Give unto us bread, and wherefore shall we all perish through hunger in thy presence? 9 Jacob heard the words of his son's children, and he wept a great weeping, and his pity was roused for them, and Jacob called unto his sons and they all came and sat before him. 10 And Jacob said unto them, And have you not seen how your children have been weeping over me this day, saying, Give unto us bread, and there is none? now therefore return and buy for us a little food. 11 And Judah answered and said unto his father, If thou wilt send our brother with us we will go down and buy corn for thee, and if thou wilt not send him then we will not go down, for surely the king of Egypt particularly enjoined us, saying, You shall not see my face unless your brother be with you, for the king of Egypt is a strong and mighty king, and behold if we shall go to him without our brother we shall all be put to death. 12 Dost thou not know and hast thou not heard that this king is very powerful and wise, and there is not like unto him in all the earth? behold we have seen all the kings of the earth and we have not seen one like that king, the king of Egypt; surely amongst all the kings of the earth there is none greater than Abimelech king of the Philistines, yet the king of Egypt is greater and mightier than he, and Abimelech can only be compared to one of his officers. 13 Father, thou hast not seen his palace and his throne, and all his servants standing before him; thou hast not seen that king upon his throne in his pomp and royal appearance, dressed in his kingly robes with a large golden crown upon his head; thou hast not seen the honor and glory which God has given unto him, for there is not like unto him in all the earth. 14 Father, thou hast not seen the wisdom, the understanding and the knowledge which God has given in his heart, nor heard his sweet voice when he spake unto us. 15 We know not, father, who made him acquainted with our names and all that befell us, yet he asked also after thee, saying, Is your father still living, and is it well with him? 16 Thou hast not seen the affairs of the government of Egypt regulated by him, without inquiring of Pharaoh his lord; thou hast not seen the awe and fear which he impressed upon all the Egyptians. 17 And also when we went from him, we threatened to do unto Egypt like unto the rest of the cities of the Amorites, and we were exceedingly wroth against all his words which he spoke concerning us as spies, and now when we shall again come before him his terror will fall upon us all, and not one of us will be able to speak to him either a little or a great thing. 18 Now therefore father, send we pray thee the lad with us, and we will go down and buy thee food for our support, and not die through hunger. And Jacob said, Why have you dealt so ill with me to tell the king you had a brother? what is this thing that you have done unto me? 19 And Judah said unto Jacob his father, Give the lad into my care and we will rise up and go down to Egypt and buy corn, and then return, and it shall be when we return if the lad be not with us, then let me bear thy blame forever. 20 Hast thou seen all our infants weeping over thee through hunger and there is no power in thy hand to satisfy them? now let thy pity be roused for them and send our brother with us and we will go. 21 For how will the Lord's kindness to our ancestors be manifested to thee when thou sayest that the king of Egypt will take away thy son? as the Lord liveth I will not leave him until I bring him and place him before thee; but pray for us unto the Lord, that he may deal kindly with us, to cause us to be received favorably and kindly before the king of Egypt and his men, for had we not delayed surely now we had returned a second time with thy son. 22 And Jacob said unto his sons, I trust in the Lord God that he may deliver you and give you favor in the sight of the king of Egypt, and in the sight of all his men. 23 Now therefore rise up and go to the man, and take for him in your hands a present from what can be obtained in the land and bring it before him, and may the Almighty God give you mercy before him that he may send Benjamin and Simeon your brethren with you. 24 And all the men rose up, and they took their brother Benjamin, and they took in their hands a large present of the best of the land, and they also took a double portion of silver. 25 And Jacob strictly commanded his sons concerning Benjamin, Saying, Take heed of him in the way in which you are going, and do not separate yourselves from him in the road, neither in Egypt. 26 And Jacob rose up from his sons and spread forth his hands and he prayed unto the Lord on account of his sons, saying, O Lord God of heaven and earth, remember thy covenant with our father Abraham, remember it with my father Isaac and deal kindly with my sons and deliver them not into the hands of the king of Egypt; do it I pray thee O God for the sake of thy mercies and redeem all my children and rescue them from Egyptian power, and send them their two brothers. 27 And all the wives of the sons of Jacob and their children lifted up their eyes to heaven and they all wept before the Lord, and cried unto him to deliver their fathers from the hand of the king of Egypt. 28 And Jacob wrote a record to the king of Egypt and gave it into the hand of Judah and into the hands of his sons for the king of Egypt, saying, 29 From thy servant Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham the Hebrew, the prince of God, to the powerful and wise king, the revealer of secrets, king of Egypt, greeting. 30 Be it known to my lord the king of Egypt, the famine was sore upon us in the land of Canaan, and I sent my sons to thee to buy us a little food from thee for our support. 31 For my sons surrounded me and I being very old cannot see with my eyes, for my eyes have become very heavy through age, as well as with daily weeping for my son, for Joseph who was lost from before me, and I commanded my sons that they should not enter the gates of the city when they came to Egypt, on account of the inhabitants of the land. 32 And I also commanded them to go about Egypt to seek for my son Joseph, perhaps they might find him there, and they did so, and thou didst consider them as spies of the land. 33 Have we not heard concerning thee that thou didst interpret Pharaoh's dream and didst speak truly unto him? how then dost thou not know in thy wisdom whether my sons are spies or not? 34 Now therefore, my lord and king, behold I have sent my son before thee, as thou didst speak unto my sons; I beseech thee to put thy eyes upon him until he is returned to me in peace with his brethren. 35 For dost thou not know, or hast thou not heard that which our God did unto Pharaoh when he took my mother Sarah, and what he did unto Abimelech king of the Philistines on account of her, and also what our father Abraham did unto the nine kings of Elam, how he smote them all with a few men that were with him? 36 And also what my two sons Simeon and Levi did unto the eight cities of the Amorites, how they destroyed them on account of their sister Dinah? 37 And also on account of their brother Benjamin they consoled themselves for the loss of his brother Joseph; what will they then do for him when they see the hand of any people prevailing over them, for his sake? 38 Dost thou not know, O king of Egypt, that the power of God is with us, and that also God ever heareth our prayers and forsaketh us not all the days? 39 And when my sons told me of thy dealings with them, I called not unto the Lord on account of thee, for then thou wouldst have perished with thy men before my son Benjamin came before thee, but I thought that as Simeon my son was in thy house, perhaps thou mightest deal kindly with him, therefore I did not this thing unto thee. 40 Now therefore behold Benjamin my son cometh unto thee with my sons, take heed of him and put thy eyes upon him, and then will God place his eyes over thee and throughout thy kingdom. 41 Now I have told thee all that is in my heart, and behold my sons are coming to thee with their brother, examine the face of the whole earth for their sake and send them back in peace with their brethren. 42 And Jacob gave the record to his sons into the care of Judah to give it unto the king of Egypt. 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