Joseph's Brothers Go to Egypt
1
When 1Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?"
2
And he said, "Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may 2live and not die."
3
So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.
4
But Jacob did not send Benjamin, 3Joseph's brother, with his brothers, for 4he feared that harm might happen to him.
5
Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
6
Now Joseph was governor 5over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and 6bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground.
7
Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and 7spoke roughly to them. "Where do you come from?" he said. They said, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food."
8
And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.
9
And Joseph 8remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. 9And he said to them, "You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land."
10
They said to him, "No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food.
11
We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies."
12
He said to them, "No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see."
13
And 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 10is no more."
14
But Joseph said to them, "It is as I said to you. You are spies.
15
By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
16
Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies."
17
And he put them all together in custody for three days.
19
if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry 12grain for the famine of your households,
20
and 13bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die." And they did so.
21
Then they said to one another, 14"In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us."
22
And Reuben answered them, 15"Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now 16there comes a reckoning for his blood."
23
They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them.
24
Then he turned away from them and 17wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.
25
18And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man's money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them.
26
Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed.
27
And as 19one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at 20the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack.
28
He said to his brothers, "My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack!" At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?"
29
When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying,
31
But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we have never been spies.
32
We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One 22is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.'
33
Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, 23'By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take 24grain for the famine of your households, and go your way.
34
Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall 25trade in the land.'"
35
26As they emptied their sacks, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack. And when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.
36
And Jacob their father said to them, "You have 27bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me."
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)