Book of Jasher, Chapter 52 — Jacob's sorrow at the absence of Simeon; Refuses to let Benjamin go
1And 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.
2And Jacob said to them, What is this that you have done to me? I sent your brother Joseph to inquire after your welfare and you said to me. A wild beast did devour him.
3And Simeon went with you to buy food and you say the king of Egypt has 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.
4Now 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.
5And Reuben said to his father, You shall slay my two sons if I do not bring your son and place him before you; and Jacob said to his sons, Abide you here and do not go down to Egypt, for my son shall not go down with you to Egypt, nor die like his brother.
6And Judah said to them, refrain you 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.
7And in those days the famine was severe throughout the land, and all the people of the earth went and came to Egypt to buy food, for the famine prevailed greatly among them, and the sons of Jacob remained in Canaan a year and two months until their corn was finished.
8And 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 to him, Give to us bread, and why shall we all perish through hunger in your presence?
9Jacob heard the words of his son's children, and he wept a great weeping, and his pity was roused for them, and Jacob called to his sons and they all came and sat before him.
10And Jacob said to them, And have you not seen how your children have been weeping over me this day, saying, Give to us bread, and there is none? Now therefore return and buy for us a little food.
11And Judah answered and said to his father, If you will send our brother with us we will go down and buy corn for you, and if you will 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.
12Do you not know and have you not heard that this king is very powerful and wise, and there is not like to 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 among 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.
13Father, you have not seen his palace and his throne, and all his servants standing before him; you have 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; you have not seen the honor and glory which God has given to him, for there is not like to him in all the earth.
14Father, you have not seen the wisdom, the understanding and the knowledge which God has given in his heart, nor heard his sweet voice when he spoke to us.
15We do not know, father, who made him acquainted with our names and all that befell us, yet he asked also after you, saying, Is your father still living, and is it well with him?
16You have not seen the affairs of the government of Egypt regulated by him, without inquiring of Pharaoh his lord; you have not seen the awe and fear which he impressed upon all the Egyptians.
17And also when we went from him, we threatened to do to Egypt like to the rest of the cities of the Amorites, and we were exceedingly angry 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.
18Now therefore father, send we pray you the lad with us, and we will go down and buy you 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 to me?
19And Judah said to 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 your blame forever.
20Have you seen all our infants weeping over you through hunger and there is no power in your hand to satisfy them? Now let your pity be roused for them and send our brother with us and we will go.
21For how will the Lord's kindness to our ancestors be manifested to you when you say that the king of Egypt will take away your son? As the Lord lives I will not leave him until I bring him and place him before you; but pray for us to 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 your son.
22And Jacob said to 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.
23Now 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 brothers with you.
24And 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.
25And 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.
26And Jacob rose up from his sons and spread forth his hands and he prayed to the Lord on account of his sons, saying, O Lord God of heaven and earth, remember your covenant with our father Abraham, remember it with my father Isaac and deal kindly with my sons and do not deliver them into the hands of the king of Egypt; do it I pray you O God for the sake of your mercies and redeem all my children and rescue them from Egyptian power, and send them their two brothers.
27And 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 to him to deliver their fathers from the hand of the king of Egypt.
28And 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,
29From your 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.
30Be it known to my lord the king of Egypt, the famine was severe upon us in the land of Canaan, and I sent my sons to you to buy us a little food from you for our support.
31For 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.
32And 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 you considered them as spies of the land.
33Have we not heard concerning you that you interpreted Pharaoh's dream and did speak truly to him? How then do you not know in your wisdom whether my sons are spies or not?
34Now therefore, my lord and king, behold I have sent my son before you, as you spoke to my sons; I beg you to put your eyes upon him until he is returned to me in peace with his brothers.
35For do you not know, or have you not heard that which our God did to Pharaoh when he took my mother Sarah, and what he did to Abimelech king of the Philistines on account of her, and also what our father Abraham did to the nine kings of Elam, how he struck them all with a few men that were with him?
36And also what my two sons Simeon and Levi did to the eight cities of the Amorites, how they destroyed them on account of their sister Dinah?
37And 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?
38Do you not know, O king of Egypt, that the power of God is with us, and that also God ever hears our prayers and does not forsake us all the days?
39And when my sons told me of your dealings with them, I called not to the Lord on account of you, for then you would have perished with your men before my son Benjamin came before you, but I thought that as Simeon my son was in your house, perhaps you might deal kindly with him, therefore I did not this thing to you.
40Now therefore behold Benjamin my son comes to you with my sons, take heed of him and put your eyes upon him, and then will God place his eyes over you and throughout your kingdom.
41Now I have told you all that is in my heart, and behold my sons are coming to you with their brother, examine the face of the whole earth for their sake and send them back in peace with their brothers.
42And Jacob gave the record to his sons into the care of Judah to give it to the king of Egypt.