Genesis 42

1 Then Jacob, hearing that food was being sold in Egypt, said to his sons: “Why are you negligent?

Now Jacob, hearing that there was grain in Egypt, said to his sons, Why are you looking at one another?

2 I have heard that wheat is being sold in Egypt. Go down and buy necessities for us, so that we may be able to live, and not be consumed by destitution.”

And he said, I have had news that there is grain in Egypt: go down there and get grain for us, so that life and not death may be ours.

3 And so, when ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain in Egypt,

So Joseph's ten brothers went down to get grain from Egypt.

4 Benjamin was kept at home by Jacob, who said to his brothers, “Lest perhaps he may suffer harm on the journey.”

But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with them, for fear, as he said, that some evil might come to him.

5 And they entered into the land of Egypt with the others who traveled to buy. For the famine was in the land of Canaan.

And the sons of Israel came with all the others to get grain: for they were very short of food in the land of Canaan.

6 And Joseph was governor in the land of Egypt, and grain was sold under his direction to the people. And when his brothers had reverenced him

Now Joseph was ruler over all the land, and it was he who gave out the grain to all the people of the land; and Joseph's brothers came before him and went down on their faces to the earth.

7 and he had recognized them, he spoke harshly, as if to foreigners, questioning them: “Where did you come from?” And they responded, “From the land of Canaan, to buy necessary provisions.”

And when Joseph saw his brothers, it was clear to him who they were, but he made himself strange to them, and talking roughly to them, said, Where do you come from? And they said, From the land of Canaan, to get food.

8 And although he knew his brothers, he was not known by them.

Now though Joseph saw that these were his brothers, they had no idea who he was.

9 And remembering the dreams, which he had seen in another time, he said to them: “You are scouts. You have come in order to see which parts of the land are weaker.”

Then the memory of his dreams about them came back to Joseph, and he said to them, You have come secretly to see how poor the land is.

10 And they said: “It is not so, my lord. But your servants have arrived in order to buy food.

And they said to him, Not so, my lord: your servants have come with money to get food.

11 We are all sons of one man. We have come in peace, nor do any of your subjects devise evil.”

We are all one man's sons, we are true men; we have not come with any secret purpose.

12 And he answered them: “It is otherwise. You have come to examine the unguarded parts of this land.”

And he said to them, No, but you have come to see how poor the land is.

13 But they said: “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father; the other is not living.”

Then they said, We your servants are twelve brothers, sons of one man in the land of Canaan; the youngest of us is now with our father, and one is dead.

14 He said: “This is just as I have said. You are scouts.

And Joseph said, It is as I said; you have come with some secret purpose;

15 I will now continue to put you to the test. By the health of Pharaoh, you will not depart from here, until your youngest brother arrives.

But in this way will you be put to the test: by the life of Pharaoh, you will not go away from this place till your youngest brother comes here.

16 Send one of you and bring him. But you will be in chains, until what you have said is proven to be either true or false. Otherwise, by the health of Pharaoh, you are scouts.”

Send one of your number to get your brother, and the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are true; if not, by the life of Pharaoh, your purpose is certainly secret.

17 Therefore, he delivered them into custody for three days.

So he put them in prison for three days.

18 Then, on the third day, he brought them out of prison, and he said: “Do as I have said, and you will live. For I fear God.

And on the third day Joseph said to them, Do this, if you would keep your lives: for I am a god-fearing man:

19 If you are peaceful, let one of your brothers be bound in prison. Then you may go away and carry the grain that you have bought to your houses.

If you are true men, let one of you be kept in prison, while you go and take grain for the needs of your families;

20 And bring your youngest brother to me, so that I may be able to test your words, and you may not die.” They did as he had said,

And come back to me with your youngest brother, so that your words may be seen to be true, and you will not be put to death. This is what you are to do.

21 and they spoke to one another: “We deserve to suffer these things, because we have sinned against our brother, seeing the anguish of his soul, when he begged us and we would not listen. For that reason, this tribulation has come upon us.”

And they said to one another, Truly, we did wrong to our brother, for we saw his grief of mind, and we did not give ear to his prayers; that is why this trouble has come on us.

22 And Reuben, one of them, said: “Did not I say to you, ‘Do not sin against the boy,’ and you would not listen to me? See, his blood is exacted.”

And Reuben said to them, Did I not say to you, Do the child no wrong? but you gave no attention; so now, punishment has come on us for his blood.

23 But they did not know that Joseph understood, because he was speaking to them through an interpreter.

They were not conscious that the sense of their words was clear to Joseph, for he had been talking to them through one who had knowledge of their language.

24 And he turned himself away briefly and wept. And returning, he spoke to them.

And turning away from them, he was overcome with weeping; then he went on talking to them again and took Simeon and put chains on him before their eyes.

25 And taking Simeon, and binding him in their presence, he ordered his ministers to fill their sacks with wheat, and to replace each one’s money in their sacks, and to give them, in addition, provisions for the way. And they did so.

Then Joseph gave orders for their bags to be made full of grain, and for every man's money to be put back into his bag, and for food to be given them for the journey: which was done.

26 Then, having loaded their donkeys with the grain, they set out.

Then they put the bags of grain on their asses and went away.

27 And one of them, opening a sack to give his beast of burden fodder at the inn, looked upon the money at the sack’s mouth,

Now at their night's resting-place one of them, opening his bag to give his ass some food, saw his money in the mouth of the bag.

28 and he said to his brothers: “My money has returned to me. See, it is held in the sack.” And they were astonished and troubled, and they said to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”

And he said to his brothers, My money has been given back: it is in my bag; then their hearts became full of fear, and turning to one another they said, What is this which God has done to us?

29 And they went to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, and they explained to him all the things that had befallen them, saying:

So when they came to Jacob their father, in the land of Canaan, they gave him an account of all their experiences, saying,

30 “The lord of the land spoke harshly to us, and he considered us to be scouts of the province.

The man who is the ruler of the country was rough with us and put us in prison, saying that we had come with a secret evil purpose.

31 And we answered him: ‘We are peaceful, and we do not intend any treachery.

And we said to him, We are true men, we have no evil designs;

32 We are twelve brothers conceived of one father. One is not living; the youngest is with our father in the land of Canaan.’

We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is dead, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.

33 And he said to us: ‘Thus will I prove that you are peaceful. Release one of your brothers to me, and take necessary provisions for your houses, and go away,

And the ruler of the land said, In this way I may be certain that you are true men; let one of you be kept here with me, while you go and take grain for the needs of your families;

34 and bring your youngest brother to me, so that I may know that you are not scouts. And this one, who is held in chains, you may be able to receive again. And thereafter, you shall have permission to buy what you want.’”

And come back to me with your youngest brother: then I will be certain that you are true men, and I will give your brother back to you and let you do trade in the land.

35 Having said this, when they poured out their grain, each found his money tied to the mouth of his sack. And all were terrified together.

And when they took the grain out of their bags, it was seen that every man's parcel of money was in his bag; and when they and their father saw the money, they were full of fear.

36 Their father Jacob said, “You have caused me to be without children. Joseph is not living, Simeon is held in chains, and Benjamin you would carry away. All these evils have fallen back upon me.”

And Jacob their father said to them, You have taken my children from me: Joseph is gone and Simeon is gone, and now you would take Benjamin away; all these things have come on me.

37 And Reuben answered him, “Put my two sons to death, if I do not lead him back to you. Deliver him into my hand, and I will restore him to you.”

And Reuben said, Put my two sons to death if I do not come back to you with him; let him be in my care and I will give him safely back to you.

38 But he said: “My son will not go down with you. His brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any adversity will befall him in the land to which you travel, you would lead my grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave.” (Sheol h7585)

And he said, I will not let my son go down with you; for his brother is dead and he is all I have: if evil overtakes him on the journey, then through you will my grey head go down to the underworld in sorrow. (Sheol h7585)