Genesis 42
Berean Standard BibleTranslation
Berean Standard Bible
JPS Tanakh (Jewish Publication Society, 1917)
1When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”
1Now Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, and Jacob said unto his sons: 'Why do ye look one upon another?'
2“Look,” he added, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”
2And 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.'
3So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
3And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn from Egypt.
4But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm might befall him.”
4But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said: 'Lest peradventure harm befall him.'
5So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan.
5And the sons of Israel came to buy among those that came; for the famine was in the land of Caanan.
6Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.
6And Joseph was the governor over the land; he it was that sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down to him with their faces to the earth.
7And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”
7And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spoke roughly with them; and he said unto them: 'Whence come ye?' And they said: 'From the land of Canaan to buy food.'
8Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.
8And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew him not.
9Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”
9And 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“Not so, my lord,” they replied. “Your servants have come to buy food.
10And they said unto him: 'Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.
11We are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”
11We are all one man's sons; we are upright men, thy servants are no spies.'
12“No,” he told them. “You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”
12And he said unto them: 'Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.'
13But they answered, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”
13And they said: 'We 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.'
14Then Joseph declared, “Just as I said, you are spies!
14And Joseph said unto them: 'That is it that I spoke unto you, saying: Ye are spies.
15And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
15Hereby ye shall be proved, as Pharaoh liveth, ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.
16Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be confined so that the truth of your words may be tested. If they are untrue, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”
16Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be bound, that your words may be proved, whether there be truth in you; or else, as Pharaoh liveth, surely ye are spies.'
17So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,
17And he put them all together into ward three days.
18and on the third day he said to them, “I fear God. So do this and you will live:
18And Joseph said unto them the third day. 'This do, and live; for I fear God:
19If you are honest, leave one of your brothers in custody while the rest of you go and take back grain to relieve the hunger of your households.
19if ye be upright men, let one of your brethren be bound in your prison-house; but go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses;
20Then bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be verified, that you may not die.” And to this they consented.
20and bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die.' And they did so.
21Then they said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”
21And they said one to another: 'We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.'
22And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”
22And Reuben answered them, saying: 'Spoke I not unto you, saying: Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore also, behold, his blood is required.'
23They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them.
23And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for the interpreter was between them.
24And he turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes.
24And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes.
25Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s silver to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out,
25Then Joseph commanded to fill their vessels with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way; and thus was it done unto them.
26and they loaded the grain on their donkeys and departed.
26And they laded their asses with their corn, and departed thence.
27At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of the sack.
27And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the lodging-place, he espied his money; and, behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.
28“My silver has been returned!” he said to his brothers. “It is here in my sack.” Their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”
28And he said unto his brethren: 'My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack.' And their heart failed them, and they turned trembling one to another, saying: 'What is this that God hath done unto us?'
29When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him all that had happened to them:
29And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that had befallen them, saying:
30“The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.
30'The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country.
31But we told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies.
31And we said unto him: We are upright men; we are no spies.
32We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’
32We are twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.
33Then the man who is lord of the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go.
33And the man, the lord of the land, said unto us: Hereby shall I know that ye are upright men: leave one of your brethren with me, and take corn for the famine of your houses, and go your way.
34But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’”
34And bring your youngest brother unto me; then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are upright men; so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land.'
35As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed.
35And 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 their bundles of money, they were afraid.
36Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!”
36And 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; upon me are all these things come.'
37Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him.”
37And Reuben spoke unto his father, saying: 'Thou shalt slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee; deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him back to thee.'
38But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”
38And he said: 'My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left; if harm befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
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