Genesis 42

KING JAMES BIBLE	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?	1 When Jacob learned that grain rations were available in Egypt, he said to his sons: "Why do you keep gaping at one another?
2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.	2 I hear," he went on, "that rations of grain are available in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, that we may stay alive rather than die of hunger."
3 And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.	3 So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy an emergency supply of grain from Egypt.
4 But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.	4 It was only Joseph's full brother Benjamin that Jacob did not send with the rest, for he thought some disaster might befall him.
5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.	5 Thus, since there was famine in the land of Canaan also, the sons of Israel were among those who came to procure rations.
6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.	6 It was Joseph, as governor of the country, who dispensed the rations to all the people. When Joseph's brothers came and knelt down before him with their faces to the ground,
7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.	7 he recognized them as soon as he saw them. But he concealed his own identity from them and spoke sternly to them. "Where do you come from?" he asked them. They answered, "From the land of Canaan, to procure food."
8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.	8 When Joseph recognized his brothers, although they did not recognize him,
9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.	9 he was reminded of the dreams he had about them. He said to them: "You are spies. You have come to see the nakedness of the land."
10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.	10 "No, my lord," they replied. "On the contrary, your servants have come to procure food.
11 We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.	11 All of us are sons of the same man. We are honest men; your servants have never been spies."
12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.	12 But he answered them: "Not so! You have come to see the nakedness of the land."
13 And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.	13 "We your servants," they said, "were twelve brothers, sons of a certain man in Canaan; but the youngest one is at present with our father, and the other one is gone."
14 And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies:	14 "It is just as I said," Joseph persisted; "you are spies.
15 Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.	15 This is how you shall be tested: unless your youngest brother comes here, I swear by the life of Pharaoh that you shall not leave here.
16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.	16 So send one of your number to get your brother, while the rest of you stay here under arrest. Thus shall your words be tested for their truth; if they are untrue, as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!"
17 And he put them all together into ward three days.	17 With that, he locked them up in the guardhouse for three days.
18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:	18 On the third day Joseph said to them: "Do this, and you shall live; for I am a God-fearing man.
19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:	19 If you have been honest, only one of your brothers need be confined in this prison, while the rest of you may go and take home provisions for your starving families.
20 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.	20 But you must come back to me with your youngest brother. Your words will thus be verified, and you will not die." To this they agreed.
21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.	21 To one another, however, they said: "Alas, we are being punished because of our brother. We saw the anguish of his heart when he pleaded with us, yet we paid no heed; that is why this anguish has now come upon us."
22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.	22 "Didn't I tell you," broke in Reuben, "not to do wrong to the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now comes the reckoning for his blood."
23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter.	23 They did not know, of course, that Joseph understood what they said, since he spoke with them through an interpreter.
24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.	24 But turning away from them, he wept. When he was able to speak to them again, he had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.
25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them.	25 Then Joseph gave orders to have their containers filled with grain, their money replaced in each one's sack, and provisions given them for their journey. After this had been done for them,
26 And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence.	26 they loaded their donkeys with the rations and departed.
27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth.	27 At the night encampment, when one of them opened his bag to give his donkey some fodder, he was surprised to see his money in the mouth of his bag.
28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?	28 "My money has been returned!" he cried out to his brothers. "Here it is in my bag!" At that their hearts sank. Trembling, they asked one another, "What is this that God has done to us?"
29 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying,	29 When they got back to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them.
30 The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.	30 "The man who is lord of the country," they said, "spoke to us sternly and put us in custody as if we were spying on the land.
31 And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:	31 But we said to him: 'We are honest men; we have never been spies.
32 We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.	32 There were twelve of us brothers, sons of the same father; but one is gone, and the youngest one is at present with our father in the land of Canaan.'
33 And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone:	33 Then the man who is lord of the country said to us: 'This is how I shall know if you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, while the rest of you go home with rations for your starving families.
34 And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.	34 When you come back to me with your youngest brother, and I know that you are honest men and not spies, I will restore your brother to you, and you may move about freely in the land.'"
35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.	35 When they were emptying their sacks, there in each one's sack was his moneybag! At the sight of their moneybags, they and their father were dismayed.
36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me.	36 Their father Jacob said to them: "Must you make me childless? Joseph is gone, and Simeon is gone, and now you would take away Benjamin! Why must such things always happen to me?"
37 And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.	37 Then Reuben told his father: "Put him in my care, and I will bring him back to you. You may kill my own two sons if I do not return him to you."
38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.	38 But Jacob replied: "My son shall not go down with you. Now that his full brother is dead, he is the only one left. If some disaster should befall him on the journey you must make, you would send my white head down to the nether world in grief."