Genesis 42

1 Then Iaakob saw that there was foode in Egypt, and Iaakob said vnto his sonnes, Why gaze ye one vpon an other?

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

2 And he said, Behold, I haue heard that there is foode in Egypt, Get you downe thither, and bie vs foode thence, that we may liue and not die.

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 So went Iosephs ten brethren downe to bye corne of the Egyptians.

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

4 But Beniamin Iosephs brother woulde not Iaakob send with his brethren: for he saide, Least death should befall him.

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 the sonnes of Israel came to bye foode among them that came: for there was famine 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 Now Ioseph was gouerner of the land, who solde to all the people of the lande: then Iosephs brethren came, and bowed their face to the groud before 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 when Ioseph sawe his brethren, hee knewe them, and made himselfe straunge toward them, and spake to them roughly, and saide vnto them, Whence come yee? Who answered, Out of the land of Canaan, to bye vitaile.

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 (Now Ioseph knewe his brethren, but they knew not him.

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

9 And Ioseph remembred the dreames, which he dreamed of them) and he sayde vnto them, Ye are spies, and are come to see the weaknesse of the land.

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 But they sayde vnto him, Nay, my lorde, but to bye vitayle thy seruants are come.

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

11 Wee are all one mans sonnes: wee meane truely, and thy seruants are no spies.

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

12 But he saide vnto them, Nay, but yee are come to see the weakenes of the land.

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

13 And they said, We thy seruants are twelue brethren, the sonnes of one man in the lande of Canaan: and beholde, the yongest is this day with our father, and one is not.

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 Againe Ioseph sayde vnto them, This is it that I spake vnto you, saying, Ye are spies.

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

15 Hereby ye shall be proued: by the life of Pharaoh, ye shall not goe hence, except your yongest brother come hither.

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 which may fet your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proued, whether there bee trueth in you: or els by the life of Pharaoh ye are but spies.

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 So he put them in warde three dayes.

So he put them in prison for three days.

18 Then Ioseph said vnto them the third day, This do, and liue: for I feare 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 ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bounde in your prison house, and goe ye, carie foode for the famine of 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 But bring your yonger brother vnto me, that your wordes may be tried, and that ye dye not: and they did so.

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 said one to another, We haue verily sinned against our brother, in that we sawe the anguish of his soule, when he besought vs, and we would not heare him: therefore is this trouble come vpon vs.

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 answered them, saying, Warned I not you, saying, Sinne not against the childe, and ye would not heare? and lo, his blood is now required.

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 (And they were not aware that Ioseph vnderstoode them: for he spake vnto them by 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 Then he turned from them, and wept, and turned to them againe, and communed with them, and tooke Simeon from among them, and bounde him before their eyes.

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 So Ioseph commanded that they should fill their sackes with wheate, and put euery mans money againe in his sacke, and giue them vitaile for the iourney: and thus did he vnto them.

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 And they layed their vitaile vpon their asses, and departed thence.

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

27 And as one of them opened his sacke for to giue his asse prouender in the ynne, he espyed his money: for lo, it was in his sackes 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 Then he sayde vnto his brethren, My money is restored: for loe, it is euen in my sacke. And their heart fayled them, and they were astonished, and sayde one to another, What is this, that God hath done vnto vs?

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 came vnto Iaakob their father vnto the lande of Canaan, and tolde him all 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 man, who is Lord of the lande, spake roughly to vs, and put vs in prison as spyes of the countrey.

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 sayd vnto him, We are true men, and are no spies.

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

32 We be twelue brethren, sonnes of our father: one is not, and the yongest is this day 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 Then the Lord of the countrey sayde vnto vs, Hereby shall I knowe if ye be true men: Leaue one of your brethren with me, and take foode for the famine of your houses and depart,

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 yongest brother vnto me, that I may knowe that ye are no spies, but true men: so will I deliuer you your brother, and yee shall occupie in the land.

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 And as they emptied their sacks, behold, euery mans bundel of money was in his sacke: and when they and their father sawe the bundels of their money, they were afrayde.

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 Then Iaakob their father said to them, Ye haue robbed me of my children: Ioseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Beniamin: all these things are against 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 Then Reuben answered his father, saying, Slay my two sonnes, if I bring him not to thee againe: deliuer him to mine hand, and I will bring him to thee againe.

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 sonne shall not go downe with you: for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if death come vnto him by the way which ye goe, then ye shall bring my gray head with sorow vnto the graue. (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)