Chapter 42
1
Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt. Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at each other?"
2
He said, "I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy for us from there, so we will live and not die."
3
Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
4
But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers, for he said, "Lest disaster befall him."
5
The sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
6
And Joseph, the ruler over the land, the one supplying to all the people of the land, and Joseph's brothers came and bowed themselves to him with their noses to the ground.
7
Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them. He treated them like strangers and spoke to them harshly. He said to them, "Where have you come from?" They said, "From the land of Canaan to buy food."
8
Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.
9
Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed about them, and he 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."
11
We are all sons of one man; we are honest. We ourselves—your servants—were not spies.
12
He said to them, "No, you have come to see the nakedness of the land."
13
They said, "We are twelve of your servants, brothers—sons of one man in the land of Canaan. Behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more."
14
And he said to them, "What I said to you, saying, 'You are spies.'"
15
By this you will be tested: As Pharaoh lives, you shall not go out from here unless your younger brother comes here.
16
Send one of you, and let him get your brother, while you remain bound. Let them test your words to see whether there is truth in you. And if not, by the life of Pharaoh, you are spies.
17
And he gathered them together and put them in guard for three days.
18
And Joseph said to them on the third day, "Do this and live, for I fear God."
19
If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be bound in your guardhouse, and the rest of you go bring grain for the famine to your houses.
20
You shall bring your youngest brother to me, and your words will be confirmed, and you will not die." And they did so.
21
And they said to one another, "Surely we are guilty concerning our brother, whose distress of soul we saw when he begged us, and we did not listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us."
22
Reuben answered them, "Did I not say to you, 'Do not sin against the child,' and you did not listen? And also—his blood is required."
23
And they did not know that Joseph heard, because the interpreter was between them.
24
He turned away from them and wept. Then he returned to them, spoke to them, took Simeon from them, and bound him before their eyes.
25
And Joseph commanded them to fill their vessels with grain, to return their silver money to their sacks, and to give them provisions for the way, and they did so.
26
And they loaded their grain and provisions onto their donkeys and went from there.
27
One opened his sack to give feed to his donkey at the lodging place, and he saw his silver. And behold, it was at the mouth of his pouch.
28
And he said to his brothers, "My silver has been returned, and also behold it in my sack." And their heart went out and they trembled, each man to his brother, saying, "What is this God has done to us?"
29
And they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and they told him all that had happened to them, saying:
30
The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us and treated us as spies on the land.
31
And we said to him, "We are honest men; we are not spies."
32
"We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is not, and the small one is today with our father in the land of Canaan."
33
The 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, take provisions for your houses, and go."
34
Bring your youngest brother to me, and I will know that you are not spies but upright men. Then I will return your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.
35
And it was as they were emptying their sacks—behold, each man's bundle of silver was in his sack. And when they and their father saw the bundles of their silver, they were afraid.
36
And Jacob their father said to them, "You have bereaved me—Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and you would take Benjamin from me. All these things are against me."
37
And Reuben said to his father, "You must put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Give him into my hand, and I will return him to you."
38
And he said, "My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone remains. And it will meet him—disaster on the way which you will go in it—and you will bring down my gray hair in sorrow to Sheol."