421 Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt , and Jacob said to his sons , "Why are you staring at one another?" 2 He said , "Behold , I have heard that there is grain in Egypt ; go down there and buy some for us from that place , so that we may live and not die ." 3 Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt . 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers , for he said , " I am afraid that harm may befall him." 5 So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those who were coming , for the famine was in the land of Canaan also. 6 Now Joseph was the ruler over the land ; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land . And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground .
7 When Joseph saw his brothers he recognized them, but he disguised himself to them and spoke to them harshly . And he said to them, "Where have you come from?" And they said , "From the land of Canaan , to buy food ." 8 But Joseph had recognized his brothers , although they did not recognize him. 9 Joseph remembered the dreams which he had about them, and said to them, "You are spies ; you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land ." 10 Then they said to him, "No , my lord , but your servants have come to buy food . 11 "We are all sons of one man ; we are honest men , your servants are not spies ." 12 Yet he said to them, "No , but you have come to look at the undefended parts of our land !" 13 But they said , "Your servants are twelve e brothers in all, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan ; and behold , the youngest is with our father today , and one is no longer alive." 14 Joseph said to them, "It is as I said to you, you are spies ; 15 by this you will be tested : by the life of Pharaoh , you shall not go from this place unless e your youngest brother comes here ! 16 "Send one of you that he may get your brother , while you remain confined , that your words may be tested , whether there is truth in you. But if not, by the life of Pharaoh , surely you are spies ." 17 So he put them all together in prison for three days . 18 Now Joseph said to them on the third day , "Do this and live , for I fear God : 19 if you are honest men , let one of your brothers be confined in your prison e ; but as for the rest of you, go , carry grain for the famine of your households , 20 and bring your youngest brother to me, so your words may be verified , and you will not die ." And they did so .
21 Then they said to one another , " Truly we are guilty concerning our brother , because we saw the distress of his soul when he pleaded with us, yet we would not listen ; therefore e this distress has come upon us." 22 Reuben answered them, saying , " Did I not tell you, 'Do not sin against the boy '; and you would not listen ? Now e comes the reckoning for his blood ." 23 They did not know , however, that Joseph understood , for there was an interpreter between them. 24 He turned away from them and wept . But when he returned to them and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and bound him before their eyes . 25 Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain and to restore every man's money in his sack , and to give them provisions for the journey . And thus it was done for them. 26 So they loaded their donkeys with their grain and departed from there . 27 As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey fodder at the lodging place , he saw his money ; and behold , it was in the mouth of his sack . 28 Then he said to his brothers , "My money has been returned , and behold , it is even in my sack ." And their hearts sank , and they turned trembling to one another , saying , " What is this that God has done to us?"
29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan , they told him all that had happened to them, saying , 30 "The man , the lord of the land , spoke harshly with us, and took us for spies of the country . 31 "But we said to him, 'We are honest men ; we are not spies . 32 'We are twelve e brothers , sons of our father ; one is no longer alive, and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan .' 33 "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 households , and go . 34 'But bring your youngest brother to me that I may know that you are not spies , but honest men . I will give your brother to you, and you may trade in the land .' " 35 Now it came about as they were emptying their sacks , that behold , every man's bundle of money was in his sack ; and when they and their father saw their bundles of money , they were dismayed . 36 Their father Jacob said to them, "You have bereaved me of my children : Joseph is no more , and Simeon is no more , and you would take Benjamin ; all these things are against me." 37 Then Reuben spoke to his father , saying , "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 return him to you." 38 But Jacob said , "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead , and he alone is left . If harm should befall him on the journey you are taking , then you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow ."
