Genesis 42:8–26

⁸But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although ^athey did not recognize him.

⁹Joseph ^aremembered the dreams which he ¹had about them, and said to them, “You are spies; you have come to look at the ²undefended parts of our land.”

¹⁰Then they said to him, “No, ^amy lord, but your servants have come to buy food.

¹¹“We are all sons of one man; we are ^ahonest men, your servants are not spies.”

¹²Yet he said to them, “No, but you have come to look at the ¹undefended parts of our land!”

¹³But they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is with ^aour father today, and ^bone is no longer alive.”

¹⁴Joseph said to them, “It is as I said ¹to you, you are spies;

¹⁵by this you will be tested: ^aby the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here!

¹⁶“Send one of you that he may get your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is ^atruth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies.”

¹⁷So he put them all together in ^aprison for three days.

¹⁸Now Joseph said to them on the third day, “Do this and live, for ^aI fear God:

¹⁹if you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in ¹your prison; but as for the rest of you, go, carry grain for the famine of your households,

²⁰and ^abring your youngest brother to me, so your words may be verified, and you will not die.” And they did so.

²¹Then they said to one another, “^aTruly we are guilty concerning our brother, because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen; therefore this distress has come upon us.”

²²Reuben answered them, saying, “^aDid I not tell ¹you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? ^2bNow comes the reckoning for his blood.”

²³They did not know, however, that Joseph understood, for there was an interpreter between them.

²⁴He turned away from them and ^awept. But when he returned to them and spoke to them, he ^btook Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

^25aThen Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain and to restore every man’s money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. And thus it was done for them.

²⁶So they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there.