Genesis 42

1 When someone told Jacob that there was grain in Egypt that people could buy, he said to his sons, “(Why do you just sit there looking at each other?/Do not just sit there looking at each other!) [RHQ] We need some grain!”

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

2 He said to them, “Someone told me that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, in order that we will not die!”

And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: go down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.

3 So Joseph’s ten [older] brothers went down to Egypt to buy some grain.

And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.

4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s [younger] brother, to go with the others, because he was afraid/worried that something terrible might happen to him like what happened to Joseph.

But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren: for he said, Lest perhaps mischief shall befall him.

5 So Jacob’s other sons went down from Canaan to Egypt to buy grain, and others from there went too, because there was a famine in Canaan also.

And the sons of Israel came to buy [corn] among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

6 At that time Joseph was the governor of Egypt. He was the one who sold grain to people who came from all over Egypt and from many other countries [HYP] to buy grain. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, [they were told that it was necessary for them to talk with Joseph. So they went to him and] prostrated themselves before him with their faces to the ground.

And Joseph [was] the governor over the land, [and] he [it was] that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed themselves before him [with] their faces to the earth.

7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them. But he pretended that he did not know them. He spoke harshly to them, saying, “Where do you come from?” One of them replied, “We have come from Canaan, to buy some grain.”

And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange to them, and spoke roughly to them; and he said to them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.

And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.

9 And then Joseph remembered what he had dreamed about them many years previously. [But he decided not to tell them yet that he was their younger brother]. He said to them, “You are spies! You have come to find out whether we will be able to defend ourselves [if you attack us]!”

And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said to them, Ye [are] spies; to see the nakedness of the land have ye come.

10 One of them replied, “No, sir! We have come to buy grain.

And they said to him, No, my lord, but to buy food have thy servants come.

11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men, not spies.”

We [are] all one man's sons; we [are] true [men]; thy servants are no spies.

12 He said to them, “[I do not believe you]. You have come just to see whether we would be able to defend ourselves if we were attacked!”

And he said to them, No, but to see the nakedness of the land have ye come.

13 But one of them replied, “No, that is not true! Originally there were twelve of us who were brothers, the sons of one man. Our younger brother is with our father. One [younger] brother has died. [EUP]”

And they said, Thy servants [are] twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest [is] this day with our father, and one [is] not.

14 Joseph replied, “[You are lying! I think] it is just as I told you. You are spies!

And Joseph said to them, That [is] what I spoke to you, saying, Ye [are] spies:

15 But this is how I will determine whether what you are saying is true. I think that as surely as the king lives, you are spies. And you will not leave this place until your youngest brother comes here!

By this ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother shall come hither.

16 Send one of your group to go and get your younger brother and bring him here. I will put the rest of you in prison, in order that I may test what you have said to find out whether what you are telling me is true. If the one who goes does not bring your younger brother here, then, just as surely as the king lives, it will be clear that you are lying and that you are spies.”

Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether [there is any] truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye [are] spies.

17 Then Joseph put them all in prison for three days.

And he put them all together into custody three days.

18 On the third day, Joseph went to the prison and said to them, “I am a man who fears that God [will punish me if I do not do what I promise]. So do what I tell you, and I will spare your lives.

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

19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, and the rest of you can take some grain back to your families who are very hungry because of the famine.

If ye [are] true [men], let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:

20 But if you come back here again, you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that you can prove that what you told me is true, and as a result I will not have you executed.” So they agreed to do that.

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

21 They said to each other, “It is surely because of what we did to our [younger] brother that (we are being punished/God is punishing us)! We saw that he [SYN] was very distressed when he pleaded with us not to harm him. But we did not pay any attention to him, and that is why we are having this trouble!”

And they said one to another, We [are] verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.

22 Reuben said to them, “I told you not to harm the boy [RHQ], but you did not pay attention to what I said! Now we are being (paid back/punished) for killing him [MTY]!”

And Reuben answered them, saying, Did I not speak to you, saying, Do not sin against the young man; and ye would not hear? therefore behold also his blood is required.

23 While they were talking with Joseph, they were speaking through (an interpreter/someone who knew their language and the Egyptian language), but when they said these things among themselves, they were speaking in their own language, and they did not know that Joseph could understand their language, and that he could understand what they were saying.

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

24 [Because of what they said, Joseph realized that they admitted that what they had done to him many years previously was wrong]. He could not keep from crying, [and he did not want them to see him crying], so he left them and went outside the room and began to cry. But then he returned to them and talked to them again. Then he took Simeon, and while they were watching, he told his servants to tie him up. He left Simeon in the prison and told the others that they could go.

And he turned himself away from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.

25 Joseph told his servants to fill the men’s sacks with grain, but he also told them to put the money that each one had paid for the grain in the top of his sack. He also told them to give them food to eat along the way. After the servants did those things for Joseph’s older brothers,

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.

26 his older brothers loaded the sacks of grain on their donkeys and left.

And they loaded their asses with the corn, and departed thence.

27 At the place where they stopped to sleep that night, one of them opened his sack to get some grain for his donkey. He was amazed to see his money in the top of the sack.

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.

28 He exclaimed to his brothers, “Someone has returned my money! Here it is in my sack!” They started shaking with fear, and said to each other, “What is this that God has done to us?”

And he said to his brethren, 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 hath done to us?

29 When they returned to their father in Canaan land, they told him all that had happened to them. One of them said,

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

30 “The man who governs the whole land of Egypt talked very harshly to us. He acted toward us as though we were spying on his country.

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

31 But we told him, ‘We are honest men! We are not spies.

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

32 Originally there were twelve of us who were brothers, the sons of one father. One has died [EUP], and our youngest brother is with our father in Canaan.’

We [are] twelve brethren, sons of our father: one [is] not, and the youngest [is] this day with our father in the land of Canaan.

33 The man who is the governor of the land [did not believe us], so he said to us, ‘This is how I will know if you are truly honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me. Then the rest of you can take some grain for your families that are starving from hunger and go.

And the man, the lord of the country, said to us, By this shall I know that ye [are] true [men]: leave one of your brethren [here] with me, and take [food for] the famine of your households, and depart:

34 But when you return, bring your youngest brother to me, in order that I will know that you are not spies, but instead, that you are honest men. Then I will release your brother for you. And then you can buy whatever you want in this country.’”

And bring your youngest brother to me: then shall I know that ye [are] no spies, but [that] ye [are] true [men]: then will I deliver to you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.

35 As they were emptying their sacks, they were surprised that in each man’s sack was his pouch of money! When they and their father saw all the pouches of money, they were frightened.

And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that behold, every man's bundle of money [was] in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.

36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have caused two of my children to be taken from me! Joseph is dead, and Simeon is gone! And now you want to take Benjamin from me! It is I who am suffering because of all these things that are happening!”

And Jacob their father said to them, Me have ye bereaved: Joseph [is] not, and Simeon [is] not, and ye will take Benjamin [away]: all these things are against me.

37 Reuben said to his father, “I will be responsible for Benjamin. [I will take him to Egypt and] bring him back to you. Let me take care of him. If I do not bring Benjamin back to you, you may kill both of my sons.”

And Reuben spoke to his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.

38 But Jacob said, “No, I will not let my son go down there with you. His [older] brother is dead, and he is the only [one of my wife Rachel’s] sons who is left! If something harms him while you are traveling, you would cause me, a gray-haired old man, to die because of sorrow.” (Sheol h7585)

And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief shall befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. (Sheol h7585)