Genesis 42
42
Joseph’s Brothers Sent to Egypt
1When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”
2“Look,” he added, “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.”
3So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm might befall him.”
5So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan.
6Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground. 7And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked.
“From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”
8Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. 9Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”
10“Not so, my lord,” they replied. “Your servants have come to buy food. 11We are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”
12“No,” he told them. “You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”
13But they answered, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”
14Then Joseph declared, “Just as I said, you are spies! 15And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be confined so that the truth of your words may be tested. If they are untrue, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”
17So Joseph imprisoned them for three days, 18and on the third day he said to them, “I fear God. So do this and you will live: 19If you are honest, leave one of your brothers in custody while the rest of you go and take back grain to relieve the hunger of your households. 20Then bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be verified, that you may not die.”
And to this they consented.
21Then they said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”
22And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”
23They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them. 24And he turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes.
Joseph’s Brothers Return to Canaan
25Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s silver #42:25 Or money; here and throughout chapters 42–44 to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out, 26and they loaded the grain on their donkeys and departed.
27At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of the sack. 28“My silver has been returned!” he said to his brothers. “It is here in my sack.”
Their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”
29When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him all that had happened to them: 30“The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.
31But we told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies. 32We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’
33Then the man who is lord of the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go. 34But bring your youngest brother back 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.’”
35As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed.
36Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!”
37Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him.”
38But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”
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Genesis 42: BSB
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Genesis 42
42
Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt
1Now when Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” # Ac 7:12 2And he said, “Behold, 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.” # Ge 43:8
3Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers for he said, “Perhaps some harm might happen to him.” # Ge 42:38 5Thus the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. # Ge 12:10; 41:57
6Now Joseph was the governor over the land, and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. So Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves down before him with their faces to the ground. 7Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger to them and spoke harshly to them. # Ge 42:30 He said to them, “From where do you come?”
And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”
8Joseph knew his brothers, but they did not know him. 9Joseph also remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. # Ge 37:5–9 He said to them, “You are spies! You came to see the nakedness of the land!”
10They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come only to buy food. 11We are all one man’s sons. We are honest men. Your servants are not spies.”
12But he said to them, “No, you have come to see the nakedness of the land!”
13They said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, # Ge 37:30; 42:32 the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no longer living.”
14Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you, ‘You are spies!’ 15Here is how you will be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, # 1Sa 17:55 you will not leave here unless your youngest brother comes here. 16Send one of you, and let him get your brother, and you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested, whether there be any truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, you are surely spies.” 17He put them all together in custody for three days. # Ge 40:4, 7
18Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God. # Lev 25:43; Ne 5:15 19If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in your prison house. The rest of you go and carry grain for the famine of your households. 20Nevertheless, bring your youngest brother to me so that your words may be verified and you shall not die.” # Ge 42:34; 43:5 And they did so.
21Then they said one to another, “We are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. Therefore, this distress has come upon us.” # Ge 37:23–28; Hos 5:15
22Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore, his blood is now required of us.” # 1Ki 2:32; 2Ch 24:22 23They did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter.
24He turned himself away from them and wept, # Ge 43:30 but then turned back to them again and spoke with them. Then he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
25Joseph then gave the command to fill their sacks with grain and to restore every man’s money to his sack and to give them provisions for the way. # 1Pe 3:9 And it was done for them.
Joseph’s Brothers Return Home
26They loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there.
27As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed in the lodging place, he saw his money. It was in the mouth of his sack. 28And he said to his brothers, “My money has been returned. Here it is in my sack!”
Then their hearts sank, and they were afraid, saying to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”
29They came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30“The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us and took us for spies of the country. # Ge 42:7 31And we said to him, ‘We are honest men. We are not spies. 32We are twelve brothers, all sons of our father. One is no longer living, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.’
33“The man, the lord of the country, said to us, ‘Here is how I may know that you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers here with me, # Ge 42:15, 19–20 take food for the famine of your households, and be gone. 34But bring your youngest brother back to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. Then I will deliver your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’ ” # Ge 34:10, 21
35As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack. When both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. 36Then Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you will take Benjamin away. # Ge 43:14 All these things are against me.”
37Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons if I fail to bring him to you. # Ge 46:9 Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.”
38But Jacob said, “My son must not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. # Ge 37:33; 42:4 If harm should happen to him on the journey you are to make, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.” # Ge 37:35
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The Holy Bible, Modern English Version
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