Génesis 42
Biblia del Jubileo
42 ¶ Y viendo Jacob que en Egipto había alimentos, dijo a sus hijos: ¿Por qué os estáis mirando?
2 Y dijo: He aquí, yo he oído que hay alimentos en Egipto; descended allá, y comprad de allí para nosotros, para que podamos vivir, y no nos muramos.
3 Y descendieron los diez hermanos de José a comprar trigo a Egipto.
4 Mas Jacob no envió a Benjamín, hermano de José, con sus hermanos; porque dijo: Para que no le acontezca algún desastre.
5 Y vinieron los hijos de Israel a comprar entre los que venían; porque había hambre en la tierra de Canaán.
6 Y José era el señor de la tierra, que vendía el trigo a todo el pueblo de la tierra; y llegaron los hermanos de José, y se inclinaron a él rostro en tierra.
7 ¶ Y cuando José vio a sus hermanos, los conoció; mas hizo que no los conocía, y les habló ásperamente, y les dijo: ¿De dónde habéis venido? Ellos respondieron: De la tierra de Canaán a comprar alimentos.
8 Y José reconoció a sus hermanos, pero ellos no le reconocieron.
9 Entonces se acordó José de los sueños que había soñado de ellos, y les dijo: Espías sois; para ver lo descubierto de la tierra habéis venido.
10 Y ellos le respondieron: No, señor mío; mas tus esclavos han venido a comprar alimentos.
11 Todos nosotros somos hijos de un varón; somos hombres de la verdad; tus esclavos nunca fueron espías.
12 Y él les dijo: No; a ver lo descubierto del país habéis venido.
13 Ellos respondieron: Tus esclavos somos doce hermanos, hijos de un varón en la tierra de Canaán; y he aquí el menor está hoy con nuestro padre, y el otro ha desaparecido.
14 Y José les dijo: Eso es lo que os he dicho, afirmando que sois espías.
15 En esto seréis probados: Vive el Faraón que no saldréis de aquí, sino cuando vuestro hermano menor viniere aquí.
16 Enviad uno de vosotros, y traiga a vuestro hermano; y vosotros quedad presos, y vuestras palabras serán probadas, si la verdad está con vosotros; y si no, vive el Faraón, que sois espías.
17 Y los juntó en la cárcel por tres días.
18 Y al tercer día les dijo José: Haced esto, y vivid. Yo temo a Dios.
19 Si sois hombres de la verdad, quede preso en la casa de vuestra cárcel uno de vuestros hermanos; y vosotros id, llevad el alimento para el hambre de vuestra casa;
20 pero habéis de traerme a vuestro hermano menor, y serán verificadas vuestras palabras, y no moriréis. Y ellos lo hicieron así.
21 ¶ Y decían el uno al otro: Verdaderamente somos culpables referente a nuestro hermano, que vimos la angustia de su alma cuando nos rogaba, y no le oímos; por eso ha venido sobre nosotros esta angustia.
22 Entonces Rubén les respondió, diciendo: ¿No os hablé yo y dije: No pequéis ofensa contra el joven; y no escuchasteis? He aquí también su sangre es requerida.
23 Y ellos no sabían que los entendía José, porque había intérprete entre ellos.
24 Y se apartó José de ellos, y lloró; después volvió a ellos, y les habló, y tomó de entre ellos a Simeón, y le aprisionó a vista de ellos.
25 Y mandó José que llenaran sus sacos de trigo, y devolvieran el dinero de cada uno de ellos, poniéndolo en su saco, y les dieran comida para el camino; y fue hecho con ellos así.
26 Y ellos pusieron su trigo sobre sus asnos, y se fueron de allí.
27 Y abriendo uno su saco para dar de comer a su asno, en el mesón, vio su dinero que estaba en la boca de su costal.
28 Y dijo a sus hermanos: Mi dinero se me ha devuelto, y aun helo aquí en mi saco. Se les sobresaltó entonces el corazón, y espantados dijeron el uno al otro: ¿Qué es esto que nos ha hecho Dios?
29 ¶ Y venidos a Jacob su padre en tierra de Canaán, le contaron todo lo que les había acaecido, diciendo:
30 Aquel varón, señor de la tierra, nos habló ásperamente, y nos trató como a espías de la tierra:
31 Y nosotros le dijimos: Somos hombres de la verdad, nunca fuimos espías.
32 Somos doce hermanos, hijos de nuestro padre; el uno no aparece, y el menor está hoy con nuestro padre en la tierra de Canaán.
33 Y aquel varón, señor de la tierra, nos dijo: En esto conoceré que sois hombres de la verdad; dejad conmigo uno de vuestros hermanos, y tomad para el hambre de vuestras casas, y andad,
34 y traedme a vuestro hermano el menor, para que yo sepa que no sois espías, sino hombres de la verdad; así os daré a vuestro hermano, y negociaréis en la tierra.
35 Y aconteció que vaciando ellos sus sacos, he aquí que en el saco de cada uno estaba el atado de su dinero; y viendo ellos y su padre los atados de su dinero, tuvieron temor.
36 Entonces su padre Jacob les dijo: Me habéis privado de mis hijos; José no aparece, ni Simeón tampoco, y a Benjamín le llevaréis; sobre mí son todas estas cosas.
37 Y Rubén habló a su padre, diciendo: Harás morir a mis dos hijos, si no te lo devolviere; entrégalo en mi mano, que yo lo devolveré a ti.
38 Y él dijo: No descenderá mi hijo con vosotros; que su hermano ha muerto, y él solo ha quedado; y si le aconteciere algún desastre en el camino por donde vais, haréis descender mis canas con dolor hasta el Seol.
Genesis 42
New King James Version
Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt
42 When (A)Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may (B)live and not die.”
3 So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, (C)“Lest some calamity befall him.” 5 And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was (D)in the land of Canaan.
6 Now Joseph was governor (E)over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and (F)bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as (G)a stranger to them and spoke [a]roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?”
And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”
8 So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 Then Joseph (H)remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the [b]nakedness of the land!”
10 And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.”
12 But he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.”
13 And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one (I)is no more.”
14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’ 15 In this manner you shall be tested: (J)By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be [c]kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!” 17 So he [d]put them all together in prison (K)three days.
18 Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, (L)for I fear God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses. 20 And (M)bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.”
And they did so. 21 Then they said to one another, (N)“We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; (O)therefore this distress has come upon us.”
22 And Reuben answered them, saying, (P)“Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now (Q)required of us.” 23 But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. 24 And he turned himself away from them and (R)wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took (S)Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
The Brothers Return to Canaan
25 Then Joseph (T)gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to (U)restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. (V)Thus he did for them. 26 So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there. 27 But as (W)one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack. 28 So he said to his brothers, “My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!” Then their hearts [e]failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”
29 Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying: 30 “The man who is lord of the land (X)spoke [f]roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.’ 33 Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, (Y)‘By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone. 34 And bring your (Z)youngest brother to me; so I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. I will grant your brother to you, and you may (AA)trade in the land.’ ”
35 Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly (AB)each man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have (AC)bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take (AD)Benjamin. All these things are against me.”
37 Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.”
38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for (AE)his brother is dead, and he is left alone. (AF)If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would (AG)bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.”
Footnotes
- Genesis 42:7 harshly
- Genesis 42:9 Exposed parts
- Genesis 42:16 Lit. bound
- Genesis 42:17 Lit. gathered
- Genesis 42:28 sank
- Genesis 42:30 harshly
Genesis 42
New International Version
Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt
42 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt,(A) he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” 2 He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us,(B) so that we may live and not die.”(C)
3 Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain(D) from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin,(E) Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him.(F) 5 So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain,(G) for there was famine in the land of Canaan(H) also.(I)
6 Now Joseph was the governor of the land,(J) the person who sold grain to all its people.(K) So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.(L) 7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them.(M) “Where do you come from?”(N) he asked.
“From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”
8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.(O) 9 Then he remembered his dreams(P) about them and said to them, “You are spies!(Q) You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”(R)
10 “No, my lord,(S)” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food.(T) 11 We are all the sons of one man. Your servants(U) are honest men,(V) not spies.(W)”
12 “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”(X)
13 But they replied, “Your servants(Y) were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan.(Z) The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”(AA)
14 Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies!(AB) 15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives,(AC) you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.(AD) 16 Send one of your number to get your brother;(AE) the rest of you will be kept in prison,(AF) so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth.(AG) If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!(AH)” 17 And he put them all in custody(AI) for three days.
18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God:(AJ) 19 If you are honest men,(AK) let one of your brothers stay here in prison,(AL) while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households.(AM) 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me,(AN) so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do.
21 They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother.(AO) We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress(AP) has come on us.”
22 Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy?(AQ) But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting(AR) for his blood.”(AS) 23 They did not realize(AT) that Joseph could understand them,(AU) since he was using an interpreter.
24 He turned away from them and began to weep,(AV) but then came back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.(AW)
25 Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain,(AX) to put each man’s silver back in his sack,(AY) and to give them provisions(AZ) for their journey.(BA) After this was done for them, 26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys(BB) and left.
27 At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey,(BC) and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack.(BD) 28 “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.”
Their hearts sank(BE) and they turned to each other trembling(BF) and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”(BG)
29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan,(BH) they told him all that had happened to them.(BI) They said, 30 “The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us(BJ) and treated us as though we were spying on the land.(BK) 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.(BL) 32 We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.’(BM)
33 “Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go.(BN) 34 But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men.(BO) Then I will give your brother back to you,(BP) and you can trade[a] in the land.(BQ)’”
35 As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his pouch of silver!(BR) When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened.(BS) 36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more,(BT) and now you want to take Benjamin.(BU) Everything is against me!(BV)”
37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care,(BW) and I will bring him back.”(BX)
38 But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead(BY) and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him(BZ) on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave(CA) in sorrow.(CB)”
Footnotes
- Genesis 42:34 Or move about freely
Biblia del Jubileo 2000 (JUS) © 2000, 2001, 2010, 2014, 2017, 2020 by Ransom Press International
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

