Genesis 42

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

And Jacob having seen that there was a sale [of corn] in Egypt, said to his sons, Why are you indolent?

2 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.

Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt; go down there, and buy for us a little food, that we may live, and not die.

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

And the ten brethren of Joseph went down to buy corn out of Egypt.

4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with them, for fear, as he said, that some evil might come to him.

But [Jacob] sent not Benjamin, the brother of Joseph, with his brethren; for he said, Lest, haply, disease befall him.

5 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.

And the sons of Israel came to buy with those that came, for the famine was in the land of Chanaan.

6 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.

And Joseph was ruler of the land; he sold to all the people of the land. And the brethren of Joseph, having come, did reverence to him, [bowing] with the face to the ground.

7 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.

And when Joseph saw his brethren, he knew them, and estranged himself from them, and spoke hard words to them; and said to them, Whence are you come? And they said, Out of the land of Chanaan, to buy food.

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

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

9 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.

And Joseph remembered his dream, which he saw; and he said to them, You are spies; to observe the marks of the land are you come.

10 And they said to him, Not so, my lord: your servants have come with money to get food.

But they said, Nay, Sir, we your servants are come to buy food;

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

we are all sons of one man; we are peaceful, your servants are not spies.

12 And he said to them, No, but you have come to see how poor the land is.

And he said to them, Nay, but you are come to observe the marks of the land.

13 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.

And they said, We your servants are twelve brethren, in the land of Chanaan; and, behold, the youngest is with our father today, but the other one is not.

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

And Joseph said to them, This is it that I spoke to you, saying, you are spies;

15 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.

herein shall you be manifested; by the health of Pharao, you shall not depart hence, unless your younger brother come here.

16 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.

Send one of you, and take your brother; and go you to prison, till your words be clear, whether you speak the truth or not; but, if not, by the health of Pharao, verily you are spies.

17 So he put them in prison for three days.

And he put them in prison three days.

18 And on the third day Joseph said to them, Do this, if you would keep your lives: for I am a god-fearing man:

And he said to them on the third day, This do, and you shall live, for I fear God.

19 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;

If you be peaceful, let one of your brethren be detained in prison; but go you, and carry back the corn you have purchased.

20 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.

And bring your younger brother to me, and your words shall be believed; but, if not, you shall die. And they did so.

21 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.

And each said to his brother, Yes, indeed, for we are in fault concerning our brother, when we disregarded the anguish of his soul, when he implored us, and we listened not to him; and therefore has this affliction come upon us.

22 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.

And Ruben answered them, saying, Did I not speak to you, saying, Hurt not the boy, and you heard me not? and, behold, his blood is required.

23 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.

But they knew not that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.

24 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.

And Joseph turned away from them, and wept; and again he came to them, and spoke to them; and he took Symeon from them, and bound him before their eyes.

25 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.

And Joseph gave orders to fill their vessels with corn, and to return their money to each into his sack, and to give them provision for the way; and it was so done to them.

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

And having put the corn on the asses, they departed thence.

27 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.

And one having opened his sack to give his asses fodder, at the place where they rested, saw also his bundle of money, for it was on the mouth of his sack.

28 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?

And he said to his brethren, My money has been restored to me, and behold this is in my sack. And their heart was wonder-struck, and they were troubled, saying one to another, What is this that God has done to us?

29 So when they came to Jacob their father, in the land of Canaan, they gave him an account of all their experiences, saying,

And they came to their father, Jacob, into the land of Chanaan, and reported to him all that had happened to them, saying,

30 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.

The man, the lord of the land, spoke harsh words to us, and put us in prison as spies of the land.

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

And we said to him, We are men of peace, we are not spies.

32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is dead, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.

We are twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is with his father today in the land of Chanaan.

33 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;

And the man, the lord of the land, said to us, Herein shall I know that you are peaceful; leave one brother here with me, and having taken the corn you have purchased for your family, depart.

34 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.

And bring to me your younger brother; then I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are men of peace: and I will restore you your brother, and you shall trade in the land.

35 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.

And it came to pass as they were emptying their sacks, there was each man's bundle of money in his sack; and they and their father saw their bundles of money, and they were afraid.

36 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.

And their father Jacob said to them, You have bereaved me. Joseph is not, Symeon is not, and will you take Benjamin? all these things have come upon me.

37 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.

And Ruben spoke to his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to you; give him into my hand, and I will bring him back to you.

38 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)

But he said, My son shall not go down with you, because his brother is dead, and he only has been left; and [suppose] it shall come to pass that he is afflicted by the way by which you go, then you shall bring down my old age with sorrow to Hades. (Sheol h7585)