Genesis 42

Joseph's Brothers Go to Egypt

1 When l Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?" 2 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 m live and not die." 3 So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, n Joseph's brother, with his brothers, for o he feared that harm might happen to him. 5 Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

6 Now Joseph was governor p over the land. He was the one who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and q bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and r spoke roughly to them. "Where do you come from?" he said. They said, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food." 8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 And Joseph s remembered the dreams that he had dreamed of them. t And he said to them, "You are spies; you have come to see the nakedness of the 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 are honest men. Your servants have never been spies."

12 He said to them, "No, it is the nakedness of the land that you have come to see." 13 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 u is no more." 14 But Joseph said to them, "It is as I said to you. You are spies. 15 By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 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." 17 And he put them all together in custody for three days.

18 On the third day Joseph said to them, "Do this and you will live, v for I fear God: 19 if you are honest men, let one of your brothers remain confined where you are in custody, and let the rest go and carry w grain for the famine of your households, 20 and x bring your youngest brother to me. So your words will be verified, and you shall not die." And they did so. 21 Then they said to one another, y "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." 22 And Reuben answered them, z "Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now a there comes a reckoning for his blood." 23 They did not know that Joseph understood them, for there was an interpreter between them. 24 Then he turned away from them and b wept. And he returned to them and spoke to them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. 25 c 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.

26 Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed. 27 And as d one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at e the lodging place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. 28 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?"

29 When they came to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 "The man, the lord of the land, f spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land. 31 But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we have never been spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One g is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.' 33 Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, h 'By this I shall know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take i grain for the famine of your households, and go your way. 34 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 j trade in the land.'"

35 k 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. 36 And Jacob their father said to them, "You have l 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." 37 Then Reuben said to his father, "Kill m 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." 38 But he said, "My son shall not go down with you, for n his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. o If harm should happen to him on the journey that you are to make, p you would bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol."

  1. Cross References
    Acts 7:12
    But when Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent out our fathers on their first visit.
  2. Cross References
    Genesis 43:8
    And Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the boy with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.
  3. Cross References
    Genesis 35:18
    And as her soul was departing (for she was dying), she called his name Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin.
  4. Cross References
    Genesis 42:38
    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.
  5. Cross References
    Genesis 41:41
    And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.
  6. Cross References
    Genesis 37:7
    Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.
    Genesis 37:9 - 10
    Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.
  7. Cross References
    Genesis 42:30
    The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land.
  8. Cross References
    Genesis 37:5
    Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more.
    Genesis 37:9
    Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, "Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.
  9. Cross References
    Genesis 42:7
    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.
    Genesis 42:30
    The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us and took us to be spies of the land.
  10. Cross References
    Genesis 42:32
    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.
    Genesis 37:30
    And returned to his brothers and said, "The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?
  11. Cross References
    Leviticus 25:43
    You shall not rule over him ruthlessly but shall fear your God.
    Nehemiah 5:15
    The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God.
  12. Cross References
    Genesis 42:33
    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.
  13. Cross References
    Genesis 42:34
    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.'
    Genesis 43:5
    But if you will not send him, we will not go down, for the man said to us, 'You shall not see my face, unless your brother is with you.'
    Genesis 44:23
    Then you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not see my face again.
  14. Cross References
    Job 36:8 - 9
    And if they are bound in chains and caught in the cords of affliction.
    Genesis 37:23 - 28
    So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore.
  15. Cross References
    Genesis 37:21
    But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, "Let us not take his life.
  16. Cross References
    Genesis 9:5
    And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.
    2 Chronicles 24:22
    Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, "May the Lord see and avenge!
    1 Kings 2:32
    The Lord will bring back his bloody deeds on his own head, because, without the knowledge of my father David, he attacked and killed with the sword two men more righteous and better than himself, Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.
    Psalms 9:12
    For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
    Luke 11:50 - 51
    So that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation.
  17. Cross References
    Genesis 43:30
    Then Joseph hurried out, for his compassion grew warm for his brother, and he sought a place to weep. And he entered his chamber and wept there.
  18. Cross References
    Genesis 44:1
    Then he commanded the steward of his house, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack.
  19. Cross References
    Genesis 42:35
    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.
    Genesis 43:21
    And when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man's money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us.
  20. Cross References
    Exodus 4:24
    At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death.
    Jeremiah 9:2
    Oh that I had in the desert a travelers' lodging place, that I might leave my people and go away from them! For they are all adulterers, a company of treacherous men.
  21. Cross References
    Genesis 42:7
    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.
    Genesis 42:9
    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.
  22. Cross References
    Genesis 42:13
    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.
  23. Cross References
    Genesis 42:15
    By this you shall be tested: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless your youngest brother comes here.
    Genesis 42:19 - 20
    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.
  24. Cross References
    Genesis 42:19
    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.
  25. Cross References
    Genesis 34:10
    You shall dwell with us, and the land shall be open to you. Dwell and trade in it, and get property in it.
    Genesis 34:21
    These men are at peace with us; let them dwell in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters as wives, and let us give them our daughters.
  26. Cross References
    Genesis 42:27
    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.
    Genesis 43:21
    And when we came to the lodging place we opened our sacks, and there was each man's money in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. So we have brought it again with us.
  27. Cross References
    Genesis 43:14
    May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.
  28. Cross References
    Genesis 46:9
    And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
  29. Cross References
    Genesis 42:13
    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.
    Genesis 42:32
    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.
    Genesis 42:36
    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.
    Genesis 37:33
    And he identified it and said, "It is my son's robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.
    Genesis 44:28
    One left me, and I said, Surely he has been torn to pieces, and I have never seen him since.
  30. Cross References
    Genesis 42:4
    But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him.
    Genesis 44:29
    If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to Sheol.
  31. Cross References
    Genesis 37:35
    All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, "No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning." Thus his father wept for him.
    Genesis 44:31
    As soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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