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1 And Jakob saw that corn was sold in Mizraim, and Jakob said to his sons, Why look you (on each other)? 2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that corn is sold in Mizraim: go down thither, and buy us from thence, and we shall live, and not die. 3 And the ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy corn from Mizraim; 4 But Benjamin, the brother of Joseph, Jakob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest death should befall him. 5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among them who came; for the famine was in the land of Kenaan.
6 And Joseph, who was ruler over the land, was he who sold the corn to all the people of the earth. And the brothers of Joseph came, and bowed before him with their faces upon the ground. 7 And Joseph saw his brothers, and knew them, and considered what he should say to them. And he spake with them severely, and said to them, Whence come you? And they said, From the land of Kenaan, to buy corn. 8 And Joseph knew his brothers, but they did not know him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed of them; and he said to them, You are spies; to see the ruin of the land are you come. 10 And they said, No, my lord, (ribboni,) thy servants are come to buy corn. 11 We are all the sons of one man. Right are we; thy servants are not spies. 12 But he said to them, No, but you are come to see the ruin of the land. 13 And they said, Thy servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man, in the land of Kenaan; and, behold, the youngest is with our father today, and one is not! 14 And Joseph said to them, That is what I have told you, saying, You are spies; 15 By this you shall be proved: by the life of Pharoh you shall not go hence, until your youngest brother be come hither. 16 Send one of you, and bring your brother; but you shall be bound, and your words shall be proved, whether you have spoken the truth; if not, by the life of Pharoh, you are spies. 17 And he put them in the house of custody three days.
18 And Joseph said to them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear before the Lord. 19 If you be true, let one of your brethren be bound in the prison; and go you, carry the provision which is needed in your house, 20 and bring your youngest brother to me, and your words will be verified, and you shall not die. And they did so. 21 And they said, a man to his brother, We are verily guilty concerning our brother; that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he implored us, and we would not hearken to him: therefore is this distress come upon us. 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Did not I tell you, saying, Do not sin against the youth? But you, would not hearken. Thus, behold, his blood is required. 23 But they knew not that Joseph heard; for there was an interpreter between them. 24 And he turned himself away from them, and wept. And he returned and spake to them, and took Shemeon from them, and bound him before their eyes. 25 And Joseph commanded to fill their vessels with corn, and return their money (that of each) man in his sack, and give them food in the way. And he did so by them.
26 And they laid their corn upon their asses, and went thence. 27 And one opened his sack to give provender to his ass at the house of lodging, and saw his money, and, behold, it was in the mouth of his package; 28 And he said to his brothers, My money is returned, and, behold, it is in my package. And the knowledge of their hearts failed, and they were each of them confounded, saying, What is this which the Lord hath done to us?
29 And they came to Jakob their father in the land of Kenaan, and showed him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 The man, the lord of the country, spoke hardly with us, and dealt with us as spies of the land. 31 And we told him, We are true men, not spies: 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of one father: one is not, and the youngest is today with our father in the land of Kenaan. 33 And the man, the lord of the country, said to us, By this I shall know that you are true men. Leave one of your brethren with me, and take the corn which is needed in your house, and go, 34 And bring your youngest brother to me, and I shall know that you are not spies: and when you (will be proved to) be true men, I will give up your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.
35 And it was, as they emptied their sacks, behold, each man’s money was bound up in his sack; and when they and their father saw the envelopes of their money, they were afraid. 36 And Jakob their father said to them, Me have you made desolate; Joseph is not, and Shemeon is not (here), and Benjamin you would take away; upon me are all these! 37 And Reuben spake with his father, saying, Thou shalt put my two children to death if I do not bring him back to thee. Deliver him into my hand, and I will return him to thee. 38 But he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he alone remains; and if death should befall him in the way in which you will go, you will bring down my grey hairs with mourning unto Sheol.