Genesis 42

Previous chapter Index Next chapter

1 And Jacob recognized that in Egypt there was bread, and Jacob said to his sons, "What are you looking at?"
2 And he said: Behold, I have heard that there is bread in Egypt; Go there and buy us bread from there, so that we can live and not die.
3 The ten brothers Joseph went to buy bread in Egypt,
4 But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob did not send with his brothers, for he said: "There would be no trouble with him."
5 And the children of Israel came to buy bread, together with the others who came, for there was a famine in the land of Canaan.
6th And Joseph was the ruler in the land; He sold bread to all the people of the earth. Joseph's brothers came and bowed to him with their faces to the ground.

7th And Joseph saw his brethren, and knew them; But he showed that he did not know them, and spoke with them sternly and told them: "Where did you come from?" They said: Out of the land of Canaan, to buy food.
8 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.
9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that dreamed him of them; And he said to them, "You are spies, you have come to see the nakedness of this land."
10 They said to him: no, our lord; Thy servants came to buy food;
eleven We are all children of one person; We are honest people; Thy servants have not been spies.
12 He said to them: No, you came to see the nakedness of this land.
13 They said: "We, your servants, are twelve brothers; We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and, behold, the little one is now with our father, and one is not.
14 And Joseph said to them, This is what I told you, saying: you are spies;
15 This is how you will be tested: [swear] by the life of Pharaoh, you will not get out of here unless your little brother comes here;
16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, and you will be detained; And it will be revealed whether you have it; And if not, [I swear] the life of Pharaoh, that you are a spy.
17th And he gave them into custody for three days.
18 And Joseph said to them the third day: this is what you shall do, and you shall live, for I fear God:
19 If you are honest people, then let one brother of you be kept in the house where you are imprisoned; But you go, take the bread, for the sake of the famine of your families;
20 But bring your younger brother's brother to me, that your words may be justified, and that you not die. So they did.

21 And they said to one another, "As if we are punished for sinning against our brother; We saw the suffering of his soul when he pleaded with us, but did not listen; Therefore, this grief has come upon us.
22 Reuben answered them and said: Did I not say to you, Do not sin against the boy? But you did not obey; Behold, his blood is recovered.
23 And they did not know that Joseph understood; For between them was an interpreter.
24 And he departed from them, and wept. And he returned to them, and spoke to them, and taking Simeon from them, he bound him before their eyes.
25 And Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with bread, and to return their silver to everyone in his bag, and give them supplies for the journey. And done with them.
26th They laid their bread on their asses, and went from there.
27th And he opened one of his sacks, to give the stern of his ass in a lodging, and saw his silver in the opening of his sack,
28 And he said to his brethren, "My silver is returned." Here it is in a sack with me. And their heart was bewildered, and they trembling said to one another: What is God done to us?

29 And they came to Jacob, their father, into the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them, saying,
thirty The ruler over this land spoke with us sternly and took us for spies of the earth.
31 And we said to him: we are honest people; We were not spies;
32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; One was no more, and the younger is now with our father in the land of Canaan.
33 And the ruler of this land said to us, "Behold, as I recognize you, are you honest people: leave one brother among you, and you take bread for the sake of the famine of your families and go,
34 And bring my younger brother to me; And I know that you are not a spy, but honest people; I will give you your brother, and you can trade in this land.
35 When they emptied their sacks, behold, every one has his knot of silver in his sack. And they saw the knots of their silver, they and their father, and they were frightened.
36 And Jacob their father said to them, You have deprived me of the children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and you want to take Benjamin, it's all on me!
37 And Reuben said to his father, Saying: Kill my two sons, if I do not bring him to you; Give it to my hands; I will return it to you.
38 He said: My son will not go with you; Because his brother died, and he alone remained; If misfortune will happen to him on the path to which you will go, then you bring down my gray hair with sadness to the grave.

Previous chapter Index Next chapter