< Genesis 42 >
1 Then Jacob, hearing that food was being sold in Egypt, said to his sons: “Why are you negligent?
And Jacob seeth that there is corn in Egypt, and Jacob saith to his sons, 'Why do you look at each other?'
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.”
he saith also, 'Lo, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt, go down thither, and buy for us from thence, and we live and do not die;'
3 And so, when ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain in Egypt,
and the ten brethren of Joseph go down to buy corn in Egypt,
4 Benjamin was kept at home by Jacob, who said to his brothers, “Lest perhaps he may suffer harm on the journey.”
and Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob hath not sent with his brethren, for he said, 'Lest mischief meet 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 come to buy in the midst of those coming, for the famine hath been 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
and Joseph is the ruler over the land, he who is selling to all the people of the land, and Joseph's brethren come and bow themselves to him — face 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 Joseph seeth his brethren, and discerneth them, and maketh himself strange unto them, and speaketh with them sharp things, and saith unto them, 'From whence have ye come?' and they say, 'From the land of Canaan — to buy food.'
8 And although he knew his brothers, he was not known by them.
And Joseph discerneth his brethren, but they have not discerned him,
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.”
and Joseph remembereth the dreams which he dreamed of them, and saith unto them, 'Ye [are] spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye have come.'
10 And they said: “It is not so, my lord. But your servants have arrived in order to buy food.
And they say unto him, 'No, my lord, but thy servants have come to buy 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 of us sons of one man, we [are] right men; thy servants have not been spies;'
12 And he answered them: “It is otherwise. You have come to examine the unguarded parts of this land.”
and he saith unto them, 'No, but the nakedness of the land ye have come to see;'
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.”
and they say, 'Thy servants [are] twelve brethren; we [are] sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and lo, the young one [is] with our father to-day, and the one is not.'
14 He said: “This is just as I have said. You are scouts.
And Joseph saith unto them, 'This [is] that which I have spoken unto you, saying, Ye [are] spies,
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.
by this ye are proved: Pharaoh liveth! if ye go out from this — except by your young brother coming hither;
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 you, and let him bring your brother, and ye, remain ye bound, and let your words be proved, whether truth be with you: and if not — Pharaoh liveth! surely ye [are] spies;'
17 Therefore, he delivered them into custody for three days.
and he removeth them unto charge 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 Joseph saith unto them on the third day, 'This do and live; God I fear!
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 ye [are] right men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your ward, and ye, go, carry in corn [for] the famine of your houses,
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 your young brother ye bring unto me, and your words are established, and ye die not;' and they do so.
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 say one unto another, 'Verily we [are] guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul, in his making supplication unto us, and we did not hearken: therefore hath this distress come upon 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 answereth them, saying, 'Spake I not unto you, saying, Sin not against the lad? and ye hearkened not; and his blood also, lo, it is required.'
23 But they did not know that Joseph understood, because he was speaking to them through an interpreter.
And they have not known that Joseph understandeth, for the interpreter [is] between them;
24 And he turned himself away briefly and wept. And returning, he spoke to them.
and he turneth round from them, and weepeth, and turneth back unto them, and speaketh unto them, and taketh from them Simeon, and bindeth 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.
And Joseph commandeth, and they fill their vessels [with] corn, also to put back the money of each unto his sack, and to give to them provision for the way; and one doth to them so.
26 Then, having loaded their donkeys with the grain, they set out.
And they lift up their corn upon their asses, and go from thence,
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,
and the one openeth his sack to give provender to his ass at a lodging-place, and he seeth his money, and lo, it [is] in the mouth of his 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 saith unto his brethren, 'My money hath been put back, and also, lo, in my bag:' and their heart goeth out, and they tremble, one to another saying, 'What [is] this God hath 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:
And they come in unto Jacob their father, to the land of Canaan, and they declare to him all the things meeting them, saying,
30 “The lord of the land spoke harshly to us, and he considered us to be scouts of the province.
'The man, the lord of the land, hath spoken with us sharp things, and maketh us as spies of the land;
31 And we answered him: ‘We are peaceful, and we do not intend any treachery.
and we say unto him, We [are] right men, we have not been spies,
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 brethren, sons of our father, the one is not, and the young one [is] to-day 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 man, the lord of the land, saith unto us, By this I know that ye [are] right men — one of your brethren leave with me, and [for] the famine of your houses take ye and go,
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 bring your young brother unto me, and I know that ye [are] not spies, but ye [are] right men; your brother I give to you, and ye trade with 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 it cometh to pass, they are emptying their sacks, and lo, the bundle of each man's silver [is] in his sack, and they see their bundles of silver, they and their father, and are afraid;
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 saith unto them, 'Me ye have bereaved; Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and Benjamin ye take — against me have been all these.'
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 speaketh unto his father, saying, 'My two sons thou dost put to death, if I bring him not in unto thee; give him into my hand, and I — I bring him back unto thee;'
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 )
and he saith, 'My son doth not go down with you, for his brother [is] dead, and he by himself is left; when mischief hath met him in the way in which ye go, then ye have brought down my grey hairs in sorrow to sheol.' (Sheol )