Genesis 42
1 Audiens autem Iacob quod alimenta venderentur in Aegypto, dixit filiis suis: Quare negligitis?
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 audivi quod triticum venundetur in Aegypto: descendite, et emite nobis necessaria, ut possimus vivere, et non consumamur inopia.
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 Descendentes igitur fratres Ioseph decem, ut emerent frumenta in Aegypto,
So ten of Joseph's brothers went to Egypt to buy grain.
4 Beniamin domi retento a Iacob, qui dixerat fratribus eius: Ne forte in itinere quidquam patiatur mali:
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 ingressi sunt terram Aegypti cum aliis qui pergebant ad emendum. Erat autem fames in terra Chanaan.
So Israel's sons went to buy grain along with everyone else, because there was famine in Canaan too.
6 Et Ioseph erat princeps in terra Aegypti, atque ad eius nutum frumenta populis vendebantur. Cumque adorassent eum fratres sui,
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 et agnovisset eos, quasi ad alienos durius loquebatur, interrogans eos: Unde venistis? Qui responderunt: De terra Chanaan, ut emamus victui necessaria.
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 Et tamen fratres ipse cognoscens, non est cognitus ab eis.
Even though Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn't recognize him.
9 Recordatusque somniorum, quae aliquando viderat, ait ad eos: Exploratores estis: ut videatis infirmiora terrae venistis.
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 Qui dixerunt: Non est ita, domine, sed servi tui venerunt ut emerent cibos.
“That's not true, my lord!” they responded. “We, your servants, have just come to buy food.
11 Omnes filii unius viri sumus: pacifici venimus, nec quidquam famuli tui machinantur mali.
We're all the sons of one man and we're honest. We're not spies!”
12 Quibus ille respondit: Aliter est: immunita terrae huius considerare venistis.
“No! You've come to find our country's weaknesses!” he insisted.
13 At illi: Duodecim, inquiunt, servi tui, fratres sumus, filii viri unius in terra Chanaan: minimus cum patre nostro est, alius non est super.
“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 Hoc est, ait, quod locutus sum: Exploratores estis.
“As I said before, you're spies!” Joseph declared.
15 Iam nunc experimentum vestri capiam: per salutem Pharaonis non egrediemini hinc, donec veniat frater vester minimus.
“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 Mittite ex vobis unum, et adducat eum: vos autem eritis in vinculis, donec probentur quae dixistis utrum vera an falsa sint: alioquin per salutem Pharaonis exploratores estis.
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 Tradidit ergo illos custodiae tribus diebus.
So Joseph put all of them in prison for three days.
18 Die autem tertio eductis de carcere, ait: Facite quae dixi, et vivetis: Deum enim timeo.
On the third day he told them, “Since I'm someone who respects God, do as I tell you and you'll live.
19 Si pacifici estis, frater vester unus ligetur in carcere: vos autem abite, et ferte frumenta quae emistis, in domos vestras,
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 et fratrem vestrum minimum ad me adducite, ut possim vestros probare sermones, et non moriamini. Fecerunt ut dixerat,
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 et locuti sunt ad invicem: Merito haec patimur, quia peccavimus in fratrem nostrum, videntes angustiam animae illius, dum deprecaretur nos, et non audivimus: idcirco venit super nos ista tribulatio.
“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 E quibus unus Ruben, ait: Numquid non dixi vobis: Nolite peccare in puerum: et non audistis me? en sanguis eius exquiritur.
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 Nesciebant autem quod intelligeret Ioseph: eo quod per interpretem loqueretur ad eos.
They didn't realize that Joseph understood what they were saying because they were talking to him through an interpreter.
24 Avertitque se parumper, et flevit: et reversus locutus est ad eos.
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 Tollensque Simeon, et ligans illis praesentibus, iussit ministris ut implerent eorum saccos tritico, et reponerent pecunias singulorum in sacculis suis, datis supra cibariis in viam: qui fecerunt ita.
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 At illi portantes frumenta in asinis suis, profecti sunt.
The brothers loaded the grain onto their donkeys and then set off.
27 Apertoque unus sacco, ut daret iumento pabulum in diversorio, contemplatus pecuniam in ore sacculi,
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 dixit fratribus suis: Reddita est mihi pecunia, en habetur in sacco. Et obstupefacti, turbatique mutuo dixerunt: Quidnam est hoc quod fecit nobis Deus?
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 Veneruntque ad Iacob patrem suum in terram Chanaan, et narraverunt ei omnia quae accidissent sibi, dicentes:
When they arrived home in Canaan, they told their father Jacob everything that had happened.
30 Locutus est nobis dominus terrae dure, et putavit nos exploratores esse provinciae.
“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 Cui respondimus: Pacifici sumus, nec ullas molimur insidias.
“We told him, ‘We are honest men. We're not spies!
32 Duodecim fratres uno patre geniti sumus: unus non est super, minimus cum patre nostro est in terra 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 Qui ait nobis: Sic probabo quod pacifici sitis: Fratrem vestrum unum dimittite apud me, et cibaria domibus vestris necessaria sumite, et abite,
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 fratremque vestrum minimum adducite ad me, ut sciam quod non sitis exploratores: et istum, qui tenetur in vinculis, recipere possitis: ac deinceps quae vultis, emendi habeatis licentiam.
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 His dictis, cum frumenta effunderent, singuli repererunt in ore saccorum ligatas pecunias, exterritisque simul omnibus,
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 dixit pater Iacob: Absque liberis me esse fecistis, Ioseph non est super, Simeon tenetur in vinculis, et Beniamin auferetis: in me haec omnia mala reciderunt.
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 Cui respondit Ruben: Duos filios meos interfice, si non reduxero illum tibi: trade illum in manu mea, et ego eum tibi restituam.
“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 At ille: Non descendet, inquit, filius meus vobiscum: frater eius mortuus est, et ipse solus remansit: si quid ei adversi acciderit in terra ad quam pergitis, deducetis canos meos cum dolore ad inferos. (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)
