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
21st Century King James Version
42 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, “Why do ye look one upon another?”
2 And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt. Go down thither and buy for us from thence, that we may live and not die.”
3 And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.
4 But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren, for he said, “Lest perhaps mischief befall him.”
5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was who sold to all the people of the land; and Joseph’s brethren came and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.
7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he recognized them, but made himself as a stranger unto them and spoke roughly unto them; and he said unto them, “From whence come ye?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”
8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them, and said unto them, “Ye are spies! To see the nakedness of the land ye have come!”
10 And they said unto him, “Nay, my lord, but to buy food have thy servants come.
11 We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.”
12 And he said unto them, “Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye have come.”
13 And they said, “Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.”
14 And Joseph said unto them, “That is it that I spoke unto you, saying, ‘Ye are spies!’
15 Hereby ye shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, unless your youngest brother come hither.
16 Send one of you and let him fetch your brother; and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested, whether there be any truth in you; or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies!”
17 And he put them all together into custody three days.
18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, “This do, and live, for I fear God:
19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the prison house. Go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses.
20 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die.” And they did so.
21 And they said one to another, “We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us, and we would not hear. Therefore has this distress come upon us.”
22 And Reuben answered them, saying, “Spoke I not unto you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the child’; and ye would not hear? Therefore, behold, also his blood is required.”
23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them, for he spoke unto them by an interpreter.
24 And he turned himself away from them and wept; and returned to them again and communed with them, and took from them Simeon and bound him before their eyes.
25 Then Joseph 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 thus did he unto them.
26 And they laded their asses with the corn and departed thence.
27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender at the inn, he espied his money; for behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.
28 And 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 hath done unto us?”
29 And they came unto Jacob their father, unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell them, saying,
30 “The man who is the lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.
31 And we said unto him, ‘We are true men; we are no spies.
32 We are twelve brethren, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.’
33 And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, ‘Hereby shall I know that ye are true men: Leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone;
34 and bring your youngest brother unto me. Then shall I know that ye are not spies, but that ye are true men; so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land.’”
35 And 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.
36 And Jacob their father said unto them, “Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and ye will take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.”
37 And Reuben spoke unto his father, saying, “Slay my two sons if I bring him not to thee. Deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.”
38 And 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 which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.