Chapter 42

Joseph’s Brothers Sent to Egypt

1 Now aJacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”

2 He said, “Behold, aI have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us 1from that place, bso that we may live and not die.”

3 Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt.

4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother aBenjamin with his brothers, for he said, “bI am afraid that harm may befall him.”

5 So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming, afor the famine was in the land of Canaan also.

6 Now aJoseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bbowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

7 When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and aspoke to them harshly. And he said to them, “Where have you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.”

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

9 Joseph 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.”

10 Then 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.”

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

13 But 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.”

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

15 by 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.”

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

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

19 if 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,

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

21 Then 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.”

22 Reuben 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.”

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

24 He 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.

25 aThen 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.

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

27 As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his amoney; and behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.

28 Then he said to his brothers, “My money has been returned, and behold, it is even in my sack.” And their hearts 1sank, and they turned 2trembling to one another, saying, “aWhat is this that God has done to us?”

Simeon Is Held Hostage

29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying,

30 “The man, the lord of the land, aspoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country.

31 “But we said to him, ‘We are ahonest men; we are not spies.

32 ‘We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no longer alive, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.’

33 “The man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘aBy this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me and take grain for the famine of your households, and go.

34 ‘But bring your youngest brother to me that I may know that you are not spies, but 1honest men. I will give your brother to you, and you may atrade in the land.’ ”

35 Now it came about as they were emptying their sacks, that behold, aevery man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed.

36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have abereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and you would take Benjamin; all these things are against me.”

37 Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my 1care, and I will return him to you.”

38 But 1Jacob said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his abrother is dead, and he alone is left. bIf harm should befall him on the journey 2you are taking, then you will cbring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”