Genesis 42

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

Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?

He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us ^[a]from that place, so that we may live and not die.”

And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.

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

And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.

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

But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.

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

And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

Now Joseph 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 bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

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

And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

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

And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.

Joseph remembered the dreams which he ^[b]had about them, and said to them, “You are spies; you have come to look at the ^[c]undefended parts of our land.”

And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

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

And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.

We are all sons of one man; we are honest men, your servants are not spies.”

We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.

Yet he said to them, “No, but you have come to look at the ^[d]undefended parts of our land!”

And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

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 our father today, and one is no longer alive.”

And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.

Joseph said to them, “It is as I said ^[e]to you, you are spies;

And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies:

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

Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.

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

Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.

So he put them all together in prison for three days.

And he put them all together into ward three days.

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

And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:

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

If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:

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

But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.

Then they said to one another, “Truly 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.”

And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.

Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not tell ^[g]you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? ^[h]Now comes the reckoning for his blood.”

And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.

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

And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.

He turned away from them and wept. But when he returned to them and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.

Then 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.

Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them.

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

And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence.

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

And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth.

Then he said to his brothers, “My money has been returned, and behold, it is even in my sack.” And their hearts ^[i]sank, and they turned ^[j]trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”

Simeon Is Held Hostage

And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?

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

And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying,

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

The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.

And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:

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.’

We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.

The man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By 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.

And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone:

But bring your youngest brother to me that I may know that you are not spies, but ^[k]honest men. I will give your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’”

And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.

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

And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.

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

And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.

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 ^[l]care, and I will return him to you.”

And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.

But ^[m]Jacob said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If harm should befall him on the journey ^[n]you are taking, then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”

And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.