Genesis 42

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

And Jacob sees that there is grain in Egypt, and Jacob says to his sons, “Why do you look at each other?”

2 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.

He also says, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt, go down there, and buy for us from there, and we live and do not die”;

3 And Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy corn in Egypt.

and the ten brothers of Joseph go down to buy grain in Egypt,

4 But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brothers; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.

and Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob has not sent with his brothers, for he said, “Lest harm meet him.”

5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: 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 has been in the land of Canaan,

6 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.

and Joseph is the ruler over the land, he who is selling to all the people of the land, and Joseph’s brothers come and bow themselves to him—face to the earth.

7 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.

And Joseph sees his brothers, and discerns them, and makes himself strange to them, and speaks sharp things with them, and says to them, “From where have you come?” And they say, “From the land of Canaan—to buy food.”

8 And Joseph knew his brothers, but they knew not him.

And Joseph discerns his brothers, but they have not discerned him,

9 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.

and Joseph remembers the dreams which he dreamed of them and says to them, “You [are] spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.”

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

And they say to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food;

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

we [are] all of us sons of one man, we [are] right men; your servants have not been spies”;

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

and he says to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land”;

13 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.

and they say, “Your servants [are] twelve brothers; we [are] sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the young one [is] with our father today, and one is not.”

14 And Joseph said to them, That is it that I spoke to you, saying, You are spies:

And Joseph says to them, “This [is] that which I have spoken to you, saying, You [are] spies,

15 Hereby you shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh you shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come here.

by this you are proved: [as] Pharaoh lives, if you go out from this—except by your young brother coming here;

16 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.

send one of you, and let him bring your brother, and you, remain bound, and let your words be proved, whether truth be with you: and if not, [as] Pharaoh lives, surely you [are] spies”;

17 And he put them all together into ward three days.

and he gathers them into confinement [for] three days.

18 And Joseph said to them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:

And Joseph says to them on the third day, “Do this and live; I fear God!

19 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:

If you [are] right men, let one of your brothers be bound in the house of your confinement, and you, go, carry in grain [for] the famine of your houses,

20 But bring your youngest brother to me; so shall your words be verified, and you shall not die. And they did so.

and you bring your young brother to me, and your words are established, and you do not die”; and they do so.

21 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.

And they say to one another, “Truly we [are] guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul, in his making supplication to us, and we did not listen: therefore this distress has come on us.”

22 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.

And Reuben answers them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, Do not sin against the boy? And you did not listen; and his blood also, behold, it is required.”

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

And they have not known that Joseph understands, for the interpreter [is] between them;

24 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.

and he turns around from them, and weeps, and turns back to them, and speaks to them, and takes Simeon from them, and binds him before their eyes.

25 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.

And Joseph commands, and they fill their vessels [with] grain, also to put back the money of each of them into his sack, and to give to them provision for the way; and one does to them so.

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

And they lift up their grain on their donkeys, and go from there,

27 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.

and the one opens his sack to give provender to his donkey at a lodging-place, and he sees his money, and behold, it [is] in the mouth of his bag,

28 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?

and he says to his brothers, “My money has been put back, and also, behold, in my bag”: and their heart goes out, and they tremble, to one another saying, “What [is] this God has done to us!”

29 And they came to Jacob their father to the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell to them; saying,

And they come to their father Jacob, to the land of Canaan, and they declare to him all the things meeting them, saying,

30 The man, who is the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

“The man, the lord of the land, has spoken with us sharp things, and makes us as spies of the land;

31 And we said to him, We are true men; we are no spies:

and we say to him, We [are] right men, we have not been spies,

32 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.

we [are] twelve brothers, sons of our father, one is not, and the young one [is] today with our father in the land of Canaan.

33 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:

And the man, the lord of the land, says to us, By this I know that you [are] right men—leave one of your brothers with me, and take [for] the famine of your houses and go,

34 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.

and bring your young brother to me, and I know that you [are] not spies, but you [are] right men; I give your brother to you, and you trade with the land.”

35 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.

And it comes to pass, they are emptying their sacks, and behold, 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 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.

and their father Jacob says to them, “You have bereaved me; Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and Benjamin you take—all these [things] have been against me.”

37 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.

And Reuben speaks to his father, saying, “You put to death my two sons, if I do not bring him to you; give him into my hand, and I bring him back to you”;

38 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)

and he says, “My son does not go down with you, for his brother [is] dead, and he by himself is left; when harm has met him in the way in which you go, then you have brought down my grey hairs in sorrow to Sheol.” (Sheol h7585)