“1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto
his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? 2 And he said, Behold, I have
heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you 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 peradventure mischief
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 down themselves before
him [with] their faces to the earth.”
“7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself
strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto 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 unto them, Ye
[are] spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 10 And they
said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. 11
We [are] all one man’s sons; we [are] true [men], thy servants are no
spies. 12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the
land ye are 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 unto
them, That [is it] that I spake unto you, saying, Ye [are] spies: 15
Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth
hence, except your youngest brother come hither. 16 Send one of you, and
let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your
words may be proved, whether [there be any] truth in you: or else by the
life of Pharaoh surely ye [are] spies. 17 And he put them all together
into ward three days. 18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This
do, and live; [for] I fear God: 19 If ye [be] 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 unto
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, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not
sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also
his blood is required. 23 And they knew not that Joseph understood
[them]; for he spake unto them by an interpreter. 24 And he turned
himself about 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 unto them. 26 And they laded 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 unto his brethren,
My money is restored; and, lo, [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 unto us?”
“29 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and
told him all that befell unto them; saying, 30 The man, [who is] the
lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the
country. 31 And we said unto him, We [are] true [men]; we are no spies:
32 We [be] 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 unto us, Hereby 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 be gone: 34 And bring your
youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye [are] no spies, but
[that] ye [are] true [men: so] will I deliver 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 [both] they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were
afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved
[of my children]: Joseph [is] not, and Simeon [is] not, and ye will take
Benjamin [away]: all these things are against me. 37 And Reuben spake
unto 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 befall him by the way in the which ye go,
then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.” (Ge
42:1-38 AV)
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