Genesis 42 (GNV)

1Then Iaakob saw that there was foode in Egypt, and Iaakob said vnto his sonnes, Why gaze ye one vpon an other?When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”

2And he said, Behold, I haue heard that there is foode in Egypt, Get you downe thither, and bie vs foode thence, that we may liue and not die.“Look,” he added, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”

3So went Iosephs ten brethren downe to bye corne of the Egyptians.So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

4But Beniamin Iosephs brother woulde not Iaakob send with his brethren: for he saide, Least death should befall him.But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm might befall him.”

5And the sonnes of Israel came to bye foode among them that came: for there was famine in the land of Canaan.So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan.

6Now Ioseph was gouerner of the land, who solde to all the people of the lande: then Iosephs brethren came, and bowed their face to the groud before him.Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

7And when Ioseph sawe his brethren, hee knewe them, and made himselfe straunge toward them, and spake to them roughly, and saide vnto them, Whence come yee? Who answered, Out of the land of Canaan, to bye vitaile.And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”

8(Now Ioseph knewe his brethren, but they knew not him.Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.

9And Ioseph remembred the dreames, which he dreamed of them) and he sayde vnto them, Ye are spies, and are come to see the weaknesse of the land.Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

10But they sayde vnto him, Nay, my lorde, but to bye vitayle thy seruants are come.“Not so, my lord,” they replied. “Your servants have come to buy food.

11Wee are all one mans sonnes: wee meane truely, and thy seruants are no spies.We are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”

12But he saide vnto them, Nay, but yee are come to see the weakenes of the land.“No,” he told them. “You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

13And they said, We thy seruants are twelue brethren, the sonnes of one man in the lande of Canaan: and beholde, the yongest is this day with our father, and one is not.But they answered, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”

14Againe Ioseph sayde vnto them, This is it that I spake vnto you, saying, Ye are spies.Then Joseph declared, “Just as I said, you are spies!

15Hereby ye shall be proued: by the life of Pharaoh, ye shall not goe hence, except your yongest brother come hither.And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

16Send one of you which may fet your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proued, whether there bee trueth in you: or els by the life of Pharaoh ye are but spies.Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be confined so that the truth of your words may be tested. If they are untrue, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”

17So he put them in warde three dayes.So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,

18Then Ioseph said vnto them the third day, This do, and liue: for I feare God.and on the third day he said to them, “I fear God. So do this and you will live:

19If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bounde in your prison house, and goe ye, carie foode for the famine of your houses:If you are honest, leave one of your brothers in custody while the rest of you go and take back grain to relieve the hunger of your households.

20But bring your yonger brother vnto me, that your wordes may be tried, and that ye dye not: and they did so.Then bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be verified, that you may not die.” And to this they consented.

21And they said one to another, We haue verily sinned against our brother, in that we sawe the anguish of his soule, when he besought vs, and we would not heare him: therefore is this trouble come vpon vs.Then they said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

22And Reuben answered them, saying, Warned I not you, saying, Sinne not against the childe, and ye would not heare? and lo, his blood is now required.And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”

23(And they were not aware that Ioseph vnderstoode them: for he spake vnto them by an interpreter.)They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them.

24Then he turned from them, and wept, and turned to them againe, and communed with them, and tooke Simeon from among them, and bounde him before their eyes.And he turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes.

25So Ioseph commanded that they should fill their sackes with wheate, and put euery mans money againe in his sacke, and giue them vitaile for the iourney: and thus did he vnto them.Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s silver to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out,

26And they layed their vitaile vpon their asses, and departed thence.and they loaded the grain on their donkeys and departed.

27And as one of them opened his sacke for to giue his asse prouender in the ynne, he espyed his money: for lo, it was in his sackes mouth.At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of the sack.

28Then he sayde vnto his brethren, My money is restored: for loe, it is euen in my sacke. And their heart fayled them, and they were astonished, and sayde one to another, What is this, that God hath done vnto vs?“My silver has been returned!” he said to his brothers. “It is here in my sack.” Their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

29And they came vnto Iaakob their father vnto the lande of Canaan, and tolde him all that had befallen them, saying,When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him all that had happened to them:

30The man, who is Lord of the lande, spake roughly to vs, and put vs in prison as spyes of the countrey.“The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.

31And we sayd vnto him, We are true men, and are no spies.But we told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies.

32We be twelue brethren, sonnes of our father: one is not, and the yongest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’

33Then the Lord of the countrey sayde vnto vs, Hereby shall I knowe if ye be true men: Leaue one of your brethren with me, and take foode for the famine of your houses and depart,Then the man who is lord of the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go.

34And bring your yongest brother vnto me, that I may knowe that ye are no spies, but true men: so will I deliuer you your brother, and yee shall occupie in the land.But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’”

35And as they emptied their sacks, behold, euery mans bundel of money was in his sacke: and when they and their father sawe the bundels of their money, they were afrayde.As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed.

36Then Iaakob their father said to them, Ye haue robbed me of my children: Ioseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Beniamin: all these things are against me.Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!”

37Then Reuben answered his father, saying, Slay my two sonnes, if I bring him not to thee againe: deliuer him to mine hand, and I will bring him to thee againe.Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him.”

38But he said, My sonne shall not go downe with you: for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if death come vnto him by the way which ye goe, then ye shall bring my gray head with sorow vnto the graue.But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”

Joseph’s Brothers Sent to Egypt

Joseph’s Brothers Return to Canaan

You’ve read Genesis 42

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Joseph’s Brothers Sent to Egypt

Joseph’s Brothers Return to Canaan

You’ve read Genesis 42

Go deeper