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)”

Adam and Eve

⁴ This is the account^(G) of the heavens and the earth when they were created,^(H) when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

⁵ Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth^[a] and no plant had yet sprung up,^(I) for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth^(J) and there was no one to work the ground, ⁶ but streams^[b] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. ⁷ Then the Lord God formed^(K) a man^[c](L) from the dust^(M) of the ground^(N) and breathed into his nostrils the breath^(O) of life,^(P) and the man became a living being.^(Q)

⁸ Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden;^(R) and there he put the man he had formed. ⁹ The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees^(S) that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life^(T) and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.^(U)

¹⁰ A river^(V) watering the garden flowed from Eden;^(W) from there it was separated into four headwaters. ¹¹ The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah,^(X) where there is gold. ¹² (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin^[d](Y) and onyx are also there.) ¹³ The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.^{[e] 14} The name of the third river is the Tigris;^(Z) it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.^(AA)

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden^(AB) to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;^{(AC) 17} but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,^(AD) for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”^(AE)

¹⁸ The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”^(AF)

¹⁹ Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals^(AG) and all the birds in the sky.^(AH) He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called^(AI) each living creature,^(AJ) that was its name. ²⁰ So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

But for Adam^[f] no suitable helper^(AK) was found. ²¹ So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep;^(AL) and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs^[g] and then closed up the place with flesh. ²² Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib^[h](AM) he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

²³ The man said,

²⁴ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united^(AQ) to his wife, and they become one flesh.^(AR)

²⁵ Adam and his wife were both naked,^(AS) and they felt no shame.