| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” | 1When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why are you looking at each other?" |
| 2And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.” | 2He then said, "Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us so that we may live and not die." |
| 3So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. | 3So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. |
| 4But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “Lest some calamity befall him.” | 4But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, "What if some accident happens to him?" |
| 5And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. | 5So Israel's sons came to buy grain among the other travelers, for the famine was severe in the land of Canaan. |
| 6Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. | 6Now Joseph was the ruler of the country, the one who sold grain to all the people of the country. Joseph's brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground. |
| 7Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.” | 7When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger to them and spoke to them harshly. He asked, "Where do you come from?" They answered, "From the land of Canaan, to buy grain for food." |
| 8So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. | 8Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. |
| 9Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!” | 9Then Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, "You are spies; you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!" |
| 10And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. | 10But they exclaimed, "No, my lord! Your servants have come to buy grain for food! |
| 11We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.” | 11We are all the sons of one man; we are honest men! Your servants are not spies." |
| 12But he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” | 12"No," he insisted, "but you have come to see if our land is vulnerable." |
| 13And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.” | 13They replied, "Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers. We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at this time, and one is no longer alive." |
| 14But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’ | 14But Joseph told them, "It is just as I said to you: You are spies! |
| 15In this manner you shall be tested: By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. | 15You will be tested in this way: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not depart from this place unless your youngest brother comes here. |
| 16Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!” | 16One of you must go and get your brother, while the rest of you remain in prison. In this way your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If not, then, as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!" |
| 17So he put them all together in prison three days. | 17He imprisoned them all for three days. |
| 18Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God: | 18On the third day Joseph said to them, "Do as I say and you will live, for I fear God. |
| 19If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses. | 19If you are honest men, leave one of your brothers confined here in prison while the rest of you go and take grain back for your hungry families. |
| 20And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so. | 20But you must bring your youngest brother to me. Then your words will be verified and you will not die." They did as he said. |
| 21Then they said to one another, “We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; therefore this distress has come upon us.” | 21They said to one other, "Surely we're being punished because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress has come on us!" |
| 22And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.” | 22Reuben said to them, "Didn't I say to you, 'Don't sin against the boy,' but you wouldn't listen? So now we must pay for shedding his blood!" |
| 23But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. | 23(Now they did not know that Joseph could understand them, for he was speaking through an interpreter.) |
| 24And he turned himself away from them and wept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes. | 24He turned away from them and wept. When he turned around and spoke to them again, he had Simeon taken from them and tied up before their eyes. |
| 25Then Joseph gave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to restore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. Thus he did for them. | 25Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man's money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. His orders were carried out. |
| 26So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there. | 26So they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left. |
| 27But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack. | 27When one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey at their resting place, he saw his money in the mouth of his sack. |
| 28So he said to his brothers, “My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!” Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?” | 28He said to his brothers, "My money was returned! Here it is in my sack!" They were dismayed; they turned trembling one to another and said, "What in the world has God done to us?" |
| 29Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying: | 29They returned to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan and told him all the things that had happened to them, saying, |
| 30“The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. | 30"The man, the lord of the land, spoke harshly to us and treated us as if we were spying on the land. |
| 31But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. | 31But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we are not spies! |
| 32We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.’ | 32We are from a family of twelve brothers; we are the sons of one father. One is no longer alive, and the youngest is with our father at this time in the land of Canaan.' |
| 33Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone. | 33"Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'This is how I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for your hungry households and go. |
| 34And bring your youngest brother to me; so I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. I will grant your brother to you, and you may trade in the land.’ ” | 34But bring your youngest brother back to me so I will know that you are honest men and not spies. Then I will give your brother back to you and you may move about freely in the land.'" |
| 35Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly each man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. | 35When they were emptying their sacks, there was each man's bag of money in his sack! When they and their father saw the bags of money, they were afraid. |
| 36And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.” | 36Their father Jacob said to them, "You are making me childless! Joseph is gone. Simeon is gone. And now you want to take Benjamin! Everything is against me." |
| 37Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.” | 37Then Reuben said to his father, "You may put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my care and I will bring him back to you." |
| 38But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.” | 38But Jacob replied, "My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left. If an accident happens to him on the journey you have to make, then you will bring down my gray hair in sorrow to the grave." |
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