Genesis 42
42
1 Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy for us from there, so that we may live, and not die.” 3Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4But Jacob didn’t send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers; for he said, “Lest perhaps harm happen to him.” 5The sons of Israel came to buy among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6Joseph was the governor over the land. It was he who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph’s brothers came, and bowed themselves down to him with their faces to the earth. 7Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but acted like a stranger to them, and spoke roughly with them. He said to them, “Where did you come from?”
They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.”
8 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him. 9Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land.”
10 They said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men. Your servants are not spies.”
12 He said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land!”
13 They said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is today with our father, and one is no more.”
14 Joseph said to them, “It is like I told you, saying, ‘You are spies!’ 15By this you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go out from here, unless your youngest brother comes here. 16Send one of you, and let him get your brother, and you shall be bound, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you, or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies.” 17He put them all together into custody for three days.
18 Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this, and live, for I fear God. 19If you are honest men, then let one of your brothers be bound in your prison; but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses. 20Bring your youngest brother to me; so will your words be verified, and you won’t die.”
They did so. 21They said to one another, “We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn’t listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us.” 22Reuben answered them, saying, “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘Don’t sin against the child,’ and you wouldn’t listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required.” 23They didn’t know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them. 24He turned himself away from them, and wept. Then he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes. 25Then Joseph gave a command to fill their bags with grain, and to restore each man’s money into his sack, and to give them food for the way. So it was done to them.
26 They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed from there. 27As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey food in the lodging place, he saw his money. Behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. 28He said to his brothers, “My money is restored! Behold, it is in my sack!” Their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?” 29They came to Jacob their father, to the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30“The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country. 31We said to him, ‘We are honest men. We are no spies. 32We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is today with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 33The man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way. 34Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. So I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’”
35 As they emptied their sacks, behold, each man’s bundle of money was in his sack. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 36Jacob, their father, said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.”
37 Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons, if I don’t bring him to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him to you again.”
38 He said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left. If harm happens to him along the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”#42:38 Sheol is the place of the dead.
PUBLIC DOMAIN
Genesis 42
42
1Now when Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) saw that there was corn in Mitzrayim [Egypt] (Double Distress or Double Stronghold, Black Land), Ya’akov said unto his sons, Why do youf look one upon another?
2And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Mitzrayim [Egypt]: get you down there, and buy for us from there; that we may live, and not die.
3Yosef’s (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]) ten brethren went down to buy corn in Mitzrayim [Egypt] (Double Distress or Double Stronghold, Black Land).
4But Binyamin (This Son Is Strength), Yosef’s (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]) brother, Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest perhaps mischief befall him.
5And the sons of Isra’el (he who holds onto God-The Creator) came to buy [corn] among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Kena’an (merchant; trader; or that humbles and subdues).
6And Yosef [was] the governor over the land, [and] he [it was] that sold to all the people of the land: and Yosef’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him [with] their faces to the earth.
7And Yosef saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spoke roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come youf? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.
8And Yosef knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
9And Yosef remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, You1sf [are] spies; to see the nakedness of the land you1sf are come.
10And they said unto him, No, my lord, but to buy food are youri servants come.
11We [are] all one man’s sons; we [are] true [men], youri servants are no spies.
12And he said unto them, No, but to see the nakedness of the land youf are come.
13And they said, youri servants [are] twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Kena’an (merchant; trader; or that humbles and subdues); and, behold, the youngest [is] this day with our father, and one [is] not.
14And Yosef (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]) said unto them, That [is it] that I spoke unto you, saying, You1sf [are] spies:
15Hereby you1sf shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh (Great House) you1sf shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come to this place (till this point in time).
16Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and you1sf shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether [there be any] tin you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you1sf [are] spies.
17And he put them all to (to do entirely, do wholly) gether into ward (in custody, with a guard; prison) three days.
18And Yosef said unto them the third day, This do, and live; [for] I fear God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered]:
19If you1sf [be] true [men], let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go you1sf, carry corn for the famine of your houses:
20But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and youf shall not die. And they did so.
21And they said one to another, We [are] truly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.
22And Re’uven (behold a son) answered them, saying, Spoke I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and youf would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.
23And they knew not that Yosef (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]) understood [them]; for he spoke unto them by an interpreter.
24And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Shim’on (heard; he who hears; man of hearing), and bound him before their eyes.
25Then Yosef (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]) commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and in this way did he unto them.
26And they laded their donkeys with the corn, and departed there.
27And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey provender (food for livestock or cattle) in the inn, he discovered (spied out; examined) his money; for, behold, it [was] in his sack’s mouth.
28And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, [it is] even in my sack: and their heart failed [them], and they were afraid, saying one to another, What [is] this [that] God-Elōhīm [The Living Word - The Many Powered] has done unto us?
29And they came unto Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) their father unto the land of Kena’an (merchant; trader; or that humbles and subdues), and told him all that befell unto them; saying,
30The man, [who is] the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.
31And we said unto him, We [are] true [men]; we are no spies:
32We [be] twelve brethren, sons of our father; one [is] not, and the youngest [is] this day with our father in the land of Kena’an (merchant; trader; or that humbles and subdues).
33And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that you1sf [are] true [men]; leave one of yourf brethren [here] with me, and take [food for] the famine of yourf households, and be gone:
34And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that you1sf [are] not spies, but [that] you1sf [are] true [men: so] will I deliver [to] youf yourf brother, and you1sf shall traffick (trade; do business) [engage in illegal activity] in the land.
35And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money [was] in his sack: and when [both] they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.
36And Ya’akov (he who holds onto the heel of) their father said unto them, Me have youf bereaved [of my children]: Yosef (Increaser; May God the Powerful One add [Yah]) [is] not, and Shim’on (heard; he who hears; man of hearing) [is] not, and you1sf will take Binyamin (This Son Is Strength) [away]: all these things are against me.
37And Re’uven (behold a son) spoke unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to youi: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to youi again.
38And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which you1sf go, then shall you1sf bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
Text copyright © 2000-2018 TOV Rose
For more information about the NMV, details about why the names of God are notated and translated as they are, or to learn about the special markings and translations used in this text, click below.
Follow the instructions and you will receive the free e-book by email.