Genesis 42:1-24

Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt

1When aJacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may blive and not die.” 3So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4But Jacob did not send Benjamin, cJoseph’s brother, with his brothers, for dhe feared that harm might happen to him. 5Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

6Now Joseph was governor eover the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and fbowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and gspoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from?” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9And Joseph hremembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. iAnd he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” 10They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food. 11We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.”

12He said to them, “No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see.” 13And they said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one jis no more.” 14But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you. You are spies. 15By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.” 17And he put them all together in custody for three days.

18On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, kfor I fear God: 19if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry lgrain for the famine of your households, 20and mbring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so. 21Then they said to one another, n“In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” 22And Reuben answered them, o“Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now pthere comes a reckoning for his blood.” 23They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. 24Then he turned away from them and qwept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

Genesis 43:2

2And when they had eaten the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.”
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