THE FIRST BOOK OF
MOSES,
called
G E N E S I S
Genesis 42 ©
Jacob, hearing that there was corn to be had in Egypt, sends all his sons hither, except Benjamin, vs. 1, etc. They bow before Joseph, whom they know not, but he knows them well enough; he speaks harshly to them, and imprisons them as spies, 6. Yet at last conditioning they should bring Benjamin to him and keeping Simeon in custody, he lets them return home with corn and their money to boot; in the meantime, their sin committed on Joseph, awakes and checks them, 18. By the way homeward, one finds his money in his sack, 27. At home they tell Jacob what happened to them, and find all their money returned, 29. They labor hard to persuade Jacob that he would let Benjamin go back with them to Egypt, but he makes great complaint, and cannot resolve it, 36.
NOW when Jacob 1saw that there was 2corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why 3do ye look one upon another?
And he said, Behold, Ia 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.
¶And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.
But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for 4he said, Lest peradventure 5mischief befall him.
And the sons of Israel came to buy corn 6among those that came: for the famine was in the land 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, andb7bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.
And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but 8made himself strange unto them, and spake 9roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.
And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
And Joseph remembered thec dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the 10nakedness of the land ye are come.
And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.
We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.
And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
And they said, 11Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, thed12youngest is this day with our father, and 13one is not.
And Joseph said unto them, That is it 14that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies:
15Hereby ye shall be proved: 16By the life of Pharaoh 17ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.
Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in 18prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: 19or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.
And he 20put them all together into ward three days.
And Joseph said unto them the third day, 21This do, and live; for I fear God:
If ye be true men, let 22one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry 23corn for the famine of your houses:
But bringe your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
¶And they said one to another, We are 24verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, 25when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.
And Reuben answered them, saying, Spakef I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also 26his blood is required.
And they knew not that Joseph 27understood them; 28for he spake unto them by an interpreter.
And he 29turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and 30took from them Simeon, and 31bound him before their eyes.
¶Then Joseph commanded to fill 32their sacks with corn, and to restore 33every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus 34did he unto them.
And they ladedg their asses with the corn, and departed thence.
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.
And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart 35failed them, and they 36were afraid, saying 37one to another, 38What is this that God hath done unto us?
¶And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him 39all that befell unto them; saying,
The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and 40took us for spies of the country.
And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no 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.
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 41take food for the famine of your households, and be gone:
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 42traffickh in the land.
¶And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks,i that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, 43they were afraid.
And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and 44Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.
And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, 45Slay my 46two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.
And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for 47his brother is dead, and he is 48left alone: if 49mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down 50my gray hairs with sorrow 51to the grave.