Parallel Bible results for "genesis 42"

Genesis 42

Good News Translation GNT

1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why don't you do something?

2 I hear that there is grain in Egypt; go there and buy some to keep us from starving to death."

3 So Joseph's ten half brothers went to buy grain in Egypt,

4 but Jacob did not send Joseph's full brother Benjamin with them, because he was afraid that something might happen to him.

5 The sons of Jacob came with others to buy grain, because there was famine in the land of Canaan.

6 Joseph, as governor of the land of Egypt, was selling grain to people from all over the world. So Joseph's brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he acted as if he did not know them. He asked them harshly, "Where do you come from?" "We have come from Canaan to buy food," they answered.

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

9 He remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them and said, "You are spies; you have come to find out where our country is weak."

10 "No, sir," they answered. "We have come as your slaves, to buy food.

11 We are all brothers. We are not spies, sir, we are honest men."

12 Joseph said to them, "No! You have come to find out where our country is weak."

13 They said, "We were twelve brothers in all, sir, sons of the same man in the land of Canaan. One brother is dead, and the youngest is now with our father."

14 "It is just as I said," Joseph answered. "You are spies.

15 This is how you will be tested: I swear by the name of the king that you will never leave unless your youngest brother comes here.

16 One of you must go and get him. The rest of you will be kept under guard until the truth of what you say can be tested. Otherwise, as sure as the king lives, you are spies."

17 With that, he put them in prison for three days.

18 On the third day Joseph said to them, "I am a God-fearing man, and I will spare your lives on one condition.

19 To prove that you are honest, one of you will stay in the prison where you have been kept; the rest of you may go and take back to your starving families the grain that you have bought.

20 Then you must bring your youngest brother to me. This will prove that you have been telling the truth, and I will not put you to death." They agreed to this

21 and said to one another, "Yes, now we are suffering the consequences of what we did to our brother; we saw the great trouble he was in when he begged for help, but we would not listen. That is why we are in this trouble now."

22 Reuben said, "I told you not to harm the boy, but you wouldn't listen. And now we are being paid back for his death."

23 Joseph understood what they said, but they did not know it, because they had been speaking to him through an interpreter.

24 Joseph left them and began to cry. When he was able to speak again, he came back, picked out Simeon, and had him tied up in front of them.

25 Joseph gave orders to fill his brothers' packs with grain, to put each man's money back in his sack, and to give them food for the trip. This was done.

26 The brothers loaded their donkeys with the grain they had bought, and then they left.

27 At the place where they spent the night, one of them opened his sack to feed his donkey and found his money at the top of the sack.

28 "My money has been returned to me," he called to his brothers. "Here it is in my sack!" Their hearts sank, and in fear they asked one another, "What has God done to us?"

29 When they came to their father Jacob in Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them:

30 "The governor of Egypt spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying against his country.

31 "We are not spies,' we answered, "we are honest men.

32 We were twelve brothers in all, sons of the same father. One brother is dead, and the youngest is still in Canaan with our father.'

33 The man answered, "This is how I will find out if you are honest men: One of you will stay with me; the rest will take grain for your starving families and leave.

34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but honest men; I will give your brother back to you, and you can stay here and trade.' "

35 Then when they emptied out their sacks, every one of them found his bag of money; and when they saw the money, they and their father Jacob were afraid.

36 Their father said to them, "Do you want to make me lose all my children? Joseph is gone; Simeon is gone; and now you want to take away Benjamin. I am the one who suffers!"

37 Reuben said to his father, "If I do not bring Benjamin back to you, you can kill my two sons. Put him in my care, and I will bring him back."

38 But Jacob said, "My son cannot go with you; his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. Something might happen to him on the way. I am an old man, and the sorrow you would cause me would kill me."

English Standard Version ESV

1 When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another? ”

2 And he said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die. ”

3 So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.

4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him.

5 Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

6 Now Joseph was governor over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground.

7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke roughly to them. “Where do you come from? ” he said. They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food. ”

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

9 And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. And he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the land. ”

10 They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food.

11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies. ”

12 He said to them, “No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see. ”

13 And they said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more. ”

14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you. You are spies.

15 By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, while you remain confined, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies. ”

17 And he put them all together 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 remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry grain for the famine of your households,

20 and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die. ” And they did so.

21 Then they said to one another, “In truth we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us and we did not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us. ”

22 And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood. ”

23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them.

24 Then he turned away from them and wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

25 And Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, and to replace every man’s money in his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. This was done for them.

26 Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed.

27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack.

28 He said to his brothers, “My money has been put back; here it is in the mouth of my sack! ” At this their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us? ”

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

30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land.

31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies.

32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. ’

33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your households, and go your way.

34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I shall know that you are not spies but honest men, and I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land. ’”

35 As they emptied their sacks, 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.

36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me. ”

37 Then Reuben said to his father, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you. ”

38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol. ”