Joseph was thirty years old when he was unexpectedly raised from the very depths of his fall to the summit of success and splendor. According to the accepted court ritual, Joseph was invested with power in an extremely solemn atmosphere. Sitting on a gilded throne, the pharaoh handed him the regalia corresponding to his high position: a gold ring, a precious chain around his neck and magnificent clothes. And then he uttered the sacred phrase: "I am Pharaoh; without thee no man shall move his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt" (Gen. 41:44). In addition, the pharaoh gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphar, an influential priest from the city of On (Greek Heliopolis), thus securing the support of the powerful Greek caste.

Joseph's Meeting with His Brothers

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Soon, Pharaoh's dreams began to come true as Joseph had predicted. The harvest years came. Having received authority from Pharaoh himself, Joseph traveled throughout the country for seven harvest years and personally monitored the execution of his orders. The barns were filled to the brim with wheat, and in the country, despite the collection of tribute, there was such prosperity that people blessed the new ruler. The Lord did not deprive Joseph of happiness in family life either. Soon his wife Asenath gave birth to two sons - Manasseh and Ephraim. But now, according to Joseph's prediction, the years of drought and famine came. The Egyptians were at first content with their own stocks of grain, but when their supplies were depleted, they turned to Pharaoh for help. Pharaoh sent all petitioners to Joseph. And then Joseph ordered the barns to be opened for the sale of grain. At first, people paid for food in money, and when they had no money left, they sold horses, oxen and donkeys to avoid starvation. In the end, they lost their land, and gave themselves into slavery.

Thus, after seven years of catastrophe, all the land, together with those who cultivated it, passed into the full ownership of the pharaoh. Only the priests retained their property, as the pharaoh gave them special privileges. Meanwhile, the famine spread far beyond the borders of Egypt, and caravans from various countries began to travel to Egypt to buy grain. Joseph's stocks of bread were so plentiful that it could be sold even to foreigners.

When Jacob learned that wheat could be purchased in Egypt, he sent his sons to Pharaoh's land for bread. He left only Benjamin at home, since after the imaginary death of Joseph, Jacob transferred all his love to his younger son. The brothers loaded empty sacks on the donkeys and set off on a long journey. In Egypt they learned that the sale of grain to foreigners was carried out by a high-ranking nobleman named Zaphnath-paneah, such a name given to Joseph by Pharaoh. The sons of Jacob came and bowed down to the nobleman. Of course, they did not recognize this Egyptian dignitary as their brother Joseph. When Joseph looked at the petitioners who had come from Canaan, he was shocked. He immediately recognized the brothers. However, he did not reveal to them who he was and spoke to them through an interpreter. When he saw that his brothers bowed down to the ground, he immediately remembered his prophetic dreams.

Before he opened up to his brothers, Joseph wanted to know if they had a sense of remorse for the crime they had committed against him. In addition, he was very anxious to learn from them about his father and half-brother Benjamin. For this purpose, he used a peculiar psychological technique. He loudly began to accuse the brothers that they had come to Egypt not to buy bread, but as spies. Jacob's sons made excuses in every possible way, assuring that they had come only for bread, saying that their aged father, who had sent here, had twelve sons, of whom the youngest remained at home, and one brother was missing. Joseph listened to them with a frown, and did not show how deeply he was moved by the news that Jacob and Benjamin were alive. Pretending to be extremely angry, he continued to accuse the brothers that they had come for espionage purposes. He warned them that he would throw them all into prison, and only let one go home for his younger brother, whom he ordered to be brought to prove the truth of their justifications. Joseph remained deaf to the assurances and entreaties of his brothers, called the guards and ordered them to be taken to prison. Three days later, he felt sorry for his brothers, and decided to commute the sentence. He summoned them to him and said that he would sell them bread and allow them to return to Canaan on the condition that they bring him his younger brother, and leave only one of them in prison as a hostage.

Not suspecting that the Egyptian ruler understood the Hebrew language, the sons of Jacob began to lament bitterly and said among themselves that they had been justly punished for the dishonorable act they had committed against their brother. Thus Joseph learned that his brothers had long since repented of their crime and that they were, in fact, not bad men. As Joseph listened to their repentance, he was deeply moved, so that he had to go into the next room and weep out his heartache and longing for his family. Wiping away his tears, Joseph pulled himself together, ordered the brothers to fill the sacks with bread and only Simeon ordered to be taken to prison as a hostage. Secretly from the brothers, Joseph also ordered the silver they had paid for the bread to be put into sacks. By this he wanted to test their honesty.

On the way, the brothers stopped for the night. Untying the sacks of wheat to feed the donkeys, they found their money paid for the bread. Thinking that there had been some kind of mistake, the brothers decided to return the money the next time they arrived in Egypt. This, however, did not happen quickly, for Jacob would never part with Benjamin, and Simeon meanwhile was losing hope that he would ever be released.

Joseph Reveals Himself to His Brothers

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Soon the food supplies were exhausted, and Jacob's family again began to suffer from hunger. But Jacob still did not want to let Benjamin go, without whom his sons did not want to go to Egypt. Finally, Judah's oath that he would take full responsibility for Benjamin's safety broke Jacob's will, and he let Benjamin go. In order to appease the Egyptian commander, Jacob sent him a gift of some balm and honey, fragrant herbs and frankincense, pistachios and almonds, and also ordered him to return to the Egyptian commander the money, which in a completely inexplicable way ended up in the sacks. The brothers went to Egypt with the darkest forebodings, but soon their fears were dispelled.

When Joseph saw Benjamin, he invited them into his house. He ordered the cooks to prepare dinner, and entrusted the guests to the care of the steward so that they could wash themselves from the dust. The brothers took advantage of this opportunity to return the money found in the bags. But, to their surprise, Joseph's servant refused to accept the money and calmed them down with the words: "Be calm, do not be afraid: Your money has come to me" (Gen. 43:23). The brothers were completely calmed down when the steward brought Simeon to them from prison. At noon, when it was time for dinner, Joseph came in to see them. The brothers bowed down to the ground before the Egyptian ruler and presented him with the gifts sent by Jacob. Joseph greeted them, looked at the gifts, and asked about his father's health. And when he raised his eyes to Benjamin, his brother, such love flared up in him that only by the greatest effort of will did he hold back tears. He quickly went out into the inner room and gave vent to his tears. Then he washed his face and, returning to the room prepared for dinner, ordered it to be served. During dinner, Joseph made sure that young Benjamin was served large portions and the best meals. Wine was served for dinner, and merriment soon reigned at the table. The next day Joseph ordered his steward to put the money again in the sack of each of the brothers, and in the sack

Benjamin also ordered his silver cup to be laid down. As soon as the sons of Jacob and the loaded donkeys were outside the city, Joseph sent his steward in pursuit of them. The brothers were very frightened when they were suddenly surrounded by armed guards led by the steward. Joseph's servant approached the brothers with a menacing look and accused them of stealing the silver cup of the governor.