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Joseph’s Brothers Sent to Egypt
Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”
Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”
Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt
When Jacob heard that grain was available in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you standing around looking at one another?
When Jacob heard that grain was available in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you standing around looking at one another?
He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there and buy some for us from that place, so that we may live and not die.”
I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy enough grain to keep us alive. Otherwise we’ll die.”
Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt.
So Joseph’s ten older brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain.
But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm may befall him.”
But Jacob wouldn’t let Joseph’s younger brother, Benjamin, go with them, for fear some harm might come to 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.
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.
Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of selling grain to all the people, it was to him that his brothers came. When they arrived, they bowed before him with their faces to the ground.
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.”
Joseph recognized his brothers instantly, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where are you from?” he demanded.
“From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We have come to buy food.”
“From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We have come to buy food.”
But Joseph had recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him.
Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn’t recognize him.
Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them, and said to them, “You are spies; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land.”
And he remembered the dreams he’d had about them many years before. He said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become.”
Then they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.
“No, my lord!” they exclaimed. “Your servants have simply come to buy food.
“We are all sons of one man; we are honest men, your servants are not spies.”
We are all brothers — members of the same family. We are honest men, sir! We are not spies!”
Yet he said to them, “No, but you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land!”
“Yes, you are!” Joseph insisted. “You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become.”
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.”
“Sir,” they said, “there are actually twelve of us. We, your servants, are all brothers, sons of a man living in the land of Canaan. Our youngest brother is back there with our father right now, and one of our brothers is no longer with us.”
Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you, you are spies;
But Joseph insisted, “As I said, you 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!
This is how I will test your story. I swear by the life of Pharaoh that you will never leave Egypt unless your youngest brother comes here!
“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.”
One of you must go and get your brother. I’ll keep the rest of you here in prison. Then we’ll find out whether or not your story is true. By the life of Pharaoh, if it turns out that you don’t have a younger brother, then I’ll know you are spies.”
So he put them all together in prison for three days.
So Joseph put them all in prison for three days.
Now Joseph said to them on the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God:
On the third day Joseph said to them, “I am a God-fearing man. If you do as I say, you will live.
if you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined in your prison; but as for the rest of you, go, carry grain for the famine of your households,
If you really are honest men, choose one of your brothers to remain in prison. The rest of you may go home with grain for your starving families.
and bring your youngest brother to me, so your words may be verified, and you will not die.” And they did so.
But you must bring your youngest brother back to me. This will prove that you are telling the truth, and you will not die.” To this they agreed.
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.”
Speaking among themselves, they said, “Clearly we are being punished because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldn’t listen. That’s why we’re in this trouble.”
Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy?” Reuben asked. “But you wouldn’t listen. And now we have to answer for his blood!”
They did not know, however, that Joseph understood, for there was an interpreter between them.
Of course, they didn’t know that Joseph understood them, for he had been speaking to them through 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.
Now he turned away from them and began to weep. When he regained his composure, he spoke to them again. Then he chose Simeon from among them and had him tied up right 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.
Joseph then ordered his servants to fill the men’s sacks with grain, but he also gave secret instructions to return each brother’s payment at the top of his sack. He also gave them supplies for their journey home.
So they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there.
So the brothers loaded their donkeys with the grain and headed for home.
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.
But when they stopped for the night and one of them opened his sack to get grain for his donkey, he found his money in the top of his sack.
Then he said to his brothers, “My money has been returned, and behold, it is even in my sack.” And their hearts sank, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”
“Look!” he exclaimed to his brothers. “My money has been returned; it’s here in my sack!” Then their hearts sank. Trembling, they said to each other, “What has God done to us?”
Simeon Is Held Hostage
When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying,
When the brothers came to their father, Jacob, in the land of Canaan, they told him everything that had happened to them.
“The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country.
“The man who is governor of the land spoke very harshly to us,” they told him. “He accused us of being spies scouting the land.
“But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.
But we said, ‘We are honest men, not 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 are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One brother is no longer with us, and the youngest is at home 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.
“Then the man who is governor of the land told us, ‘This is how I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take grain for your starving families and go on home.
‘But bring your youngest brother to me that I may know that you are not spies, but honest men. I will give your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’”
But you must bring your youngest brother back to me. Then I will know you are honest men and not spies. Then I will give you back your brother, and you may trade freely 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.
As they emptied out their sacks, there in each man’s sack was the bag of money he had paid for the grain! The brothers and their father were terrified when they saw the bags of money.
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.”
Jacob exclaimed, “You are robbing me of my children! Joseph is gone! Simeon is gone! And now you want to take Benjamin, too. Everything is going 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 care, and I will return him to you.”
Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I don’t bring Benjamin back to you. I’ll be responsible for him, and I promise to bring him back.”
But 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 you are taking, then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”