Genesis chapter 43

After reading chapter 43:

* When Jacob's family ran out of grain, he told them to go back to Egypt and get some more. Judah reminded him that they had to bring Benjamin with them or they wouldn't be given any more grain. Jacob was against it, but they would starve otherwise. Judah offered to bear the responsibility for Bejamin's safety. Jacob relented and told them to take gifts with them and double the silver, in case getting the silver back last time was a mistake.

* So the brothers hurried back to Egypt with Benjamin. When Joseph saw them, he ordered a meal prepared for them at his house. The brothers were afraid this was a trick to capture and enslave them for non- payment. They explained their situation to the steward, who told them not to be afraid. He had received payment for the last load of grain.

*The brothers went to Joseph's house with the gifts they had brought and bowed down to Joseph. He asked them about their father. When he saw Benjamin, he had to leave the room to hide his tears. When he came back the food was served but Joseph did not eat at the same table. The Egyptians also ate at separate tables because eating with Hebrews was detestable to them. The brothers were seated in order from oldest to youngest and Benjamin was given five times as much food as every one else.

*Exactly what a Hebrew was at that time is unclear. Abraham was called a Hebrew back in chapter 14, so he can't have been the first, if we take the story as fact. It is possible that it just meant a class of shepherding nomads.