Genesis 42

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

Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, Why do you look one on another?

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.”

And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from there; that we may live, and not die.

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

And Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy corn in 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 Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brothers; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief 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 corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

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 the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brothers came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

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 Joseph saw his brothers, and he knew them, but made himself strange to them, and spoke roughly to them; and he said to them, From where come you? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

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

And Joseph knew his brothers, 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 the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said to them, You are spies; to see the nakedness of the land you are come.

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

And they said to him, No, my lord, but to buy food are your servants come.

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

We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, your servants are no spies.

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

And he said to them, No, but to see the nakedness of the land you are come.

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, Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.

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

And Joseph said to them, That 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.

Hereby you shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh you shall not go forth hence, except your youngest 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 let him fetch your brother, and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies.

17 So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,

And he put them all together into ward three days.

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

And Joseph said to them the third day, This do, and 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 true men, let one of your brothers be bound in the house of your prison: go you, carry corn for the famine of your houses:

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.

But bring your youngest brother to me; so shall your words be verified, and you shall not 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 they said one to another, We are truly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he sought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come on 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 Reuben answered them, saying, Spoke I not to you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and you would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.

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

And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spoke to them by an interpreter.

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 he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, 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,

Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he to them.

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

And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed there.

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 as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack’s mouth.

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 brothers, My money is restored; and, see, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, 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 Jacob their father to the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell 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, who is the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

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

And we said to him, We are true men; we are no 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 be twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.

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 country, said to us, Hereby shall I know that you are true men; leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone:

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 your youngest brother to me: then shall I know that you are no spies, but that you are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and you shall traffic 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 emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, 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 Jacob their father said to them, Me have you bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and you will take Benjamin away: all these things are against 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 Reuben spoke to his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to you: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to you again.

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)

And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which you go, then shall you bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. (Sheol h7585)