24. Joseph’s Tearful Encounter Stirs Old Pain: Why Did He Give Up the Chance for Revenge Waiting for Twenty Years?

“I have made the Lord Lord my refuge, so that I may tell you all your deeds.” [Psalm 73:28]

As Joseph said, Egypt had seven years of abundant harvest. Joseph ordered people to expand the granaries and store grain everywhere. His fame soared, and except for the pharaoh, everyone in Egypt submitted to him. Joseph worked diligently, knowing well that God was honoring him. Within seven years, his Egyptian wife bore him two sons: the elder, Manasseh [meaning to forget suffering], and the second, Ephraim [meaning harvest].

Seven years of disaster followed one after another, a severe drought struck across the land, the Nile nearly dried up, the fields were scorched with barren fields, and crops were completely cut off. Within less than two years, the surplus grain in households was all exhausted and turned to the government for grain. Joseph proceeded methodically, slowly opening the granaries to sell grain, and the treasury was quickly replenished.

Joseph ordered the people of all regions to buy quotas from local authorities, which both maintained order and made it easier to coordinate plans. However, those seeking grain from abroad had to personally visit Joseph in the capital, which not only unified the settlement, but also helped prevent corruption and control the total export volume. That day, Joseph was sitting inside the mansion handling paperwork, and the servants reported that foreigners from Canaan were asking for grain outside.

Joseph ordered the servants to come to the house, find the relevant translator, and bring them in to meet him. A moment later, ten middle-aged men entered, their heads bowed in fear. Dust-covered and all dressed as shepherds, the leader was in his fifties, with a graying beard. As they approached, they all prostrated themselves and pleaded for food in Hebrew to Joseph.

The hometown accent I hadn’t heard in twenty years suddenly rang out. In that instant, Joseph’s chest was smashed through like ice on a winter lake by a boulder; Her heart, like a calm river, suddenly plunged off a cliff, stopped instantly, and then began to pound wildly. That local accent instantly transported him back to that afternoon twenty years ago, making him almost jump and run away. Joseph’s forehead was sweating, his face pale, his eyes dark, and after a brief dizziness, he returned to reality and saw ten people on the ground bowing their heads in worship, and the interpreter beside him began to interpret.

Joseph looked again at the ten kneeling men, his instinctive fear replaced by calm anger. They truly were brothers he hadn’t seen in twenty years, who wanted to kill him and ruthlessly sold him to Egypt, making his life worse than death for thirteen years. The dream from twenty years ago has truly come true today—they truly kneel before him.

God, you told me all this twenty years ago. Twenty years have passed. Suffering has made me prematurely weak and withered, my face full of weariness; they no longer recognize me. They too have grown old, their hair streaked with gray, faces weathered by weather, their eyes clouded and their backs curved, but are their hearts even more cruel? Why didn’t my brother Benjamin come? Did they plot against him just like they did against me?

Thinking of his brother’s uncertainty about life or death, Joseph sternly said to his brothers in Egyptian: “You claim to be from Canaan and come here to buy grain, but I see you sneaking around. Clearly, you are taking advantage of Egypt’s severe drought to buy grain under the pretext of scouting Egypt’s strengths and weaknesses!” The ten brothers looked at each other in confusion and hurriedly explained, “We’re not spies, just ten brothers. Because of the drought in our hometown, our father sent us to Egypt to buy grain, so that dozens of our family members wouldn’t starve to death.” “Father is still alive?!” Why didn’t they mention their brother?

Joseph continued to scold them: “Still trying to argue? You are clearly spies investigating the situation! “Sir, we really aren’t spies; we really are twelve brothers. Only one brother died young, and the other was left by his elderly father. “Is my brother really alive?” Perhaps, like the one who deceived the Sword Man years ago, they used a strategy to escape?

Joseph shouted loudly, “You really are spies! You said there were ten brothers just now, and now you say twelve.” Only one of you can go back. If you don’t bring your brother along, if I don’t see it with my own eyes, the nine of you will be trapped here forever, never able to escape until death. But now, someone, lock them all up in the cell. Three days later, Joseph brought his brothers to the house again. His face was haggard from insomnia, and the pain from twenty years ago struck his heart like a sudden downpour.

His voice was hoarse as he said to his brothers, “I fear God and dare not make things difficult for you.” If I let only one of you go back, your families will starve to death.

Today I’m letting all nine of you go back, only keeping one. That way, next time you must bring your brother to see me, and then I’ll let you brothers reunite and go home together.” The ten brothers bowed in thanks to Joseph and discussed among themselves.

The eldest brother Lü said to them, “Today we suffer this calamity all because we once dealt cruelly to our brother Joseph. He begged us to let him go, but you were heartless and refused to listen. I advised you not to harm him, but you ignored me and sold him while I was away. He would surely die a tragic death.

Today, this retribution has finally come upon us. “When Joseph heard this, he rose from his seat, walked to a secluded place outside, and wept silently. Then he wiped away his tears, forced himself to calm down, straightened his clothes, ordered the grain sacks of the ten brothers to be filled, and placed the gold and silver each of them brought on top of the grain and tied the bags tightly.

Then he returned to his residence and sat quietly, sizing up his brothers. The brothers saw his eyes were bloodshot and were so frightened their faces turned pale, thinking Joseph had changed his mind to kill them, so they all fell to the ground. After a moment, Joseph broke the silence, pointed at his second brother Simeon, and shouted, “Guards, bind this fierce-looking and scheming spy and take him to the cell.” Take the other nine out again, put the sacks of grain on their donkey carts, and have them leave Egypt quickly. After Joseph finished speaking, he swept his sleeves and strode away, never looking back at his brothers again.