e large harvests, and Joseph
gathered up all the food of the seven years of plenty, which were in the
land of Egypt, and stored the food in the cities, putting in each city
the food that grew in the fields about it. Joseph stored up grain as the
sand of the sea, in great quantities, until he no longer kept account,
because it could not be measured.

When the seven years of plenty in the land of Egypt were over, the seven
years of famine began, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all
lands, but all through the land of Egypt there was food, for when all
the land of Egypt was hungry, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and
Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph and do what he tells
you." So when the famine was over all the country, Joseph opened all the
storehouses and sold food to the Egyptians: but the famine was severe in
the land of Egypt. The peoples of all lands came to Joseph in Egypt to
buy grain, for everywhere the famine was severe.

THE TESTING OF JOSEPH'S BROTHERS

When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to
his sons, "Why do you stand looking at each other? I have heard that
there is grain for sale in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us,
that we may live and not die." So Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy
grain from Egypt. But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's own brother,
with his brothers, for he feared that some harm might come to him. So
the sons of Jacob went with others to buy grain, for the famine was in
the land of Canaan.

Now Joseph was the governor over Egypt; it was he who sold grain to all
the people of the land. So Joseph's brothers came and bowed before him
with their faces to the earth. When Joseph saw his brothers, he knew
them; but he acted as a stranger toward them and spoke harshly to them
and said, "Where do you come from?" They said, "From the land of Canaan
to buy food." So Joseph knew his brothers, but they did not know him.

Joseph also remembered the dreams which he had had about them and said
to them, "You spies! you have come to see how defenseless the land is."
But they said to him, "No, my lord; your servants have come to buy
food. We are all sons of one man; we are honest men; your servants are
not spies." But he again said to them, "No, you have come to see how
defenseless the land is." They answered, "We, your servants, are twelve
brothers, the sons of one father in the land of Canaan. The youngest is
to-day with ou