Genesis 42:1-28
World English Bible
42 Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy for us from there, so that we may live, and not die.” 3 Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob didn’t send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers; for he said, “Lest perhaps harm happen to him.” 5 The sons of Israel came to buy among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 Joseph was the governor over the land. It was he who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph’s brothers came, and bowed themselves down to him with their faces to the earth. 7 Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but acted like a stranger to them, and spoke roughly with them. He said to them, “Where did you come from?”
They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.”
8 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him. 9 Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them, and 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 one man’s sons; we are honest men. Your servants are not spies.”
12 He said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land!”
13 They said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is today with our father, and one is no more.”
14 Joseph said to them, “It is like I told you, saying, ‘You are spies!’ 15 By this you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go out from here, unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him get your brother, and you shall be bound, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you, or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies.” 17 He put them all together into custody for three days.
18 Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this, and live, for I fear God. 19 If you are honest men, then let one of your brothers be bound in your prison; but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses. 20 Bring your youngest brother to me; so will your words be verified, and you won’t die.”
They did so. 21 They said to one another, “We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn’t listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us.” 22 Reuben answered them, saying, “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘Don’t sin against the child,’ and you wouldn’t listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required.” 23 They didn’t know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them. 24 He turned himself away from them, and wept. Then he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes. 25 Then Joseph gave a command to fill their bags with grain, and to restore each man’s money into his sack, and to give them food for the way. So it was done to them.
26 They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed from there. 27 As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey food in the lodging place, he saw his money. Behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. 28 He said to his brothers, “My money is restored! Behold, it is in my sack!” Their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”
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Genesis 42:1-28
International Standard Version
Joseph’s Brothers Visit Egypt
42 Eventually, Jacob observed that there was grain in Egypt, so he asked his sons, “Why do you keep on staring at one another? 2 Pay attention now! I’ve heard that there is grain in Egypt, so go down there and buy some grain for us, so we can live, instead of dying.”
3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers left to buy grain from Egypt. 4 Jacob would not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin to accompany them, because he was saying, “I’m afraid that he’ll come to some kind of harm.” 5 Israel’s sons went in a caravan that included others who were going to Egypt to buy grain, because the famine pervaded the land of Canaan, too.
Joseph’s Brothers Encounter Joseph
6 Meanwhile, Joseph continued to be ruler over the land, in charge of selling to everyone in the land. Joseph’s brothers appeared and bowed down to him, face down.[a] 7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he knew who they were, but he remained disguised and asked them gruffly, “Where are you from?”
“From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We’re here[b] to buy food.”
8 But Joseph had already recognized his brothers, even though they had not recognized him. 9 Furthermore, Joseph remembered the dreams that he had about them. So he accused them, “You’re spies! You’ve come here to spy on our undefended territories!”[c]
10 “No, your majesty,” they replied. “Your servants have come here to buy food. 11 We’re all sons of a common father. We’re honest men, your majesty. We’re[d] not spies!”
12 But Joseph[e] kept insisting, “It’s just as I’ve said—you’ve come here to spy on our unguarded[f] territories!”
13 “But your majesty,” they pleaded, “your servants include twelve brothers, the sons of a common father back in the land of Canaan. Please! Our youngest brother[g] remains with our father, and the other one[h] is no longer alive.”
14 “I’m right!” Joseph insisted. “Just as I said, you’re spies! 15 So here’s how we’ll test you. You can bet the life of Pharaoh that you’re not leaving here until your youngest brother comes here! 16 One of you is to be sent back so he can get your brother while the rest of[i] you remain in custody. That way, we’ll test whether or not you’re telling the truth. If you’re not, as surely as the Pharaoh lives, you’re spies!”
17 Then Joseph locked them all together in prison for three days. 18 Three days later, Joseph told them, “I fear God, so do this and you’ll live. 19 If you’re honest men, leave one of your brothers here in custody, then the rest of[j] you can leave and take some grain with you[k] to alleviate the famine that’s affecting your households. 20 Just be sure to bring your youngest brother back to me so what you’ve claimed can be verified. That way, you won’t die.”
Joseph’s Brothers Mull over Their Predicament
21 “We’re all guilty because of what we did to[l] our brother!” they told each other. “We kept on watching his suffering while he pleaded with us! We’re in this mess because we wouldn’t listen!”
22 “Didn’t I tell you!” Reuben replied. “‘Don’t wrong the kid!’ I said, but would you listen? No! Now it’s payback time!”
23 Meanwhile, they had no idea that Joseph could understand them, since he was talking to them through an interpreter. 24 He turned away from them and began to weep.
Joseph Arrests Simeon
When he returned, he spoke with them, but then he took Simeon away from them and had him placed under arrest[m] right in front of them. 25 After this, Joseph gave orders to fill up their sacks with grain, to return each man’s money to his own sack, and to supply each of them with provisions for their return journey. All of this was done for them.
Joseph’s Brothers Leave for Canaan
26 Then they each mounted up, their donkeys having been loaded with grain, and left from there. 27 Later on, one of them opened up his sack to give his donkey some fodder after they had stopped at the place where they intended to lodge for the night. There, in the mouth of his sack, was all of his money! 28 He reported to his brothers, “My money has been returned! It’s right here in my sack!”
Trembling with mounting consternation, each of them asked one another, “What is God doing to us?”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 42:6 Lit. faces to the ground
- Genesis 42:7 The Heb. lacks We’re here
- Genesis 42:9 Lit. to scout the nakedness of the land
- Genesis 42:11 Lit. Your servants are
- Genesis 42:12 Lit. he
- Genesis 42:12 Lit. naked
- Genesis 42:13 The Heb. lacks brother
- Genesis 42:13 The Heb. lacks one
- Genesis 42:16 The Heb. lacks the rest of
- Genesis 42:19 The Heb. lacks the rest of
- Genesis 42:19 The Heb. lacks with you
- Genesis 42:21 The Heb. lacks what we did to
- Genesis 42:24 Lit. him bound
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