Genesis 42 - Introduction

1 Iacob sendeth his ten sonnes to buy corne in Egypt.

6 They are imprisoned by Ioseph for spies.

18 They are set at libertie, on condition to bring Beniamin.

21 They haue remorse for Ioseph.

24 Simeon is kept for a pledge.

25 They returne with corne, and their money.

29 Their relation to Iacob.

36 Iacob refuseth to send Beniamin.

1 Now when [Note: Acts 7:12.] Iacob saw that there was corne in Egypt, Iacob said vnto his sonnes, Why doe ye looke one vpon an other?

2 And hee said, Beholde, I haue heard that there is corne in Egypt: get you downe thither and buy for vs from thence, that we may liue, and not die.

3 And Iosephs ten brethren went downe to buy corne in Egypt.

4 But Beniamin Iosephs brother, Iacob sent not with his brethren: for he said, Lest peraduenture mischiefe befall him.

5 And the sonnes of Israel came to buy corne among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

6 And Ioseph was the gouernour ouer the land, and hee it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Iosephs brethren came, & bowed downe themselues before him, with their faces to the earth.

7 And Ioseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himselfe strange vnto them, and spake [Note: cf2\i Hebrew: hard things with them.] roughly vnto them; and hee saide vnto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan, to buy food.

8 And Ioseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.

9 And Ioseph [Note: Genesis 37:5.] remembred the dreames which hee dreamed of them, and said vnto them, Ye are spies: to see the nakednes of the land you are come.

10 And they said vnto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy seruants come.

11 We are all one mans sonnes, we are true men: thy seruants are no spies.

12 And he said vnto them, Nay: but to see the nakednesse of the land, you are come.

13 And they said, Thy seruants are

[Ioseph talketh with his brethren.]

twelue brethren, the sonnes of one man in the land of Canaan: and behold, the yongest is this day with our father, and one is not.

14 And Ioseph said vnto them, That is it that I spake vnto you, saying, Ye are spies.

15 Hereby ye shall be proued: by the life of Pharaoh ye shall not goe foorth hence, except your yongest brother come hither.

16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shalbe [Note: Hebrew: bound.] kept in prison, that your wordes may be proued, whether there be any trueth in you: or els by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.

17 And he [Note: Hebrew: gathered.] put them all together into warde, three dayes.

18 And Ioseph said vnto them the third day, This doe, and liue: for I feare God.

19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: goe ye, carry corne for the famine of your houses.

20 But [Note: Genesis 43:5.] bring your yongest brother vnto mee, so shall your wordes be verified, and yee shall not die: and they did so.

21 And they said one to another, We are verily guiltie concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soule, when he besought vs, and we would not heare: therefore is this distresse come vpon vs.

22 And Reuben answered them, saying, [Note: Genesis 37:21.] Spake I not vnto you, saying, Doe not sinne against the childe, and ye would not heare? therefore behold also, his blood is required.

23 And they knew not that Ioseph vnderstood them: for [Note: Hebrew: an interpreter was betweene them.] hee spake vnto them by an interpreter.

24 And hee turned himselfe about from them and wept, and returned to them againe, and communed with them, and tooke from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.

25 Then Ioseph commanded to fill their sackes with corne, and to restore euery mans money into his sacke, and to giue them prouision for the way: and thus did he vnto them.

26 And they laded their asses with the corne, and departed thence.

27 And as one of them opened his sacke, to giue his asse prouender in the Inne, he espied his money: for behold,

[Ioseph talketh with his brethren.]

it was in his sackes mouth.

28 And he said vnto his brethren, My money is restored, and loe, it is euen in my sacke: and their heart [Note: Hebrew: went foorth.] failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to an other, What is this that God hath done vnto vs?

29 And they came vnto Iacob their father, vnto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell vnto them, saying;

30 The man who is the lord of the land, spake [Note: Hebrew: with vs hard things.] roughly to vs, and tooke vs for spies of the countrey.

31 And we said vnto him, We are true men; we are no spies.

32 We be twelue brethren, sonnes of our father: one is not, and the yongest is this day with our father, in the land of Canaan.

33 And the man the lord of the countrey said vnto vs, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men: leaue one of your brethren here with me, and take foode for the famine of your housholds, and be gone.

34 And bring your yongest brother vnto me: then shall I know that you are no spies, but that you are true men: so will I deliuer you your brother, and ye shall traffique in the land.

35 And it came to passe as they emptied their sacks, that behold, euery mans bundle of money was in his sacke: and when both they and their father saw the bundels of money, they were afraid.

36 And Iacob their father said vnto them, We haue ye bereaued of my children: Ioseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye wil take Beniamin away: all these things are against me.

37 And Reuben spake vnto his father, saying; Slay my two sonnes, if I bring him not to thee: deliuer him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee againe.

38 And he said, My sonne shall not goe downe with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischiefe befall him by the way in the which yee goe, then shall ye bring downe my gray haires with sorrow to the graue.