Genesis 42

Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?

When Jacob noticed the abundance of grain in Egypt, he asked his sons, puzzled and slightly frustrated, "Why are you just standing around, staring at each other?"

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.

He exclaimed, "I've heard there's food in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so we can survive and not perish."

And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.

Joseph's ten brothers journeyed to Egypt, their hearts heavy with hunger, to purchase grain.

But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.

Jacob didn't send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his siblings because he was worried that harm might come to him.

And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

In their desperate hunger, the sons of Israel joined others to buy grain, for a severe famine had swept across their homeland of Canaan.

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.

Joseph, the ruler of the land, was the one who sold grain to everyone. When his brothers arrived, they humbly bowed down, their faces touching the ground, in his presence.

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.

Joseph recognized his brothers when he saw them, but he acted as a stranger, speaking harshly. He asked, "Where are you from?" They replied, "We've come from Canaan to buy food."

And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.

Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn't recognize him.

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.

Joseph recalled his dreams about them and accused them, "You're spies, here to see where our land is vulnerable."

And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.

They respectfully replied, "No, sir, we've only come to buy food."

We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.

We are all brothers, born of the same father. We are honest, not spies; we serve with sincerity.

And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

He told them, "No, you've come to expose our land's vulnerabilities."

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.

They declared, "We are twelve brothers, all sons of one father in Canaan. Our youngest brother is with our father today, and sadly, one of us is no longer present."

And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies:

Joseph looked at them, his voice heavy with accusation, "I told you before, didn't I? You're spies!"

Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.

This is how you'll be tested: You won't leave this place unless your youngest brother is here with you, I swear by Pharaoh's life.

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.

One of you must go and bring your brother here. The rest of you will stay imprisoned. This will test the truth of your words. If not, by Pharaoh's life, you are surely spies.

And he put them all together into ward three days.

He gathered them all, confining them for three emotional, long days.

And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:

On the third day, Joseph spoke to them, "Do this and you shall live, for I deeply respect and revere God."

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:

If you are honest men, let one brother stay confined in your prison. The rest of you, go and bring back grain to save your households from starvation.

But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.

Bring me your youngest sibling; this will prove your honesty and ensure your survival. And so, they complied.

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.

They admitted to each other, "We're truly to blame for our brother's pain. We ignored his pleas and saw his suffering, and now we're facing this crisis because of it."

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.

Reuben responded with a heavy heart, "Didn't I warn you not to harm the child? But you didn't listen. Now, we must face the consequences of his bloodshed."

And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.

Unaware, they didn't realize Joseph could understand them, as he communicated through an interpreter.

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.

Overwhelmed by emotion, he turned away from them, tears streaming down his face. Gathering himself, he faced them again, engaging in deep conversation. Then, with a heavy heart, he took Simeon, binding him as they watched in silence.

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.

Joseph, with a heart full of compassion, ordered their bags to be filled with grain. He ensured each man's money was returned to his bag and provided them with supplies for their journey. This is how he cared for them.

And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence.

They loaded their donkeys with the grain and left that place.

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.

When one of them went to feed his donkey at the inn, he was surprised to find his money right there at the top of his bag.

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?

He told his brothers, "My money's back, right in my bag!" They felt their hearts drop, fear creeping in. They asked each other, "What has God done to us?"

And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying,

They returned to their father Jacob in Canaan, pouring out their hearts about everything they had experienced, saying,

The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

The powerful leader of the land treated us harshly, suspecting us to be spies.

And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:

With sincerity in our hearts, we assured him, "We are honest men, not spies."

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.

We are twelve brothers, all sons of the same father. One of us is gone, and the youngest remains with our father in Canaan.

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:

The man, the leader of the land, looked at us and said, "This is how I'll know you're honest men: Leave one of your brothers with me, take food for your starving families, and then leave."

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.

Bring me your youngest sibling. This will prove to me that you're not spies, but honest people. Once I see this, I'll return your brother to you, and you'll be free to trade in the land.

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.

As they unpacked their bags, they found, to their surprise, each man's money pouch still full. Seeing this, they and their father were filled with fear.

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.

Jacob, their father, cried out to them, "You've stripped me of my children! Joseph and Simeon are gone, and now you want to take Benjamin too. Everything is working against me!"

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.

Reuben pleaded with his father, his voice trembling, "Take the lives of my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Trust me, give him to me, and I promise to return him safely."

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.

He declared, "My son won't accompany you. His brother is gone, and he's all I have left. If harm comes to him on your journey, it would break my heart and hasten my journey to the grave."