Genesis 42:8–26

⁸And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. ⁹And Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed concerning them, and he said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!” ¹⁰And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. ¹¹We all are sons of one man. We are honest men. We, your servants, are not spies.” ¹²Then he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” ¹³Then they said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, but behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.” ¹⁴But Joseph said to them, “It is what I said to you—you are spies. ¹⁵By this you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh you will not go out from here unless your youngest brother comes here. ¹⁶Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, but you will be kept in prison so that your words might be tested to see if there is truth with you. And if not, by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies.” ¹⁷Then he gathered them into the prison for three days. ¹⁸On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live; I fear God. ¹⁹If you are honest, let one of your brothers be kept in prison where you are now being kept,^b but the rest of you go, carry grain for the famine for your households. ²⁰You must bring your youngest brother to me, and then your words will be confirmed and you will not die.” And they did so. ²¹Then each said to his brother, “Surely we are guilty on account of our brother when we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded for mercy to us and we would not listen. Therefore this trouble has come to us.” ²²Then Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not say to you, do not sin against the boy? But you did not listen, and now, behold, his blood has been sought.” ²³Now they did not know that Joseph understood, for the interpreter was between them. ²⁴And he turned away from them and wept. Then he returned to them and spoke to them, and took Simeon from them and tied him up in front of them. ²⁵Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain and to return their money to each sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them. ²⁶Then they loaded their grain upon their donkeys and went away from there.