Genesis 42

1Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said unto his sons, "Why do you look one upon another?" 2And he said, "Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down there, and buy for us from there; that we may live, and not die."

Joseph’s brethren come into Egypt to buy corn.

3And Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob was not sent with his brothers; for he said, "It may be that harm will befall him." 5And the sons of Israel came to buy among those that came; for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6And Joseph was the governor over the land; he it was that sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves to him with their faces to the earth.

He knoweth them, and tryeth them.

7And Joseph saw his brothers, and he knew them, but acted differently in front of them, and spoke roughly with them; and he said to them, "Where do you come from?" And they said, "From the land of Canaan to buy food." 8And Joseph knew his brethren, but they didn't recognize him. 9And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, "You must be spies! You have come to scout out the lands of Egypt while it is preoccupied with famine." 10And they said unto him, "No, my lord, but we have come to you as servants to buy food." 11"We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, your servants and not spies." 12And he said unto them, "No, but to see the nakedness of the land you have come." 13And 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 longer with us." 14And Joseph said unto them, "Now it may be proven as I said, saying, 'You are spies;' 15hereby you shall be proved: by the life of Pharaoh you shall not leave this place, except your youngest brother come here. 16Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and you shall be bound, that your words may be proven, whether there be truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies." 17And he put them all together into jail for three days. 18And Joseph said to them on the third day, "This do, and live; for I fear God: 19if you are men of truth, let one of your brothers remain in the prison, and the others go and carry grain for the famine of your houses; 20and bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and you shall not die." And they did so. 21And they said one to another, "We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us." 22And Reuben answered them, saying, "Didn't I tell you, 'Do not sin against the child;' and you would not listen? therefore will his blood be required of us." 23And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.

Simeon is put in prison.

24And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and he returned to them, and spake to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes. 25Then Joseph commanded to fill their bags with grain, and to return every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the way; and thus it was done for them. 26And they loaded their animals with their grain, and departed there. 27And as one of them opened his sack to feed his animal in the barn, he saw his money; as it had been placed in the mouth of his sack. 28And he said unto his brethren, "My money is still here! It's still in my sack;" and their heart failed them, and they turned trembling one to another, saying, "What is this that God has done unto us?" 29And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that had befallen them, saying, 30"The man, the lord of the land, spake roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country. 31And we said unto him, 'We are men of truth; we are no spies; 32we are twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is no longer with us, and the youngest has remained with our father in the land of Canaan.' 33And the man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'Hereby shall I know that you are men of your word: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way;

The others go to fetch Benjamin.

34and bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that you are not spies, but that you are men of truth: so will I deliver you your brother, and you shall travel freely in the land.'" 35And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, as they said, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid. 36And Jacob their father said to them, "You have taken my children from me; Joseph is gone, and Simeon is gone, and you will take Benjamin away; all these things are ^aagainst me." 37And Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "Slay my two sons, if I do not return him to you; deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him back to you again." 38And he said, "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and only he is left; if harm befall him by the way in which you go, then will you bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol."