The First Book of Moses: Genesis

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- Kapitel 42 -

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

I 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.”

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

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

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

And 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

and 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.”

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

And 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.”(a)

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

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

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

But 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.”

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

I 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.

Send 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.”(b)

Therefore, he delivered them into custody for three days.

Then, 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.

If 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.

And 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,

and 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.”

And 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.”

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

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

Joseph’s Brothers Return to Canaan

And 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.

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

And 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,

and 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?”

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

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

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

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

And 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,

and 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.’ ”

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

Their 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.”

And 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.”

But 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.”(c)

(d)

Fußnoten

(a)42:9 You are spies:This he said by way of examining them, to see what they would answer.(Challoner)

(b)42:16 Or else by the health of Pharao you are spies:That is, if these things you say be proved false, you are to be held for spies for your lying, and shall be treated as such. Joseph dealt in this manner with his brethren, to bring them by the means of affliction to a sense of their former sin, and a sincere repentance for it.(Challoner)

(c)42:38 The word ‘inferos’ can refer to Hell, in some contexts. But it also can refer to the afterlife in general, particularly when one dies under adverse circumstances. Thus the translation here could be ‘grave’ or ‘underworld.’(Conte)

(d)42:38 To hell:That is, to that place, where the souls then remained, as above, chapter 37. ver. 35.(Challoner)

Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”

He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy for us from there, so that we may live, and not die.”

Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

But Jacob didn’t send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers; for he said, “Lest perhaps harm happen to him.”

The sons of Israel came to buy among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

Joseph was the governor over the land. It was he who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph’s brothers came, and bowed themselves down to him with their faces to the earth.

Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but acted like a stranger to them, and spoke roughly with them. He said to them, “Where did you come from?” They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.”

Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him.

Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land.”

They said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.

We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men. Your servants are not spies.”

He said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land!”

They said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is today with our father, and one is no more.”

Joseph said to them, “It is like I told you, saying, ‘You are spies!’

By this you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go out from here, unless your youngest brother comes here.

Send one of you, and let him get your brother, and you shall be bound, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you, or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies.”

He put them all together into custody for three days.

Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this, and live, for I fear God.

If you are honest men, then let one of your brothers be bound in your prison; but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses.

Bring your youngest brother to me; so will your words be verified, and you won’t die.” They did so.

They said to one another, “We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn’t listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us.”

Reuben answered them, saying, “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘Don’t sin against the child,’ and you wouldn’t listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required.”

They didn’t know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.

He turned himself away from them, and wept. Then he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes.

Joseph’s Brothers Return to Canaan

Then Joseph gave a command to fill their bags with grain, and to restore each man’s money into his sack, and to give them food for the way. So it was done to them.

They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed from there.

As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey food in the lodging place, he saw his money. Behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.

He said to his brothers, “My money is restored! Behold, it is in my sack!” Their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”

They came to Jacob their father, to the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them, saying,

“The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country.

We said to him, ‘We are honest men. We are no spies.

We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is today with our father in the land of Canaan.’

The man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way.

Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. So I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’”

As they emptied their sacks, behold, each man’s bundle of money was in his sack. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.

Jacob, their father, said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.”

Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons, if I don’t bring him to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him to you again.”

He said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left. If harm happens to him along the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”(a)

Fußnoten

(a)42:38 Sheol is the place of the dead.