Hebrew Folk Tales and Legends

The famine continued throughout the land of Canaan and was getting worse.  Soon Jacob’s family had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt.  None of their crops would grow and there was no food left anywhere in their country.  They had no alternative but to buy some more food in Egypt, so their father said to his sons, "You must go back to Egypt and buy us some more food." Judah reminded his father, "If we go we have to take Benjamin with us. The man in charge of the food bank solemnly warned us that he would not see us again or let us buy any more food unless our youngest brother came back with us to prove that the story we told him was true.   We will only go back to Egypt if you let Benjamin go with us.   It would be dangerous for us to go without Benjamin.” Jacob was annoyed.   He asked his sons, "Why did you tell the man that you had another brother? You have created a big problem for us." The sons replied, "The man questioned us carefu...

There had been no rain in Canaan in several months.  The land was dry, the grass had withered and the crops had failed.  There was widespread famine and both people and animals were starving.  When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you keep looking at one another helplessly?    I have heard," he said, "that there is grain in Egypt; go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die." Ten of Joseph's brothers went on the long trip down to Egypt to buy grain. Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his other brothers, for he feared that harm might come to the brothers on their journey, and then he would be alone, with no sons left.   Joseph was governor over all the land of Egypt and he was in charge of food sales to the population. When Joseph's brothers arrived in Egypt they went to Joseph and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground.   Joseph recognized his brother...