Genesis 42 CSB NLT Parallel

◄ Genesis 42 ►

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Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

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

1When Jacob heard that grain was available in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you standing around looking at one another?

2Listen," he went on, "I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us so that we will live and not die."

2I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy enough grain to keep us alive. Otherwise we’ll die.”

3So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

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

4But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he thought, "Something might happen to him."

4But Jacob wouldn’t let Joseph’s younger brother, Benjamin, go with them, for fear some harm might come to him.

5The sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

5So Jacob’s sons arrived in Egypt along with others to buy food, for the famine was in Canaan as well.

6Joseph was in charge of the country; he sold grain to all its people. His brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

6Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of selling grain to all the people, it was to him that his brothers came. When they arrived, they bowed before him with their faces to the ground.

7When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them. "Where do you come from?" he asked. "From the land of Canaan to buy food," they replied.

7Joseph recognized his brothers instantly, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where are you from?” he demanded. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We have come to buy food.”

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

8Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn’t recognize him.

9Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said to them, "You are spies. You have come to see the weakness of the land."

9And he remembered the dreams he’d had about them many years before. He said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become.”

10"No, my lord. Your servants have come to buy food," they said.

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

11"We are all sons of one man. We are honest; your servants are not spies."

11We are all brothers—members of the same family. We are honest men, sir! We are not spies!”

12"No," he said to them. "You have come to see the weakness of the land."

12“Yes, you are!” Joseph insisted. “You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become.”

13But they replied, "We, your servants, were twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no longer living."

13“Sir,” they said, “there are actually twelve of us. We, your servants, are all brothers, sons of a man living in the land of Canaan. Our youngest brother is back there with our father right now, and one of our brothers is no longer with us.”

14Then Joseph said to them, "I have spoken: 'You are spies!'

14But Joseph insisted, “As I said, you are spies!

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

15This is how I will test your story. I swear by the life of Pharaoh that you will never leave Egypt unless your youngest brother comes here!

16Send one from among you to get your brother. The rest of you will be imprisoned so that your words can be tested to see if they are true. If they are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!"

16One of you must go and get your brother. I’ll keep the rest of you here in prison. Then we’ll find out whether or not your story is true. By the life of Pharaoh, if it turns out that you don’t have a younger brother, then I’ll know you are spies.”

17So Joseph imprisoned them together for three days.

17So Joseph put them all in prison for three days.

18On the third day Joseph said to them, "I fear God--do this and you will live.

18On the third day Joseph said to them, “I am a God-fearing man. If you do as I say, you will live.

19If you are honest, let one of you be confined to the guardhouse, while the rest of you go and take grain to relieve the hunger of your households.

19If you really are honest men, choose one of your brothers to remain in prison. The rest of you may go home with grain for your starving families.

20Bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be confirmed; then you won't die." And they consented to this.

20But you must bring your youngest brother back to me. This will prove that you are telling the truth, and you will not die.” To this they agreed.

21Then they said to each other, "Obviously, we are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his deep distress when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this trouble has come to us."

21Speaking among themselves, they said, “Clearly we are being punished because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldn’t listen. That’s why we’re in this trouble.”

22But Reuben replied: "Didn't I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn't listen. Now we must account for his blood!"

22“Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy?” Reuben asked. “But you wouldn’t listen. And now we have to answer for his blood!”

23They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them.

23Of course, they didn’t know that Joseph understood them, for he had been speaking to them through an interpreter.

24He turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes.

24Now he turned away from them and began to weep. When he regained his composure, he spoke to them again. Then he chose Simeon from among them and had him tied up right before their eyes.

25Joseph then gave orders to fill their containers with grain, return each man's silver to his sack, and give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out.

25Joseph then ordered his servants to fill the men’s sacks with grain, but he also gave secret instructions to return each brother’s payment at the top of his sack. He also gave them supplies for their journey home.

26They loaded the grain on their donkeys and left there.

26So the brothers loaded their donkeys with the grain and headed for home.

27At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver there at the top of his bag.

27But when they stopped for the night and one of them opened his sack to get grain for his donkey, he found his money in the top of his sack.

28He said to his brothers, "My silver has been returned! It's here in my bag." Their hearts sank. Trembling, they turned to one another and said, "What is this that God has done to us?"

28“Look!” he exclaimed to his brothers. “My money has been returned; it’s here in my sack!” Then their hearts sank. Trembling, they said to each other, “What has God done to us?”

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

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

30"The man who is the lord of the country spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.

30“The man who is governor of the land spoke very harshly to us,” they told him. “He accused us of being spies scouting the land.

31But we told him: We are honest and not spies.

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

32We were twelve brothers, sons of the same father. One is no longer living, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.

32We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One brother is no longer with us, and the youngest is at home with our father in the land of Canaan.’

33The man who is the lord of the country said to us, 'This is how I will know if you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go.

33“Then the man who is governor of the land told us, ‘This is how I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take grain for your starving families and go on home.

34Bring back your youngest brother to me, and I will know that you are not spies but honest men. I will then give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the country.'"

34But you must bring your youngest brother back to me. Then I will know you are honest men and not spies. Then I will give you back your brother, and you may trade freely in the land.’”

35As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man's sack was his bag of silver! When they and their father saw their bags of silver, they were afraid.

35As they emptied out their sacks, there in each man’s sack was the bag of money he had paid for the grain! The brothers and their father were terrified when they saw the bags of money.

36Their father Jacob said to them, "It's me that you make childless. Joseph is gone, and Simeon is gone. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything happens to me!"

36Jacob exclaimed, “You are robbing me of my children! Joseph is gone! Simeon is gone! And now you want to take Benjamin, too. Everything is going against me!”

37Then Reuben said to his father, "You can kill my two sons if I don't bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him to you."

37Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I don’t bring Benjamin back to you. I’ll be responsible for him, and I promise to bring him back.”

38But Jacob answered, "My son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left. If anything happens to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hairs down to Sheol in sorrow."

38But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down with you. His brother Joseph is dead, and he is all I have left. If anything should happen to him on your journey, you would send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave. ”

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