Genesis 42–45

42ND CHAPTER

Jacob ^[Israel^[ Sends Ten Sons to Egypt

¹When Jacob found out that grain was for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you keep looking at each other? ²I’ve heard there’s grain for sale in Egypt. Go there and buy some for us so that we won’t starve to death.” 

³Ten of Joseph’s brothers went to buy grain in Egypt. ⁴Jacob wouldn’t send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with the other brothers, because he was afraid that something would happen to him. ⁵Israel’s sons left with the others who were going to buy grain, because there was also famine in Canaan. 

Joseph Sends Nine of His Brothers Back to Canaan

⁶As governor of the country, Joseph was selling grain to everyone. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed in front of him with their faces touching the ground. ⁷As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them. But he acted as if he didn’t know them and spoke harshly to them. “Where did you come from?” he asked them. 

“From Canaan, to buy food,” they answered. 

⁸Even though Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn’t recognize him. ⁹Then he remembered the dreams he once had about them. “You’re spies!” he said to them, “And you’ve come to find out where our country is unprotected.” 

¹⁰“No, sir!” they answered him. “We’ve come to buy food. ¹¹We’re all sons of one man. We’re honest men, not spies.” 

¹²He said to them, “No! You’ve come to find out where our country is unprotected.” 

¹³They answered him, “We were 12 brothers, sons of one man in Canaan. The youngest brother stayed with our father, and the other one is no longer with us.” 

¹⁴“It’s just as I told you,” Joseph said to them. “You’re spies! ¹⁵This is how you’ll be tested: I solemnly swear, as surely as Pharaoh lives, that you won’t leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. ¹⁶One of you must be sent to get your brother while the rest of you stay in prison. We’ll see if you’re telling the truth. If not, I solemnly swear, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” ¹⁷Then he put them in jail for three days. 

¹⁸On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this, and you will live. I, too, fear God. ¹⁹If you are honest men, you will let one of your brothers stay here in prison. The rest of you will go and take grain back to your starving families. ²⁰But you must bring me your youngest brother. This will show that you’ve been telling the truth. Then you won’t die.” So they agreed. 

²¹They said to each other, “We’re surely being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw how troubled he was when he pleaded with us for mercy, but we wouldn’t listen. That’s why we’re in trouble now.” 

²²Reuben said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen. Now we must pay for this bloodshed.” 

²³They didn’t know that Joseph could understand them, because he was speaking through an interpreter. ²⁴He stepped away from them to cry. When he could speak to them again, he came back. Then he picked Simeon and had him arrested right in front of their eyes. 

²⁵Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain. He put each man’s money back into his sack and gave them supplies for their trip. After their bags were filled, ²⁶they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. 

²⁷At the place where they stopped for the night, one of them opened his sack to feed his donkey. His money was right inside his sack. ²⁸He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back! It’s right here in my sack!” 

They wanted to die. They trembled and turned to each other and asked, “What has God done to us?” 

Jacob’s ^[Israel’s^[ Sons Report to Him

²⁹When they came to their father Jacob in Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, ³⁰“The governor of that land spoke harshly to us and treated us like spies. ³¹But we said to him, ‘We’re honest men, not spies. ³²We were 12 brothers, sons of the same father. One is no longer with us. The youngest brother stayed with our father in Canaan.’ 

³³“Then the governor of that land said to us, ‘This is how I’ll know that you’re honest men: Leave one of your brothers with me. Take food for your starving families and go. ³⁴But bring me your youngest brother. Then I’ll know that you’re not spies but honest men. I’ll give your brother back to you, and you’ll be able to move about freely in this country.’ ” 

³⁵As they were emptying their sacks, each man found his bag of money in his sack. When they and their father saw the bags of money, they were frightened. ³⁶Their father Jacob said to them, “You’re going to make me lose all my children! Joseph is no longer with us, Simeon is no longer with us, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything’s against me!” 

³⁷So Reuben said to his father, “You may put my two sons to death if I don’t bring him back to you. Let me take care of him, and I’ll bring him back to you.” 

³⁸Jacob replied, “My son will not go with you. His brother is dead, and he’s the only one left. If any harm comes to him on the trip you’re taking, the grief would drive this gray-haired old man to his grave!” 

43RD CHAPTER

Jacob ^[Israel^[ Sends Ten Sons Back to Egypt

¹The famine was severe in the land. ²When they finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, Israel said to his sons, “Go back and buy us a little more food.” 

³Judah said to him, “The man gave us a severe warning: ‘You won’t be allowed to see me again unless your brother is with you.’ ⁴If you let our brother go with us, we’ll go and buy food for you. ⁵If you won’t let him go, we won’t go. The man said to us, ‘You won’t be allowed to see me again unless your brother is with you.’ ” 

⁶Israel asked, “Why have you made trouble for me by telling the man you had another brother?” 

⁷They answered, “The man kept asking about us and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How could we possibly know he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?” 

⁸Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy along with me. Let’s get going so that we won’t starve to death. ⁹I guarantee that he will come back. You can hold me responsible for him. If I don’t bring him back to you and place him here in front of you, you can blame me the rest of my life. ¹⁰If we hadn’t waited so long, we could have made this trip twice by now.” 

¹¹Then their father Israel said to them, “If that’s the way it has to be, then take the man a gift. Put some of the best products of the land in your bags. Take a little balm, a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. ¹²Take twice as much money with you. You must return the money that was put back in your sacks. Maybe it was a mistake. ¹³Take your brother, and go back to the man. ¹⁴May God Almighty make him merciful to you so that he will send your other brother and Benjamin ⸤home⸥ with you. If I lose my children, I lose my children.” 

¹⁵The men took the gifts, twice as much money, and Benjamin. They went to Egypt, where they presented themselves to Joseph. 

The Banquet at Joseph’s House

¹⁶When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the man in charge of his house, “Take these men to my house. Butcher an animal, and prepare a meal, because they are going to eat with me at noon.” 

¹⁷So the man did as Joseph said and took them to Joseph’s house. ¹⁸The men were frightened, because they had been brought to Joseph’s house. They thought, “We’ve been brought here because of the money that was put back into our sacks the first time. They’re going to attack us, overpower us, take our donkeys, and make us slaves.” 

¹⁹So they came to the man in charge of Joseph’s house and spoke to him at the door. ²⁰“Please, sir,” they said, “we came here to buy food once before. ²¹When we stopped for the night, we opened our sacks, and each man found all of his money inside. So we brought it back with us. ²²We also brought more money to buy food. We have no idea who put our money back in our sacks.” 

²³“It’s alright,” he said. “Don’t be afraid! Your God, the God of your father, must have given you treasure in your sacks. I received your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. 

²⁴The man took the brothers into Joseph’s house. He gave them water to wash their feet and feed for their donkeys. ²⁵They got their gifts ready for Joseph’s return at noon, because they had heard they were going to eat there. 

²⁶When Joseph came home, they gave him the gifts they had brought to the house. Then they bowed to him with their faces touching the ground. ²⁷He asked them how they were. Then he said, “You told me about your elderly father. How is he? Is he still alive?” 

²⁸They answered, “Yes, sir. Our father is alive and well.” Then they knelt, bowing down. 

²⁹As Joseph looked around, he saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son. “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” he asked. “God be gracious to you, my son,” he said. ³⁰Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, he hurried away, looking for a place to cry. He went into his private room and cried there. 

³¹Then he washed his face and came out. He was in control of his emotions when he said, “Serve the food.” 

³²He was served separately from his brothers. The Egyptians who were there with him were also served separately, because they found it offensive to eat with Hebrews. ³³The brothers were seated facing him according to their ages—from the oldest to the youngest. They looked at each other in amazement. 

³⁴Joseph had portions of food brought to them from his table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times more than any of the others. So they ate and drank with Joseph until they were drunk. 

44TH CHAPTER

Joseph’s Plan to Trap His Brothers

¹Joseph commanded the man in charge of his house, “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry. Put each man’s money in his sack. ²Then put my silver cup in the youngest brother’s sack along with the money for his grain.” He did what Joseph told him. 

³At dawn the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. ⁴They had not…