Genesis 42:1-38 - Joseph's Brothers Go To Egypt For Food
1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? 2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: go down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. 3 And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. 4 But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren: for he said, Lest perhaps mischief shall befall him.
5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the earth. 7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange to them, and spoke roughly to them; and he said to them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.
8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said to them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land have ye come.
10 And they said to him, No, my lord, but to buy food have thy servants come. 11 We are all one man's sons; we are true men; thy servants are no spies.
12 And he said to them, No, but to see the nakedness of the land have ye come.
13 And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.
14 And Joseph said to them, That is what I spoke to you, saying, Ye are spies: 15 By this ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother shall come hither. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there is any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. 17 And he put them all together into custody three days.
18 And Joseph said to them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God: 19 If ye are true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: 20 But bring your youngest brother to me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.
22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Did I not speak to you, saying, Do not sin against the young man; and ye would not hear? therefore behold also his blood is required.
23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spoke to them by an interpreter. 24 And he turned himself away from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes. 25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he to them. 26 And they loaded their asses with the corn, and departed thence.
27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money: for behold, it was in his sack's mouth. 28 And he said to his brethren, My money is restored; and see it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done to us?
29 And they came to Jacob their father to the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell them, saying, 30 The man who is the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 And we said to him, We are true men; we are no spies: 32 We are twelve brethren, sons of our father: one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. 33 And the man, the lord of the country, said to us, By this shall I know that ye are true men: leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and depart: 34 And bring your youngest brother to me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: then will I deliver to you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.
35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.
36 And Jacob their father said to them, Me have ye bereaved: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me. 37 And Reuben spoke to his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.
38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief shall befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.