Genesis 42
1 And Jacob hearing that food was sold in Egypt, said to his sons: Why are ye careless?
When Jacob found out grain was available in Egypt, he asked his sons, “Why do you keep on looking at each other to do something?
2 I have heard that wheat is sold in Egypt: go ye down, and buy us necessaries, that we may live, and not be consumed with want.
I've heard there's grain in Egypt. Go there and buy some for us so we can stay alive—if not, we're going to die!”
3 So the ten brethren of Joseph went down, to buy corn in Egypt:
So ten of Joseph's brothers went to Egypt to buy grain.
4 Whilst Benjamin was kept at home by Jacob, who said to his brethren: Lest perhaps he take any harm in the journey.
But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his other brothers, for he said, “I'm afraid something bad might happen to him.”
5 And they entered into the land of Egypt with others that went to buy. For the famine was in the land of Chanaan.
So Israel's sons went to buy grain along with everyone else, because there was famine in Canaan too.
6 And Joseph was governor in the land of Egypt, and corn was sold by his direction to the people. And when his brethren had bowed down to him,
Joseph was the governor of the country and he sold grain to all the people there. So Joseph's brothers went to him, and bowed low before him with their faces to the ground.
7 And he knew them, he spoke as it were to strangers somewhat roughly, asking them: Whence came you? They answered: From the land of Chanaan, to buy necessaries of life.
Joseph recognized them as soon as he saw them, but he acted like a stranger towards them and spoke to them in a severe way, saying, “Where are you from?” “From the country of Canaan,” they replied. “We've come to buy food.”
8 And though he knew his brethren, he was not known by them.
Even though Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn't recognize him.
9 And remembering the dreams, which formerly he had dreamed, he said to them: You are spies. You are come to view the weaker parts of the land.
Joseph thought back to the dreams he'd had about them, and told them, “No! You're spies! You've come to discover our country's weaknesses!”
10 But they said: It is not so, my lord, but thy servants are come to buy food.
“That's not true, my lord!” they responded. “We, your servants, have just come to buy food.
11 We are all the sons of one man: we are come as peaceable men, neither do thy servants go about any evil.
We're all the sons of one man and we're honest. We're not spies!”
12 And he answered them: It is otherwise: you are come to consider the unfenced parts of this land.
“No! You've come to find our country's weaknesses!” he insisted.
13 But they said: We thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Chanaan: the youngest is with our father, the other is not living.
“Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man living in the country of Canaan,” they explained. “The youngest is right now with our father, and one has passed away.”
14 He saith: This is it that I said: You are spies.
“As I said before, you're spies!” Joseph declared.
15 I shall now presently try what you are: by the health of Pharao you shall not depart hence, until your youngest brother come.
“This is how your story will be checked. I swear on Pharaoh's life that you'll never leave this country unless your younger brother comes here.
16 Send one of you to fetch him: and you shall be in prison, till what you have said be proved, whether it be true or false: or else by the health of Pharao you are spies.
One of you go back and bring your other brother here. The others of you will be kept here in prison until it's clear that you're telling the truth. If not, then I swear on Pharaoh's life it proves you're spies!”
17 So he put them in prison three days.
So Joseph put all of them in prison for three days.
18 And the third day he brought them out of prison, and said: Do as I have said, and you shall live: for I fear God.
On the third day he told them, “Since I'm someone who respects God, do as I tell you and you'll live.
19 If you be peaceable men, let one of your brethren be bound in prison: and go ye your ways and carry the corn that you have bought, unto your houses.
If you're truly honest, choose one of your brothers to stay here in prison. The rest of you can go back home with grain for your hungry families.
20 And bring your youngest brother to me, that I may find your words to be true, and you may not die. They did as he had said.
But you must bring your youngest brother here to me to prove what you're saying is true. If not, you will all die.” They agreed to do this.
21 And they talked one to another: We deserve to suffer these things, because we have sinned against our brother, seeing the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear: therefore is this affliction come upon us.
“Clearly we're being punished for what we did to our brother,” they said to each other. “We watched him in agony pleading with us for mercy, but we refused to listen to him. That's why we're in all this trouble.”
22 And Ruben one of them, said: Did not I say to you: Do not sin against the boy: and you would not hear me? Behold his blood is required.
Reuben said to them, “Didn't I tell you, ‘Don't harm the boy!’ But you didn't listen to me. Now we're paying the price for what we did to him.”
23 And they knew not that Joseph understood, because he spoke to them by an interpreter.
They didn't realize that Joseph understood what they were saying because they were talking to him through an interpreter.
24 And he turned himself away a little while, and wept: and returning he spoke to them.
Joseph stepped away from them because he started crying. He came back when he was able to speak to them again. He chose Simeon and had him tied up as they watched.
25 And taking Simeon, and binding him in their presence, he commanded his servants to fill their sacks with wheat, and to put every man’s money again in their sacks, and to give them besides provisions for the way: and they did so.
Joseph gave the order to fill up their sacks with grain, and also to return the money they had paid by placing it in the sacks as well. He also ordered that they should be provided with food for their journey home. All this was done.
26 But they having loaded their asses with the corn, went their way.
The brothers loaded the grain onto their donkeys and then set off.
27 And one of them opening his sack, to give his beast provender in the inn, saw the money in the sack’s mouth;
On their way they stopped for the night, and one of them opened up his sack to give his donkey something to eat and saw his money there at the top of the sack.
28 And said to his brethren: My money is given me again, behold it is in the sack. And they were astonished, and troubled, and said to one another: What is this that God hath done unto us?
He told his brothers, “My money's been returned to me. It's right here at the top of my sack!” They were horrified! Trembling with fear they asked each other, “What is this that God's done to us?”
29 And they came to Jacob their father in the land of Chanaan, and they told him all things that had befallen them, saying:
When they arrived home in Canaan, they told their father Jacob everything that had happened.
30 The lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us to be spies of the country.
“The man who is the country's governor spoke to us in a severe way, and accused us of spying on the land,” they explained.
31 And we answered him: We are peaceable men, and we mean no plot.
“We told him, ‘We are honest men. We're not spies!
32 We are twelve brethren born of one father: one is not living, the youngest is with our father in the land of Chanaan.
We are twelve brothers, the sons of one father. One has passed away and the youngest is right now with our father in the country of Canaan.’
33 And he said to us: Hereby shall I know that you are peaceable men: Leave one of your brethren with me, and take ye necessary provision for your houses, and go your ways.
Then the man who is the country's governor said to us, ‘This is how I'll find out if you're telling the truth: you are to leave one of your brothers here with me while the rest take grain home for your hungry families.
34 And bring your youngest brother to me, that I may know you are not spies: and you may receive this man again, that is kept in prison: and afterwards may have leave to buy what you will.
Then bring your youngest brother to me. That way I'll know you're not spies but you're telling the truth. I'll release your brother to you, and you can stay in the country and trade.’”
35 When they had told this, they poured out their corn and every man found his money tied in the mouth of his sack: and all being astonished together,
As they emptied their sacks, each one's money bag was there in his sack! When they and their father saw the money bags, they were horrified.
36 Their father Jacob said: You have made me to be without children: Joseph is not living, Simeon is kept in bonds, and Benjamin you will take away: all these evils are fallen upon me.
Jacob their father accused them, “You have taken Joseph from me—he's gone! Simeon is gone too! Now you want to take Benjamin away! I'm the one who's suffering from all of this!”
37 And Ruben answered him: Kill my two sons if I bring him not again to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will restore him to thee.
“You can kill my two sons if I don't bring him back to you,” Reuben assured him. “Trust me with him, and I will bring him home to you myself.”
38 But he said: My son shall not go down with you: his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if any mischief befall him in the land to which you go, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to hell. (Sheol h7585)
“My son won't go there with you!” Jacob declared. “His brother is dead, and he's the only one I have left. If anything bad happens to him on the journey you're planning, you'll send this old man to his grave in grief.” (Sheol h7585)
