Genesis 42

1And Jacob hearing that food was sold in Egypt, said to his sons: Why are ye careless?

2I have heard that wheat is sold in Egypt: go ye down, and buy us necessaries, that we may live, and not be consumed with want.

3So the ten brethren of Joseph went down, to buy corn in Egypt:

4Whilst Benjamin was kept at home by Jacob, who said to his brethren: Lest perhaps he take any harm in the journey.

5And they entered into the land of Egypt with others that went to buy. For the famine was in the land of Chanaan.

6And Joseph was governor in the land of Egypt, and corn was sold by his direction to the people. And when his brethren had bowed down to him,

7And he knew them, he spoke as it were to strangers somewhat roughly, asking them: Whence came you? They answered: From the land of Chanaan, to buy necessaries of life.

8And though he knew his brethren, he was not known by them.

9And remembering the dreams, which formerly he had dreamed, he said to them: You are spies. You are come to view the weaker parts of the land.

10But they said: It is not so, my lord, but thy servants are come to buy food.

11We are all the sons of one man: we are come as peaceable men, neither do thy servants go about any evil.

12And he answered them: It is otherwise: you are come to consider the unfenced parts of this land.

13But they said: We thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Chanaan: the youngest is with our father, the other is not living.

14He saith: This is it that I said: You are spies.

15I shall now presently try what you are: by the health of Pharao you shall not depart hence, until your youngest brother come.

16Send one of you to fetch him: and you shall be in prison, till what you have said be proved, whether it be true or false: or else by the health of Pharao you are spies.

17So he put them in prison three days.

18And the third day he brought them out of prison, and said: Do as I have said, and you shall live: for I fear God.

19If you be peaceable men, let one of your brethren be bound in prison: and go ye your ways and carry the corn that you have bought, unto your houses.

20And bring your youngest brother to me, that I may find your words to be true, and you may not die. They did as he had said.

21And they talked one to another: We deserve to suffer these things, because we have sinned against our brother, seeing the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear: therefore is this affliction come upon us.

22And Ruben one of them, said: Did not I say to you: Do not sin against the boy: and you would not hear me? Behold his blood is required.

23And they knew not that Joseph understood, because he spoke to them by an interpreter.

24And he turned himself away a little while, and wept: and returning he spoke to them.

25And taking Simeon, and binding him in their presence, he commanded his servants to fill their sacks with wheat, and to put every man’s money again in their sacks, and to give them besides provisions for the way: and they did so.

26But they having loaded their asses with the corn, went their way.

27And one of them opening his sack, to give his beast provender in the inn, saw the money in the sack’s mouth;

28And said to his brethren: My money is given me again, behold it is in the sack. And they were astonished, and troubled, and said to one another: What is this that God hath done unto us?

29And they came to Jacob their father in the land of Chanaan, and they told him all things that had befallen them, saying:

30The lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us to be spies of the country.

31And we answered him: We are peaceable men, and we mean no plot.

32We are twelve brethren born of one father: one is not living, the youngest is with our father in the land of Chanaan.

33And he said to us: Hereby shall I know that you are peaceable men: Leave one of your brethren with me, and take ye necessary provision for your houses, and go your ways.

34And bring your youngest brother to me, that I may know you are not spies: and you may receive this man again, that is kept in prison: and afterwards may have leave to buy what you will.

35When they had told this, they poured out their corn and every man found his money tied in the mouth of his sack: and all being astonished together,

36Their father Jacob said: You have made me to be without children: Joseph is not living, Simeon is kept in bonds, and Benjamin you will take away: all these evils are fallen upon me.

37And Ruben answered him: Kill my two sons if I bring him not again to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will restore him to thee.

38But he said: My son shall not go down with you: his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if any mischief befall him in the land to which you go, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to hell.

1Audiens autem Jacob quod alimenta venderentur in Ægypto, dixit filiis suis: Quare negligitis?

2audivi quod triticum venundetur in Ægypto: descendite, et emite nobis necessaria, ut possimus vivere, et non consumamur inopia.

3Descendentes igitur fratres Joseph decem, ut emerent frumenta in Ægypto,

4Benjamin domi retento a Jacob, qui dixerat fratribus ejus: Ne forte in itinere quidquam patiatur mali:

5ingressi sunt terram Ægypti cum aliis qui pergebant ad emendum. Erat autem fames in terra Chanaan.

6Et Joseph erat princeps in terra Ægypti, atque ad ejus nutum frumenta populis vendebantur. Cumque adorassent eum fratres sui,

7et agnovisset eos, quasi ad alienos durius loquebatur, interrogans eos: Unde venistis? Qui responderunt: De terra Chanaan, ut emamus victui necessaria.

8Et tamen fratres ipse cognoscens, non est cognitus ab eis.

9Recordatusque somniorum, quæ aliquando viderat, ait ad eos: Exploratores estis: ut videatis infirmiora terræ venistis.

10Qui dixerunt: Non est ita, domine, sed servi tui venerunt ut emerent cibos.

11Omnes filii unius viri sumus: pacifici venimus, nec quidquam famuli tui machinantur mali.

12Quibus ille respondit: Aliter est: immunita terræ hujus considerare venistis.

13At illi: Duodecim, inquiunt, servi tui, fratres sumus, filii viri unius in terra Chanaan: minimus cum patre nostro est, alius non est super.

14Hoc est, ait, quod locutus sum: exploratores estis.

15Jam nunc experimentum vestri capiam: per salutem Pharaonis non egrediemini hinc, donec veniat frater vester minimus.

16Mittite ex vobis unum, et adducat eum: vos autem eritis in vinculis, donec probentur quæ dixistis utrum vera an falsa sint: alioquin per salutem Pharaonis exploratores estis.

17Tradidit ergo illos custodiæ tribus diebus.

18Die autem tertio eductis de carcere, ait: Facite quæ dixi, et vivetis: Deum enim timeo.

19Si pacifici estis, frater vester unus ligetur in carcere: vos autem abite, et ferte frumenta quæ emistis, in domos vestras,

20et fratrem vestrum minimum ad me adducite, ut possim vestros probare sermones, et non moriamini. Fecerunt ut dixerat,

21et locuti sunt ad invicem: Merito hæc patimur, quia peccavimus in fratrem nostrum, videntes angustiam animæ illius, dum deprecaretur nos, et non audivimus: idcirco venit super nos ista tribulatio.

22E quibus unus Ruben, ait: Numquid non dixi vobis: Nolite peccare in puerum: et non audistis me? en sanguis ejus exquiritur.

23Nesciebant autem quod intelligeret Joseph, eo quod per interpretem loqueretur ad eos.

24Avertitque se parumper, et flevit: et reversus locutus est ad eos.

25Tollensque Simeon, et ligans illis præsentibus, jussit ministris ut implerent eorum saccos tritico, et reponerent pecunias singulorum in sacculis suis, datis supra cibariis in viam: qui fecerunt ita.

26At illi portantes frumenta in asinis suis, profecti sunt.

27Apertoque unus sacco, ut daret jumento pabulum in diversorio, contemplatus pecuniam in ore sacculi,

28dixit fratribus suis: Reddita est mihi pecunia, en habetur in sacco. Et obstupefacti, turbatique, mutuo dixerunt: Quidnam est hoc quod fecit nobis Deus?

29Veneruntque ad Jacob patrem suum in terram Chanaan, et narraverunt ei omnia quæ accidissent sibi, dicentes:

30Locutus est nobis dominus terræ dure, et putavit nos exploratores esse provinciæ.

31Cui respondimus: Pacifici sumus, nec ullas molimur insidias.

32Duodecim fratres uno patre geniti sumus: unus non est super, minimus cum patre nostro est in terra Chanaan.

33Qui ait nobis: Sic probabo quod pacifici sitis: fratrem vestrum unum dimittite apud me, et cibaria domibus vestris necessaria sumite, et abite,

34fratremque vestrum minimum adducite ad me, ut sciam quod non sitis exploratores: et istum, qui tenetur in vinculis, recipere possitis: ac deinceps quæ vultis, emendi habeatis licentiam.

35His dictis, cum frumenta effunderent, singuli repererunt in ore saccorum ligatas pecunias, exterritisque simul omnibus,

36dixit pater Jacob: Absque liberis me esse fecistis: Joseph non est super, Simeon tenetur in vinculis, et Benjamin auferetis: in me hæc omnia mala reciderunt.

37Cui respondit Ruben: Duos filios meos interfice, si non reduxero illum tibi: trade illum in manu mea, et ego eum tibi restituam.

38At ille: Non descendet, inquit, filius meus vobiscum: frater ejus mortuus est, et ipse solus remansit: si quid ei adversi acciderit in terra ad quam pergitis, deducetis canos meos cum dolore ad inferos.

1Then Jacob, hearing that food was being sold in Egypt, said to his sons: “Why are you negligent?

2I have heard that wheat is being sold in Egypt. Go down and buy necessities for us, so that we may be able to live, and not be consumed by destitution.”

3And so, when ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain in Egypt,

4Benjamin was kept at home by Jacob, who said to his brothers, “Lest perhaps he may suffer harm on the journey.”

5And they entered into the land of Egypt with the others who traveled to buy. For the famine was in the land of Canaan.

6And Joseph was governor in the land of Egypt, and grain was sold under his direction to the people. And when his brothers had reverenced him

7and he had recognized them, he spoke harshly, as if to foreigners, questioning them: “Where did you come from?” And they responded, “From the land of Canaan, to buy necessary provisions.”

8And although he knew his brothers, he was not known by them.

9And remembering the dreams, which he had seen in another time, he said to them: “You are scouts. You have come in order to see which parts of the land are weaker.”

10And they said: “It is not so, my lord. But your servants have arrived in order to buy food.

11We are all sons of one man. We have come in peace, nor do any of your subjects devise evil.”

12And he answered them: “It is otherwise. You have come to examine the unguarded parts of this land.”

13But they said: “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father; the other is not living.”

14He said: “This is just as I have said. You are scouts.

15I will now continue to put you to the test. By the health of Pharaoh, you will not depart from here, until your youngest brother arrives.

16Send one of you and bring him. But you will be in chains, until what you have said is proven to be either true or false. Otherwise, by the health of Pharaoh, you are scouts.”

17Therefore, he delivered them into custody for three days.

18Then, on the third day, he brought them out of prison, and he said: “Do as I have said, and you will live. For I fear God.

19If you are peaceful, let one of your brothers be bound in prison. Then you may go away and carry the grain that you have bought to your houses.

20And bring your youngest brother to me, so that I may be able to test your words, and you may not die.” They did as he had said,

21and they spoke to one another: “We deserve to suffer these things, because we have sinned against our brother, seeing the anguish of his soul, when he begged us and we would not listen. For that reason, this tribulation has come upon us.”

22And Reuben, one of them, said: “Did not I say to you, ‘Do not sin against the boy,’ and you would not listen to me? See, his blood is exacted.”

23But they did not know that Joseph understood, because he was speaking to them through an interpreter.

24And he turned himself away briefly and wept. And returning, he spoke to them.

25And taking Simeon, and binding him in their presence, he ordered his ministers to fill their sacks with wheat, and to replace each one’s money in their sacks, and to give them, in addition, provisions for the way. And they did so.

26Then, having loaded their donkeys with the grain, they set out.

27And one of them, opening a sack to give his beast of burden fodder at the inn, looked upon the money at the sack’s mouth,

28and he said to his brothers: “My money has returned to me. See, it is held in the sack.” And they were astonished and troubled, and they said to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”

29And they went to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, and they explained to him all the things that had befallen them, saying:

30“The lord of the land spoke harshly to us, and he considered us to be scouts of the province.

31And we answered him: ‘We are peaceful, and we do not intend any treachery.

32We are twelve brothers conceived of one father. One is not living; the youngest is with our father in the land of Canaan.’

33And he said to us: ‘Thus will I prove that you are peaceful. Release one of your brothers to me, and take necessary provisions for your houses, and go away,

34and bring your youngest brother to me, so that I may know that you are not scouts. And this one, who is held in chains, you may be able to receive again. And thereafter, you shall have permission to buy what you want.’ ”

35Having said this, when they poured out their grain, each found his money tied to the mouth of his sack. And all were terrified together.

36Their father Jacob said, “You have caused me to be without children. Joseph is not living, Simeon is held in chains, and Benjamin you would carry away. All these evils have fallen back upon me.”

37And Reuben answered him, “Put my two sons to death, if I do not lead him back to you. Deliver him into my hand, and I will restore him to you.”

38But he said: “My son will not go down with you. His brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any adversity will befall him in the land to which you travel, you would lead my grey hairs down with sorrow to the grave.”