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. |