Genesis 42

1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”

And Jacob having seen that there was a sale [of corn] in Egypt, said to his sons, Why are you indolent?

2 “Look,” he added, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”

Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt; go down there, and buy for us a little food, that we may live, and not die.

3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

And the ten brethren of Joseph went down to buy corn out of Egypt.

4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm might befall him.”

But [Jacob] sent not Benjamin, the brother of Joseph, with his brethren; for he said, Lest, haply, disease befall him.

5 So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan.

And the sons of Israel came to buy with those that came, for the famine was in the land of Chanaan.

6 Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

And Joseph was ruler of the land; he sold to all the people of the land. And the brethren of Joseph, having come, did reverence to him, [bowing] with the face to the ground.

7 And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”

And when Joseph saw his brethren, he knew them, and estranged himself from them, and spoke hard words to them; and said to them, Whence are you come? And they said, Out of the land of Chanaan, to buy food.

8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.

And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.

9 Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

And Joseph remembered his dream, which he saw; and he said to them, You are spies; to observe the marks of the land are you come.

10 “Not so, my lord,” they replied. “Your servants have come to buy food.

But they said, Nay, Sir, we your servants are come to buy food;

11 We are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”

we are all sons of one man; we are peaceful, your servants are not spies.

12 “No,” he told them. “You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

And he said to them, Nay, but you are come to observe the marks of the land.

13 But they answered, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”

And they said, We your servants are twelve brethren, in the land of Chanaan; and, behold, the youngest is with our father today, but the other one is not.

14 Then Joseph declared, “Just as I said, you are spies!

And Joseph said to them, This is it that I spoke to you, saying, you are spies;

15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

herein shall you be manifested; by the health of Pharao, you shall not depart hence, unless your younger brother come here.

16 Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be confined so that the truth of your words may be tested. If they are untrue, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”

Send one of you, and take your brother; and go you to prison, till your words be clear, whether you speak the truth or not; but, if not, by the health of Pharao, verily you are spies.

17 So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,

And he put them in prison three days.

18 and on the third day he said to them, “I fear God. So do this and you will live:

And he said to them on the third day, This do, and you shall live, for I fear God.

19 If you are honest, leave one of your brothers in custody while the rest of you go and take back grain to relieve the hunger of your households.

If you be peaceful, let one of your brethren be detained in prison; but go you, and carry back the corn you have purchased.

20 Then bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be verified, that you may not die.” And to this they consented.

And bring your younger brother to me, and your words shall be believed; but, if not, you shall die. And they did so.

21 Then they said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

And each said to his brother, Yes, indeed, for we are in fault concerning our brother, when we disregarded the anguish of his soul, when he implored us, and we listened not to him; and therefore has this affliction come upon us.

22 And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”

And Ruben answered them, saying, Did I not speak to you, saying, Hurt not the boy, and you heard me not? and, behold, his blood is required.

23 They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them.

But they knew not that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.

24 And he turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes.

And Joseph turned away from them, and wept; and again he came to them, and spoke to them; and he took Symeon from them, and bound him before their eyes.

25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s silver to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out,

And Joseph gave orders to fill their vessels with corn, and to return their money to each into his sack, and to give them provision for the way; and it was so done to them.

26 and they loaded the grain on their donkeys and departed.

And having put the corn on the asses, they departed thence.

27 At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of the sack.

And one having opened his sack to give his asses fodder, at the place where they rested, saw also his bundle of money, for it was on the mouth of his sack.

28 “My silver has been returned!” he said to his brothers. “It is here in my sack.” Their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

And he said to his brethren, My money has been restored to me, and behold this is in my sack. And their heart was wonder-struck, and they were troubled, saying one to another, What is this that God has done to us?

29 When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him all that had happened to them:

And they came to their father, Jacob, into the land of Chanaan, and reported to him all that had happened to them, saying,

30 “The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.

The man, the lord of the land, spoke harsh words to us, and put us in prison as spies of the land.

31 But we told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies.

And we said to him, We are men of peace, we are not spies.

32 We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’

We are twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is with his father today in the land of Chanaan.

33 Then the man who is lord of the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go.

And the man, the lord of the land, said to us, Herein shall I know that you are peaceful; leave one brother here with me, and having taken the corn you have purchased for your family, depart.

34 But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’”

And bring to me your younger brother; then I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are men of peace: and I will restore you your brother, and you shall trade in the land.

35 As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed.

And it came to pass as they were emptying their sacks, there was each man's bundle of money in his sack; and they and their father saw their bundles of money, and they were afraid.

36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!”

And their father Jacob said to them, You have bereaved me. Joseph is not, Symeon is not, and will you take Benjamin? all these things have come upon me.

37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him.”

And Ruben spoke to his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to you; give him into my hand, and I will bring him back to you.

38 But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.” (Sheol h7585)

But he said, My son shall not go down with you, because his brother is dead, and he only has been left; and [suppose] it shall come to pass that he is afflicted by the way by which you go, then you shall bring down my old age with sorrow to Hades. (Sheol h7585)