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Joseph's Brothers Go to Egypt

¹ Now Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt. He said to his sons, "Why are you looking at one another?" ² And he said, "I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go there and buy some for us, so we may live and not die." ³ So ten of Joseph's brothers went to buy grain in Egypt. ⁴ But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers. For he said, "I am afraid that something will happen to him."

Joseph's Brothers Bow before Him

⁵ So the sons of Israel joined those who were coming to buy grain for there was no food in Canaan. ⁶ Joseph was the ruler of the land. He was the one who sold grain to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed to the ground in front of him. ⁷ When Joseph saw his brothers, he knew who they were. But he acted like a stranger and spoke sharp words to them. He said, "Where have you come from?" They answered, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food."

⁸ Joseph knew his brothers but they did not know him. ⁹ Joseph remembered the dreams he had had about them. He said to them, "You are spies. You have come to find the weak places in our 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 do not lie. Your servants are not working against you in secret."

¹² He said to them, "No! You have come to find the weak places in our land!" ¹³ But they said, "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." ¹⁴ But Joseph said to them, "It is as I said. You are spies. ¹⁵ You will be put to a test. By the life of Pharaoh, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. ¹⁶ Send one of you to bring your brother, and the rest of you will be kept in prison. Your words will be put to a test to see if you are telling the truth. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, you are spies for sure."

¹⁷ He put them all together in prison for three days. ¹⁸ Then Joseph said to them on the third day, "Do this and live, for I fear God. ¹⁹ If you are men who do not lie, let one of your brothers stay here in prison for all of you. But you others go and carry grain for your hungry families. ²⁰ Then bring your youngest brother to me, so your words will be proven true. And you will live." So they did what he said. ²¹ They said to one another, "For sure we are guilty for what we did to our brother. We saw the suffering of his soul while he begged us. But we would not listen. So this trouble has come to us."

²² Reuben answered them, "Did I not tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy?' But you would not listen. Now we must pay for his blood." ²³ They did not know that Joseph understood them. For there was a man between them to tell the meaning of each other's language. ²⁴ Joseph went away from them and cried. Then he returned to speak with them. And he took Simeon from them and put chains on him in front of his brothers.

Joseph's Brothers Return to Canaan

²⁵ Then Joseph had their bags filled with grain. He had each man's money returned to his bag, to buy what was needed as they traveled. So this was done for them. ²⁶ Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain, and left. ²⁷ When one of them opened his bag to give his donkey food at the place where they were staying the night, he saw his money. It was there at the top of his bag. ²⁸ He said to his brothers, "My money has been returned! It is inside my bag!" Then their hearts became full of fear. They turned to each other, shaking in fear, saying, "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 ruler of the land spoke sharp words to us. He thought that we had gone there to find the weak places in the country. ³¹ But we said to him, ‘We do not lie. We are not working against you in secret. ³² We are twelve brothers, the sons of our father. One is no more. And the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.' ³³ Then the man who is ruler of the land said to us, ‘I will know that you are telling the truth by this test. Leave one of your brothers with me. Take grain for your hungry families and go. ³⁴ But bring your youngest brother to me, so I will know you are not spies, but honest men telling the truth. Then I will return your brother to you. And then you may trade in the land.'"

³⁵ When they took the grain out of their bags, they found that every man's money was in his bag. And when they and their father saw the money, they were afraid. ³⁶ Their father Jacob said to them, "You have taken my children from me! Joseph is no more. Simeon is no more. And now you would take Benjamin! All this has come upon me!"

³⁷ Then Reuben told his father, "You may kill my two sons if I do not return him to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him to you." ³⁸ But Jacob said, "My son will not go with you. For his brother is dead, and only he is left. If something were to happen to him during your traveling, you would bring my white hair down to the grave in sorrow."