Joseph’s Brothers Sent to Egypt

1And Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you⁺ look at one another?”

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

3And ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4And Jacob did not send Benjamin, brother of Joseph, with his brothers, for he said, “Lest harm befall him.”

5And the sons of Israel came to buy among the ones coming, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

6And Joseph—he was the ruler over the land; he was the one selling to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came, and they bowed themselves before him, noses to the earth. 7And Joseph saw his brothers and he recognized them, and he made himself strange to them, and spoke to them harshly. And he said to them, “From where have you⁺ come?”

And they said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.”

8And Joseph recognized his brothers, and they did not recognize him. 9And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You⁺ are spies! You⁺ have come to see the nakedness of the land.”

10And they said to him, “No, my lord, and your servants have come to buy food. 11We are all sons of one man. We are honest; your servants are not spies.”

12And he said to them, “No! But rather, you⁺ have come to see the nakedness of the land.”

13And they said, “Two and ten are your servants, we are brothers, sons of one man in the land of Canaan. And behold, the youngest is with our father today, and the one is no more.”

14And Joseph said to them, “It is that which I spoke to you⁺, saying, You⁺ are spies! 15By this you⁺ shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you⁺ shall not go forth from this, except if your youngest brother comes here. 16Send one of you⁺ and let him bring your⁺ brother, and you⁺ shall be confined, and your⁺ words shall be tested, whether truth is with you⁺. And if not, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you⁺ are spies.”

17And he put them all together in custody three days. 18And Joseph said to them on the third day, “Do this and you will live; I fear God: 19If you⁺ are honest, let one of your⁺ brothers be confined in the house of your⁺ custody, and you⁺ go and carry grain for the famine of your⁺ houses. 20And you⁺ shall bring your⁺ youngest brother to me, and your⁺ words will be verified, and you⁺ shall not die.”

And they did so.

21And they said each man to his brother, “Truly we are guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we did not listen. Upon thus, this distress has come upon us.”

22And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you⁺, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’? and you⁺ did not listen! And also, his blood, behold, it is required.”

23And they did not know that Joseph was listening, for the interpreter was between them. 24And he turned himself away from them and wept, and he returned to them and spoke to them, and he took from them Simeon and bound him before their eyes.

Joseph’s Brothers Return to Canaan

25And Joseph commanded, and they filled their vessels with grain, and to return their silver,† each man to his sack, and to give to them provisions for the journey. And he did so. For them 26and they lifted the grain upon their donkeys and departed from there.

27And the one opened his sack to give feed to his donkey at the lodging place, and he saw his silver, and behold, it was in the mouth of his bag. 28And he said to his brothers, “My silver has been returned, and also, behold, it is in my bag.”

And their hearts went out, and they trembled, saying each man to his brother, “What is this God has done to us?”

29And they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, and they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30“The man, the lord of the land, spoke to us harshly and treated us as spies of the land.

31And we said to him, ‘We are honest; we are not spies. 32We are two and ten brothers, sons of our father. The one is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.’

33And the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you⁺ are honest: Your⁺ one brother leave with me, and take food for the famine of your⁺ houses and go. 34And bring your⁺ youngest brother to me, and I shall know that you⁺ are not spies, but that you⁺ are honest. Your⁺ brother I will give to you⁺, and you⁺ may trade in the land.’”

35And it came to pass, they were empyting their sacks, and behold, each man’s bundle of his silver was in his sack; and they saw their bundles of silver, they and their father, and they were afraid.

36And Jacob their father said to them, “You⁺ have bereaved me. Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and Benjamin you⁺ will take. All these things are against me!”

37And Reuben said to his father, saying, “My two sons you will put to death, if I do not bring him back to you! Put him in my hand, and I will return him to you.”

38And he said, “My son shall not go down with you⁺, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. And if harm should befall him in the way in which you⁺ go, then you⁺ would bring down my gray hair in sorrow to Sheol.”