Parallel Bible results for "genesis 42"

Genesis 42

The Complete Jewish Bible CJB

1 Now Ya'akov saw that there was grain in Egypt; so Ya'akov said to his sons, "Why are you staring at each other?

2 Look," he said, "I've heard that there's grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us from there, so that we can stay alive and not die!"

3 Thus Yosef's ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt,

4 except for Binyamin, Yosef's brother. Ya'akov did not send him with his brothers, because he was afraid something might happen to him.

5 The sons of Isra'el came to buy along with the others that came, since the famine extended to the land of Kena'an.

6 Yosef was governor over the land; it was he who sold to all the people of the land. Now when Yosef's brothers came and prostrated themselves before him on the ground,

7 Yosef saw his brothers and recognized them; but he acted toward them as if he were a stranger and spoke harshly with them. He asked them, "Where are you from?" They answered, "From the land of Kena'an to buy food."

8 So Yosef recognized his brothers, but they didn't recognize him.

9 Remembering the dreams he had had about them, Yosef said to them, "You are spies! You've come to spot our country's weaknesses!"

10 "No, my lord,"they replied, "your servants have come to buy food.

11 We're all the sons of one man, we're upright men; your servants aren't spies."

12 "No," he said to them, "you've come to spy out our country's weaknesses."

13 They said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Kena'an; the youngest stayed with our father, and another one is gone."

14 "Just as I said,"replied Yosef, "you're spies!

15 Here's how you can prove you're not lying: as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave here unless your youngest brother comes here.

16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother. Meanwhile, you will be kept in custody. This will prove whether there is any truth in what you say. Otherwise, as Pharaoh lives, you are certainly spies."

17 Then he put all of them together in prison for three days.

18 On the third day, Yosef said to them, "Do what I say, and stay alive, for I fear God.

19 If you are upright men, let one of your brothers remain incarcerated in the prison you're being kept in, while you go and carry grain back to relieve the famine in your homes.

20 But bring your youngest brother to me. In this way your statements will be verified, and you won't die." So they did it.

21 They said to each other, "We are in fact guilty concerning our brother. He was in distress and pleaded with us; we saw it and wouldn't listen. That's why this distress has come upon us now."

22 Re'uven answered them, "Didn't I tell you, 'Don't wrong the boy'? But you wouldn't hear of it. Now comes the reckoning for his blood!"

23 They had no idea that Yosef understood them, since an interpreter was translating for them.

24 Yosef turned away from them and wept; then he returned and spoke to them. He took Shim'on from among them and put him in prison before their eyes.

25 Next he ordered that their containers be filled with grain, that every man's money be put back in his pack and that they be given provisions for the journey. When these things had been done for them,

26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys and departed.

27 But at camp that night, as one of them opened his pack to give fodder to his donkey, he noticed his money - there it was, just inside his pack.

28 He said to his brothers, "My money has been restored - there it is, right in my pack!"At that, their hearts sank; they turned, trembling, to one another and said, "What is this that God has done to us?"

29 They returned to Ya'akov their father in the land of Kena'an and told him all that had happened to them.

30 "The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly with us. He took us for spies in his country.

31 We said to him, 'We are upright men, we're not spies;

32 we are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is gone, and the youngest stayed with our father in the land of Kena'an.'

33 But the man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'Here is how I will know that you are upright men: leave one of your brothers with me, take grain to relieve the famine in your homes, and go on your way;

34 but bring your youngest brother to me. By this I will know that you aren't spies, but are upright men; then I will return your brother to you; and you will do business in the land.'"

35 Next, as they emptied their packs, there was each man's bag of money in his pack; and when they and their father saw their bags of money, they became afraid.

36 Ya'akov their father said to them, "You have robbed me of my children! Yosef is gone, Shim'on is gone, now you're taking Binyamin away - it all falls on me!"

37 Re'uven said to his father, "If I don't bring him back to you, you can kill my own two sons! Put him in my care; I will return him to you."

38 But he replied, "My son will not go down with you. His brother is dead, and he alone is left. If anything were to happen to him while traveling with you, you would bring my gray hair down to Sh'ol with grief."

New International Version NIV

1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?”

2 He continued, “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.”

3 Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him.

5 So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain, for there was famine in the land of Canaan also.

6 Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.

7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”

8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.

9 Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”

10 “No, my lord,” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food.

11 We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”

12 “No!” he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”

13 But they replied, “Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”

14 Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies!

15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

16 Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”

17 And he put them all in custody for three days.

18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God:

19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households.

20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do.

21 They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.”

22 Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.”

23 They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.

24 He turned away from them and began to weep, but then came back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.

25 Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them,

26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.

27 At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack.

28 “My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.” Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said,

30 “The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land.

31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.

32 We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.’

33 “Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go.

34 But bring your youngest brother 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.’ ”

35 As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened.

36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!”

37 Then Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back.”

38 But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.”