The First Book of Moses: Genesis

⭑ Douay-Rheims :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 42 -

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

I 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.

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

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

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

And 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,

And 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.

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

And 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.

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

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

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

But 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.

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

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

Send 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.

So he put them in prison three days.

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

If 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.

And 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.

And 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.

And 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.

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

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

Joseph’s Brothers Return to Canaan

And 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.

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

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

And 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?

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

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

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

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

And 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.

And 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.

When 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,

Their 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.

And 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.

But 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.

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)

Footnotes

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