Genesis 42

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Jacob sends ten sons to buy corn

Now Jacob, hearing that there was grain in Egypt, said to his sons, Why are you looking at one another? Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”
And he said, I have had news that there is grain in Egypt: go down there and get grain for us, so that life and not death may be ours. He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy for us from there, so that we may live, and not die.”
So Joseph's ten brothers went down to get grain from Egypt. Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with them, for fear, as he said, that some evil might come to him. But Jacob didn’t send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers; for he said, “Lest perhaps harm happen to him.”
And the sons of Israel came with all the others to get grain: for they were very short of food in the land of Canaan. The sons of Israel came to buy among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
Now Joseph was ruler over all the land, and it was he who gave out the grain to all the people of the land; and Joseph's brothers came before him and went down on their faces to the earth. Joseph was the governor over the land. It was he who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph’s brothers came, and bowed themselves down to him with their faces to the earth.

Joseph's treatment of his brethren

And when Joseph saw his brothers, it was clear to him who they were, but he made himself strange to them, and talking roughly to them, said, Where do you come from? And they said, From the land of Canaan, to get food. Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but acted like a stranger to them, and spoke roughly with them. He said to them, “Where did you come from?” They said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”
Now though Joseph saw that these were his brothers, they had no idea who he was. Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him.
Then the memory of his dreams about them came back to Joseph, and he said to them, You have come secretly to see how poor the land is. Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land.”
And they said to him, Not so, my lord: your servants have come with money to get food. They said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.
We are all one man's sons, we are true men; we have not come with any secret purpose. We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men. Your servants are not spies.”
And he said to them, No, but you have come to see how poor the land is. He said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land!”
Then they said, We your servants are twelve brothers, sons of one man in the land of Canaan; the youngest of us is now with our father, and one is dead. They said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more.”
And Joseph said, It is as I said; you have come with some secret purpose; Joseph said to them, “It is like I told you, saying, ‘You are spies!’
But in this way will you be put to the test: by the life of Pharaoh, you will not go away from this place till your youngest brother comes here. By this you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go out from here, unless your youngest brother comes here.
Send one of your number to get your brother, and the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are true; if not, by the life of Pharaoh, your purpose is certainly secret. Send one of you, and let him get your brother, and you shall be bound, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you, or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies.”
So he put them in prison for three days. He put them all together into custody for three days.
And on the third day Joseph said to them, Do this, if you would keep your lives: for I am a god-fearing man: Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this, and live, for I fear God.
If you are true men, let one of you be kept in prison, while you go and take grain for the needs of your families; If you are honest men, then let one of your brothers be bound in your prison; but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses.
And come back to me with your youngest brother, so that your words may be seen to be true, and you will not be put to death. This is what you are to do. Bring your youngest brother to me; so will your words be verified, and you won’t die.” They did so.

Their sorrow for sin, Simeon kept back

And they said to one another, Truly, we did wrong to our brother, for we saw his grief of mind, and we did not give ear to his prayers; that is why this trouble has come on us. They said one to another, “We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn’t listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us.”
And Reuben said to them, Did I not say to you, Do the child no wrong? but you gave no attention; so now, punishment has come on us for his blood. Reuben answered them, saying, “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘Don’t sin against the child,’ and you wouldn’t listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required.”
They were not conscious that the sense of their words was clear to Joseph, for he had been talking to them through one who had knowledge of their language. They didn’t know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.
And turning away from them, he was overcome with weeping; then he went on talking to them again and took Simeon and put chains on him before their eyes. He turned himself away from them, and wept. Then he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes.

The rest return with corn

Then Joseph gave orders for their bags to be made full of grain, and for every man's money to be put back into his bag, and for food to be given them for the journey: which was done. Then Joseph gave a command to fill their bags with grain, and to restore each man’s money into his sack, and to give them food for the way. So it was done to them.
Then they put the bags of grain on their asses and went away. They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed from there.
Now at their night's resting-place one of them, opening his bag to give his ass some food, saw his money in the mouth of the bag. As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey food in the lodging place, he saw his money. Behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.
And he said to his brothers, My money has been given back: it is in my bag; then their hearts became full of fear, and turning to one another they said, What is this which God has done to us? He said to his brothers, “My money is restored! Behold, it is in my sack!” Their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling one to another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”

Jacob will not agree to send Benjamin to Egypt

So when they came to Jacob their father, in the land of Canaan, they gave him an account of all their experiences, saying, They came to Jacob their father, to the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them, saying,
The man who is the ruler of the country was rough with us and put us in prison, saying that we had come with a secret evil purpose. “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country.
And we said to him, We are true men, we have no evil designs; We said to him, ‘We are honest men. We are no spies.
We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is dead, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan. We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.’
And the ruler of the land said, In this way I may be certain that you are true men; let one of you be kept here with me, while you go and take grain for the needs of your families; 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 houses, and go your way.
And come back to me with your youngest brother: then I will be certain that you are true men, and I will give your brother back to you and let you do trade in the land. Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. So I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’”
And when they took the grain out of their bags, it was seen that every man's parcel of money was in his bag; and when they and their father saw the money, they were full of fear. It happened as they emptied their sacks, that behold, each man’s bundle of money was in his sack. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.
And Jacob their father said to them, You have taken my children from me: Joseph is gone and Simeon is gone, and now you would take Benjamin away; all these things have come on me. Jacob, their father, said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.”
And Reuben said, Put my two sons to death if I do not come back to you with him; let him be in my care and I will give him safely back to you. Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons, if I don’t bring him to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him to you again.”
And he said, I will not let my son go down with you; for his brother is dead and he is all I have: if evil overtakes him on the journey, then through you will my grey head go down to the underworld in sorrow. He said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left. If harm happens to him along the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”
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