Genesis 42
Christian Standard Bible Anglicised
Joseph’s Brothers in Egypt
42 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt,(A) he said to his sons, ‘Why do you keep looking at each other? 2 Listen,’ he went on, ‘I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us so that we will live and not die.’(B) 3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he thought, ‘Something might happen to him.’
5 The sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 Joseph was in charge of the country; he sold grain to all its people. His brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.(C) 7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognised them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them.
‘Where do you come from? ’ he asked.
‘From the land of Canaan to buy food,’ they replied.
8 Although Joseph recognised his brothers, they did not recognise him. 9 Joseph remembered his dreams about them(D) and said to them, ‘You are spies. You have come to see the weakness[a] of the land.’
10 ‘No, my lord. Your servants have come to buy food,’ they said. 11 ‘We are all sons of one man. We are honest; your servants are not spies.’
12 ‘No,’ he said to them. ‘You have come to see the weakness of the land.’
13 But they replied, ‘We, your servants, were twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now[b] with our father, and one is no longer living.’
14 Then Joseph said to them, ‘I have spoken:[c] “You are spies! ” 15 This is how you will be tested: as surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one from among you to get your brother. The rest of you will be imprisoned so that your words can be tested to see if they are true. If they are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies! ’ 17 So Joseph imprisoned them together for three days.
18 On the third day Joseph said to them, ‘I fear God(E) – do this and you will live. 19 If you are honest, let one of you[d] be confined to the guardhouse, while the rest of you go and take grain to relieve the hunger of your households. 20 Bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be confirmed; then you won’t die.’ And they consented to this.
21 Then they said to each other, ‘Obviously, we are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his deep distress when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this trouble has come to us.’(F)
22 But Reuben replied, ‘Didn’t I tell you not to harm the boy?(G) But you wouldn’t listen. Now we must account for his blood! ’[e]
23 They did not realise that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them. 24 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. 25 Joseph then gave orders to fill their containers with grain, return each man’s silver to his sack, and give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out. 26 They loaded the grain on their donkeys and left there.
The Brothers Return Home
27 At 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 there at the top of his bag. 28 He said to his brothers, ‘My silver has been returned! It’s here in my bag.’ Their hearts sank. Trembling, they turned to one another and said, ‘What has God done to us? ’
29 When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them: 30 ‘The man who is the lord of the country spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country. 31 But we told him, “We are honest and not spies. 32 We were twelve brothers, sons of the same[f] father. One is no longer living, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.” 33 The man who is the lord of the country said to us, “This is how I will know if you are honest: leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go. 34 Bring back your youngest brother to me, and I will know that you are not spies but honest men. I will then give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the country.” ’
35 As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! When they and their father saw their bags of silver, they were afraid.
36 Their father Jacob said to them, ‘It’s me that you make childless. Joseph is gone, and Simeon is gone. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything happens to me! ’
37 Then Reuben said to his father, ‘You can kill my two sons if I don’t bring him back to you. Put him in my care,[g] and I will return him to you.’
38 But Jacob answered, ‘My son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left.(H) If anything happens to him on your journey, you will bring my grey hairs down to Sheol in sorrow.’(I)
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
1 Mosebok 42
Det Norsk Bibelselskap 1930
42 Da Jakob fikk vite at det var korn i Egypten, sa han til sine sønner: Hvorfor sitter I og ser på hverandre?
2 Og han sa: Jeg har hørt at det er korn i Egypten; dra dit ned og kjøp korn til oss der, så vi kan leve og ikke dø!
3 Da drog Josefs ti brødre ned for å kjøpe korn i Egypten.
4 Men Benjamin, Josefs bror, sendte Jakob ikke avsted med hans brødre; for han sa: Det kunde møte ham en ulykke.
5 Så kom Israels sønner for å kjøpe korn blandt alle de andre som kom; for det var hungersnød i Kana'ans land.
6 Og Josef var den som rådet i landet; det var han som solgte korn til alt folket i landet; og Josefs brødre kom og bøide sig med sitt ansikt til jorden for ham.
7 Da Josef så sine brødre, kjente han dem igjen; men han lot som om de var fremmede for ham, og talte hårdt til dem og sa til dem: Hvor kommer I fra? De sa: Fra Kana'ans land for å kjøpe korn.
8 Josef kjente sine brødre, men de kjente ikke ham.
9 Og Josef kom i hu det han hadde drømt om dem, og sa til dem: I er speidere, I er kommet for å se hvor landet ligger åpent.
10 De svarte ham: Nei, herre, dine tjenere er kommet for å kjøpe korn.
11 Vi er alle sønner av én mann; vi er ærlige folk, dine tjenere er ikke speidere.
12 Men han sa til dem: Jo, I er kommet for å se hvor landet ligger åpent.
13 Men de sa: Vi, dine tjenere, er tolv brødre, sønner av én mann i Kana'ans land, den yngste er nu hjemme hos vår far, og én er ikke mere til.
14 Josef sa til dem: Det er som jeg har sagt til eder: I er speidere.
15 Men nu skal I prøves: Så sant Farao lever, skal I ikke komme herfra før eders yngste bror kommer hit.
16 Send en av eder avsted for å hente eders bror, men I andre skal holdes fanget, og eders ord skal prøves, om det er sant det I sier; hvis ikke, så er I, så sant Farao lever, speidere.
17 Og han holdt dem alle sammen i fengsel i tre dager.
18 Men den tredje dag sa Josef til dem: Gjør som jeg nu sier, så skal I leve! Jeg frykter Gud.
19 Dersom I er ærlige folk, så skal en av eder brødre bli tilbake i fengslet, men I andre kan dra avsted og ha med eder korn til hjelp mot hungersnøden i eders hjem,
20 og før eders yngste bror til mig, så eders ord kan sannes, og I ikke skal dø. Og de så gjorde.
21 Og de sa sig imellem: Sannelig, vi har skyld på oss for vår bror. Vi så hans sjeleangst da han bønnfalt oss, og vi vilde ikke høre; derfor er denne nød kommet over oss.
22 Da tok Ruben til orde og sa til dem: Sa jeg ikke til eder: Gjør ikke synd mot gutten? Men I vilde ikke høre; se, derfor kreves nu hans blod.
23 Men de visste ikke at Josef forstod det; for han brukte tolk når han talte med dem.
24 Og han vendte sig fra dem og gråt. Så vendte han sig til dem igjen og talte til dem, og han tok Simeon fra dem og lot ham binde så de så på.
25 Og Josef bød sine folk at de skulde fylle deres sekker med korn og legge enhvers penger igjen i hans sekk og gi dem niste med på veien. Og de gjorde således med dem.
26 Så la de kornet på sine asener og drog derfra.
27 Men da en av dem åpnet sin sekk for å gi sitt asen fôr i herberget, da fikk han se sine penger, de lå øverst i hans sekk.
28 Og han sa til sine brødre: Mine penger er kommet igjen, og se, de ligger her i min sekk. Da blev de motfalne og vendte sig forferdet til hverandre og sa: Hvad er det Gud har gjort mot oss?
29 Så kom de hjem til Jakob, sin far, i Kana'ans land, og de fortalte ham alt det som hadde hendt dem, og sa:
30 Mannen som råder der i landet, talte hårdt til oss og tok oss for folk som vilde speide ut landet.
31 Og vi sa til ham: Vi er ærlige folk, vi er ikke speidere;
32 vi er tolv brødre, alle sønner av samme far, én er ikke mere til, og den yngste er nu hjemme hos vår far i Kana'ans land.
33 Da sa mannen som råder der i landet, til oss: Av dette vil jeg forstå om I er ærlige folk: La en av eder brødre bli her hos mig og ta hvad I trenger mot hungersnøden i eders hjem, og far eders vei;
34 og kom så hit til mig med eders yngste bror, så jeg kan forstå at I ikke er speidere, men ærlige folk! Da vil jeg gi eder eders bror igjen, og I kan fritt dra omkring i landet.
35 Da de så tømte sine sekker, se, da lå enhvers pengepung i hans sekk; og da de og deres far så pengepungene, blev de redde.
36 Og Jakob, deres far, sa til dem: I gjør mig barnløs; Josef er ikke mere til, og Simeon er ikke mere til, og Benjamin vil I ta fra mig; det kommer over mig alt sammen.
37 Da sa Ruben til sin far: Begge mine sønner kan du drepe hvis jeg ikke kommer tilbake til dig med ham; gi ham i min hånd, så vil jeg føre ham tilbake til dig.
38 Men han sa: Min sønn skal ikke dra ned med eder; for hans bror er død, og han er alene tilbake, og dersom det møter ham nogen ulykke på den vei som I drar, så kommer I til å sende mine grå hår med sorg ned i dødsriket.
39 Men hungersnøden var hård i landet.
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
