Genesis 42 ISV BSB Parallel

◄ Genesis 42 ►

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Berean Study Bible

1Eventually, Jacob observed that there was grain in Egypt, so he asked his sons, "Why do you keep on staring at one another?

1When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”

2Pay attention now! I've heard that there is grain in Egypt, so go down there and buy some grain for us, so we can live, instead of dying."

2“Look,” he added, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”

3So ten of Joseph's brothers left to buy grain from Egypt.

3So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

4Jacob would not send Joseph's brother Benjamin to accompany them, because he was saying, "I'm afraid that he'll come to some kind of harm."

4But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm might befall him.”

5Israel's sons went in a caravan that included others who were going to Egypt to buy grain, because the famine pervaded the land of Canaan, too.

5So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan.

6Meanwhile, Joseph continued to be ruler over the land, in charge of selling to everyone in the land. Joseph's brothers appeared and bowed down to him, face down.

6Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

7As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he knew who they were, but he remained disguised and asked them gruffly, "Where are you from?" "From the land of Canaan," they replied. "We're here to buy food."

7And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”

8But Joseph had already recognized his brothers, even though they had not recognized him.

8Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.

9Furthermore, Joseph remembered the dreams that he had about them. So he accused them, "You're spies! You've come here to spy on our undefended territories!"

9Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

10"No, your majesty," they replied. "Your servants have come here to buy food.

10“Not so, my lord,” they replied. “Your servants have come to buy food.

11We're all sons of a common father. We're honest men, your majesty. We're not spies!"

11We are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”

12But Joseph kept insisting, "It's just as I've said—you've come here to spy on our unguarded territories!"

12“No,” he told them. “You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

13"But your majesty," they pleaded, "your servants include twelve brothers, the sons of a common father back in the land of Canaan. Please! Our youngest brother remains with our father, and the other one is no longer alive."

13But they answered, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”

14"I'm right!" Joseph insisted. "Just as I said, you're spies!

14Then Joseph declared, “Just as I said, you are spies!

15So here's how we'll test you. You can bet the life of Pharaoh that you're not leaving here until your youngest brother comes here!

15And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

16One of you is to be sent back so he can get your brother while the rest of you remain in custody. That way, we'll test whether or not you're telling the truth. If you're not, as surely as the Pharaoh lives, you're spies!"

16Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be confined so that the truth of your words may be tested. If they are untrue, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”

17Then Joseph locked them all together in prison for three days.

17So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,

18Three days later, Joseph told them, "I fear God, so do this and you'll live.

18and on the third day he said to them, “I fear God. So do this and you will live:

19If you're honest men, leave one of your brothers here in custody, then the rest of you can leave and take some grain with you to alleviate the famine that's affecting your households.

19If you are honest, leave one of your brothers in custody while the rest of you go and take back grain to relieve the hunger of your households.

20Just be sure to bring your youngest brother back to me so what you've claimed can be verified. That way, you won't die."

20Then bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be verified, that you may not die.” And to this they consented.

21"We're all guilty because of what we did to our brother!" they told each other. "We kept on watching his suffering while he pleaded with us! We're in this mess because we wouldn't listen!"

21Then they said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

22"Didn't I tell you!" Reuben replied. "'Don't wrong the kid!' I said, but would you listen? No! Now it's payback time!"

22And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”

23Meanwhile, they had no idea that Joseph could understand them, since he was talking to them through an interpreter.

23They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them.

24He turned away from them and began to weep. When he returned, he spoke with them, but then he took Simeon away from them and had him placed under arrest right in front of them.

24And he turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes.

25After this, Joseph gave orders to fill up their sacks with grain, to return each man's money to his own sack, and to supply each of them with provisions for their return journey. All of this was done for them.

25Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s silver to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out,

26Then they each mounted up, their donkeys having been loaded with grain, and left from there.

26and they loaded the grain on their donkeys and departed.

27Later on, one of them opened up his sack to give his donkey some fodder after they had stopped at the place where they intended to lodge for the night. There, in the mouth of his sack, was all of his money!

27At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of the sack.

28He reported to his brothers, "My money has been returned! It's right here in my sack!" Trembling with mounting consternation, each of them asked one another, "What is God doing to us?"

28“My silver has been returned!” he said to his brothers. “It is here in my sack.” Their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

29As soon as they had returned to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him everything that had happened to them.

29When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him all that had happened to them:

30"The man who was in charge of the land spoke harshly to us," they said. "He accused us of being spies!

30“The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.

31But we told him, 'No! We're honest men! We're not spies!

31But we told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies.

32Our father has twelve sons, but one of us isn't alive anymore, and our youngest brother is with our father today back home in Canaan.'

32We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’

33But the man who was in charge of the land responded, 'I'm going to test your honesty. Leave one of your brothers with me, take some grain for the famine that's afflicting your households, and leave.

33Then the man who is lord of the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go.

34But bring your youngest brother back to me so I can be sure that you're honest men, and not spies. Then I'll return your brother to you, and you'll be allowed to trade anywhere in the land.'"

34But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’ ”

35Later on, as they went about unloading their sacks, each man's bundle of money was found in each man's sack. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were greatly distressed.

35As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed.

36Their father Jacob told them, "You're causing me to lose my children! Joseph is gone. Now Simeon is gone, and you're planning to take Benjamin, too. Everything's going against me!"

36Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!”

37"Feel free to put my own two sons to death," Reuben responded to his father, "if I don't bring him back to you. Trust me—I'll bring him back to you."

37Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him.”

38But Jacob replied, "My son isn't going back with you, since his brother is dead and he's the only one left. If something should harm him as you travel, then it'll be death for me and my sad, gray hair!"

38But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”

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