Genesis 42:28 T 47
other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. 55 When all E
gypt
began to feel the famine, the people c ried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh
told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”
56 When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all
the storehouses and sold g
rain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe
throughout Egypt. 57 And all the world came to E
gypt to buy g
rain from Jo
seph, because the famine was severe everywhere.
Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt
42
When Jacob learned that there was g
rain in Egypt, he said to his sons,
“Why do you just keep looking at each other?” 2 He continued, “I have
heard that there is g
rain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that
we may live and not die.”
3 Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Ja
cob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was
afraid that harm might come to him. 5 So Israel’s sons were among those who
went to buy grain, for there was famine in the land of Canaan also.
6 Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold g
rain to all
its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they b
owed down to him with
their faces to the g
round. 7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized
them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where
do you come from?” he asked.
“From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”
8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.
9 Then he remembered his d
reams a
bout them and said to them, “You are
spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”
10 “No, my lord,” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food. 11 We
are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”
12 “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unpro
tected.”
13 But they replied, “Your servants were t welve brothers, the sons of one
man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father,
and one is no more.”
14 Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies! 15 And this is
how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place
unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of your number to get
your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may
be tested to see if you are telling the t ruth. If you are not, then as surely as
Pharaoh lives, you are spies!” 17 And he put them all in custody for three days.
18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear
God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison,
while the rest of you go and take g
rain back for your starving households.
20 But you must b
ring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may
be veri f ied and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do.
21 They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our
brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life,
but we would not listen; t hat’s why this distress has come on us.”
22 Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you
wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.” 23 They did
not realize that Joseph could understand them, s ince he was using an inter
preter.
24 He turned away from them and began to weep, but then came back and
spoke to them a
gain. He had Sime o
n taken from them and b
ound before t heir
eyes.
25 Joseph gave orders to fill t heir bags with g
rain, to put each man’s silver
back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was
done for them, 26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.
27 At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his
sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the m
outh of his sack.
28 “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.”