Genesis 42

1 Now Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, so Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?"

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

2 He said, "Look, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us from there, so that we may live 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 Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

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

4 But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, "Some harm might happen to 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 So the sons of Israel went to buy among the other travelers, 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 Now Joseph was the ruler over the country, and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves down to him with their faces to the ground.

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 Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but he acted like he did not know them, and spoke harshly with them. And he said to them, "Where do you come from?" And they said, "From the land of Canaan to buy food."

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 So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.

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

9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them, and said to them, "You are spies. You have come to look for the vulnerabilities of the country."

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 said to him, "No, my lord, but your servants have come 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 are honest men. Your servants are not spies."

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

12 But he said to them, "No, but you have come to look for the vulnerabilities of the country."

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; and look, the youngest is now with our father, and one is no more."

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 But Joseph said to them, "It is as I said to you, saying, 'You are spies.'

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

15 This is how you will be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you will not leave from here until your youngest brother comes here.

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 let him get your brother, and you will stay in prison, so that your words can be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are 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 all of them together in prison for three days.

So he put them in prison for three days.

18 Then Joseph said to them the third day, "Do what I say, and 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 honest, then let one of your brothers remain confined in your prison; but you go and carry grain for the hunger of your households.

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 youngest brother to me so that your words will be verified, and you won't die." To this they agreed.

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 Then they said to one another, "We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, because we saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us, and we wouldn't listen. Therefore this distress 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 Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not tell you, saying, 'Do not sin against the boy,' but you wouldn't listen? Therefore, look, now comes a reckoning for his blood."

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 Now they did not know that Joseph could understand them, since he was speaking 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 He stepped away from them and wept. Then he returned to them and talked with them. Then he took Simeon from them and bound him in front of 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 Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to restore every man's silver into his sack, and to give them food for the journey. And it was done for 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 They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed from there.

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

27 As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey food at the lodging place, he saw his silver. Look, it was in the mouth of his sack.

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 He said to his brothers, "My silver has been returned. Look, it is in my sack." And they were dismayed, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, "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 Then they returned to their father Jacob to the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to 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, the lord of the country, spoke harshly to us, and he put us in custody as spies of the country.

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 But we said to him, 'We are honest men. We are not spies.

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

32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is now 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 The man, the lord of the country, said to us, 'By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the hunger of your households, and go your way.

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 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. So I will deliver your brother to you, and you may travel 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 Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that look, every man's bag of silver was in his sack. When they and their father saw their bags of silver, they were afraid.

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 their father Jacob said to them, "You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All this has come 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 Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "Kill my two sons if I do not bring him to you. Put him in my care, and I will bring him back 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, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should happen to him on the journey you are taking, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol." (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)