Genesis 42 Parallel Bible

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	NLT New Living Translation	ESV English Standard Version	NIV New International Version
1	When Jacob heard that grain was available in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you standing around looking at one another?	When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”	When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?”
2	I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy enough grain to keep us alive. Otherwise we’ll die.”	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.”	He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”
3	So Joseph’s ten older brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain.	So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt.	Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
4	But Jacob wouldn’t let Joseph’s younger brother, Benjamin, go with them, for fear some harm might come to him.	But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him.	But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him.
5	So Jacob’s sons arrived in Egypt along with others to buy food, for the famine was in Canaan as well.	Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.	So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain, for there was famine in the land of Canaan also.
6	Since 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.	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.	Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.
7	Joseph 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.”	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.”	As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “Where do you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied, “to buy food.”
8	Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn’t recognize him.	And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.	Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.
9	And 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.”	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.”	Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”
10	“No, my lord!” they exclaimed. “Your servants have simply come to buy food.	They said to him, “No, my lord, your servants have come to buy food.	“No, my lord,” they answered. “Your servants have come to buy food.
11	We are all brothers—members of the same family. We are honest men, sir! We are not spies!”	We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants have never been spies.”	We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”
12	“Yes, you are!” Joseph insisted. “You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become.”	He said to them, “No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see.”	“No!” he said to them. “You have come to see where our land is unprotected.”
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.”	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.”	But they replied, “Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”
14	But Joseph insisted, “As I said, you are spies!	But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said to you. You are spies.	Joseph said to them, “It is just as I told you: You are spies!
15	This 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!	By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here.	And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
16	One 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.”	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.”	Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”
17	So Joseph put them all in prison for three days.	And he put them all together in custody for three days.	And he put them all in custody for three days.
18	On the third day Joseph said to them, “I am a God-fearing man. If you do as I say, you will live.	On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God:	On the third day, Joseph said to them, “Do this and you will live, for I fear God:
19	If 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.	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,	If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households.
20	But 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.	and bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so.	But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.” This they proceeded to do.
21	Speaking 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.”	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.”	They said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.”
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!”	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.”	Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.”
23	Of course, they didn’t know that Joseph understood them, for he had been speaking to them through an interpreter.	They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them.	They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.
24	Now 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.	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.	He turned away from them and began to weep, but then came back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.
25	Joseph 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.	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.	Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them,
26	So the brothers loaded their donkeys with the grain and headed for home.	Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed.	they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.
27	But 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.	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.	At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack.
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?”	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?”	“My silver has been returned,” he said to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack.” Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”
29	When the brothers came to their father, Jacob, in the land of Canaan, they told him everything that had happened to them.	When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying,	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 governor of the land spoke very harshly to us,” they told him. “He accused us of being spies scouting the land.	“The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land.	“The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land.
31	But we said, ‘We are honest men, not spies.	But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we have never been spies.	But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.
32	We 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.’	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.’	We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.’
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.	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.	“Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go.
34	But 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.’”	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.’”	But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’”
35	As 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.	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.	As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened.
36	Jacob 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!”	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.”	Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!”
37	Then 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.”	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.”	Then Reuben said to his father, “You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back.”
38	But 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.”	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.”	But Jacob said, “My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.”
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Genesis 42 Parallel Bible Translations