Genesis 42
Joseph’s Brothers Sent to Egypt
1 Now aJacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?” 2Then he said, “Look, bI have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from ▼▼Lit there
that place, dso that we may live and not die.” 3So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother eBenjamin with his brothers, for he said, “ fI am afraid that harm may happen to him.” 5So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, gbecause the famine was also in the land of Canaan. 6 Now hJoseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold grain to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and ibowed down to him with their faces to the ground. 7When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and jspoke to them harshly. He said to them, “Where have you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8 But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although kthey did not recognize him. 9And Joseph lremembered the dreams which he ▼▼Lit had dreamed
had about them, and he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to look at the ▼▼Lit nakedness of the land
undefended parts of our land.” 10And they said to him, “No, omy lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11We are all sons of one man; we are phonest men, your servants are not spies.” 12Yet he said to them, “No, but you have come to look at the ▼▼Lit nakedness of the land
undefended parts of our land!” 13But they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with rour father today, and sone is no longer alive.” 14Yet Joseph said to them, “It is as I said ▼▼Lit to you, saying
to you, you are spies; 15by this you will be tested: uby the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here! 16Send one of you and have him get your brother, while you remain confined, so that your words may be tested, whether there is vtruth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, you are certainly spies!” 17So he put them all together in wprison for three days. 18 Now Joseph said to them on the third day, “Do this and live, for xI fear God: 19if you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in ▼▼Lit the house of your prison
your prison; but as for the rest of you, go, carry grain for the famine of your households, 20and zbring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified, and you will not die.” And they did so. 21Then they said to one another, “ aaTruly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; for that reason this distress has happened to us.” 22Reuben answered them, saying, “ abDid I not tell ▼▼Lit you, saying,
you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? ▼▼Lit And behold, his blood also is required
aeNow justice for his blood is required.” 23They did not know, however, that Joseph understood, for there was an interpreter between them. 24Then he turned away from them and afwept. But when he returned to them and spoke to them, he agtook Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 ahThen Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, but also to return every man’s money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. And that is what was done for them. 26 So they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there. 27But when one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the overnight campsite, he saw his aimoney; and behold, it was in the opening of his sack! 28So he said to his brothers, “My money has been returned, and look, it is right in my sack!” Then their hearts ▼▼Lit went out
sank, and they turned ▼▼Lit trembled
trembling to one another, saying, “ alWhat is this that God has done to us?” Simeon Is Held Hostage
29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him everything that had happened to them, saying, 30“The man, the lord of the land, amspoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country. 31But we said to him, ‘We are anhonest men; we are not spies. 32We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no longer alive, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.’ 33But the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘ aoBy this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me and take grain for the famine of your households, and go. 34But bring your youngest brother to me so that I may know that you are not spies, but ▼▼Lit you are honest
honest men. I will give your brother to you, and you may aqtrade in the land.’” 35 Now it came about, as they were emptying their sacks, that behold, arevery man’s bag of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw their bags of money, they were afraid. 36And their father Jacob said to them, “You have asdeprived me of my sons: Joseph is gone, and Simeon is gone, and now you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me.” 37Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my ▼▼Lit hand
care, and I will return him to you.” 38But ▼▼Lit he
Jacob said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his avbrother is dead, and he alone is left. awIf harm should happen to him on the journey ▼▼Lit on which you are going
you are taking, then you will aybring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”
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