"In this chapter, Olivia," Mama Otter started, "Joseph's brothers travel to Egypt to buy food because there was a famine in the land. They did not recognize that the man who was in charge of selling the food was actually their brother, Joseph."
Papa Otter took over the story. "Joseph decided to test his brothers to see if they had changed and were now trustworthy. He accused them of being spies and said they could only go back home if they brought their youngest brother, Benjamin, with them. Later on they will come back a second time, but that's getting ahead of the story.
Papa Otter continued, "Joseph was testing his brothers to see if they had changed and were sorry for what they did to him. So he did not reveal to them who he really was."
"Wow," Olivia said, "I wonder why Joseph wanted to test his brothers like that."
Mama Otter smiled and said, "It's because Joseph wanted to see if his brothers were truly sorry for what they did to him. He wanted to make sure that they had changed their ways and were truly repentant."
Papa Otter added, "And it shows us that sometimes we have to wait and be patient before we reveal ourselves to others. We have to make sure that they are ready to accept us and that they have changed their ways."
Olivia thought about this and said, "I understand. So Joseph was teaching his brothers an important lesson."
"Yes, he was," Mama Otter said with a smile. "And that's what this chapter is all about, learning important lessons and being patient."
Lesson: Genesis chapter 42 teaches us the importance of not being too quick to reveal ourselves to others. It's important to be wise and cautious about who we trust and what we share.