42:1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?”
42:2 He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”
42:3 Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
42:4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him.
42:5 So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.
42:6 Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.
42:7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”
42:8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.
42:9 Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”
42:10 “No, my lord,” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food.
42:11 We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”
42:12 “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”
42:13 But they replied, “Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”
42:14 Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies!
42:15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
42:16 Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”
42:17 And he put them all in custody for three days.
42:18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God:
42:19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households.
42:20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do.
42:21 They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come upon us.”
42:22 Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.”
42:23 They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.
42:24 He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.
42:25 Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them,
42:26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.
42:27 At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack.
42:28 “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.” Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”
42:29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said,
42:30 “The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land.
42:31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.
42:32 We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.’
42:33 “Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go.
42:34 But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’”
42:35 As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened.
42:36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!”
42:37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back.”
42:38 But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.”
42:1 Now when Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, Why do you keep looking at one another?
42:2 And he said, I have now heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there, and buy grain for us from there, that we may live and not die.
42:3 So Joseph s ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
42:4 But Jacob did not send Joseph s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, Perhaps harm may befall him.
42:5 And the sons of Israel came to buy grain among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
42:6 Now Joseph was the governor over the land; it was he who sold grain to all the people of the land. And Joseph s brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.
42:7 And Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke harshly with them. And he said to them, Where have you come from? And they said, From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food.
42:8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.
42:9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.
42:10 And they said to him, No, my lord; rather your servants have come to buy grain for food.
42:11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men; your servants have never been spies.
42:12 And he said to them, No; but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.
42:13 And they said, We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and at this moment the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.
42:14 But Joseph said to them, It is just as I spoke to you, saying, You are spies.
42:15 By this you shall be tested: As Pharaoh lives, you shall not go away from this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
42:16 Send one of you to get your brother while you remain bound, that your words may be tested whether there is truth in you. And if not, as Pharaoh lives, surely you are spies.
42:17 And he put them all together in custody three days.
42:18 And Joseph said to them on the third day, Do this and live, for I fear God.
42:19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain bound in your place of custody; and the rest of you go, carry grain for the famine of your households.
42:20 And bring your youngest brother to me, that your words may be verified; and you will not die. And they did so.
42:21 And they said one to another, We are indeed guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come to us.
42:22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Did I not speak to you, saying, Do not sin against the child? But you would not listen. So now also his blood is required.
42:23 And they did not know that Joseph understood, for there was an interpreter between them.
42:24 And he turned away from them and wept. Then he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from among them and bound him before their eyes.
42:25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain and to restore every man s silver pieces to his sack and to give them provisions for the way. And thus was it done for them.
42:26 And they loaded their grain upon their donkeys and departed from there.
42:27 And one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, and he saw his silver; there it was in the mouth of his sack.
42:28 And he said to his brothers, My silver has been returned; and here it is in my sack! And their heart stopped, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, What is this that God has done to us?
42:29 And they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying,
42:30 The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us and took us for spies on the land.
42:31 But we said to him, We are honest men; we have never been spies.
42:32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; the one is no more, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.
42:33 And the man, the lord of the land, said to us, By this will I know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go.
42:34 And bring your youngest brother to me that I may know that you are not spies but honest men. I will give you your brother, and you may trade in the land.
42:35 And when they emptied their sacks, there was each man s bundle of silver pieces, in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of silver, they were afraid.
42:36 And Jacob their father said to them, You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me.
42:37 And Reuben spoke to his father, saying, You may put to death my two sons if I do not bring him to you. Put him in my hand, and I will return him to you.
42:38 But he said, My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. And if harm should befall him on the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs in sorrow to Sheol.