Genesis 42 - Prayer Tents

Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt

42When Jacob heard that grain was available in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why are you standing around looking at one another?H3290H7200H3426H7668H4714H3290H559H1121H72002I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy enough grain to keep us alive. Otherwise we'll die."H559H8085H3426H7668H4714H3381H7666H2421H41913So Joseph's ten older brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain.H3130H6235H251H3381H7666H1250H47144But Jacob wouldn't let Joseph's younger brother, Benjamin, go with them, for fear some harm might come to him.H1144H3130H251H3290H7971H251H559H6435H611H71225So Jacob's

sons arrived in Egypt along with others to buy food, for the famine was in Canaan as well.H1121H3478H935H7666H8432H935H7458H776H36676Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of selling grain to all the people, it was to him that his brothers came. When they arrived, they bowed before him with their faces to the ground.H3130H7989H776H7666H5971H776H3130H251H935H7812H639H7767Joseph recognized his brothers instantly, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. "Where are you from?" he demanded. "From the land of Canaan," they replied. "We have come to buy food."H3130H7200H251H5234H5234H1696H7186H559H370H935H559H776H3667H7666H4008Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn't recognize him.H3130H5234H251H52349And he remembered the dreams he'd had about them many years before. He said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become."H3130H2142H2472H2492H559H7270H7200H6172H776H93510"No, my lord!" they exclaimed. "Your servants have simply come to buy food.H559H113H7666H400H5650H93511We are all brothers—members of the same family. We are honest men, sir! We are not spies!"H5168H259H376H1121H3651H5650H727012"Yes, you are!" Joseph insisted. "You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become."H559H7200H6172H776H93513"Sir," they said, "there are actually twelve of us. We, your servants, are all brothers, sons of a man living in the land of Canaan. Our youngest brother is back there with our father right now, and one of our brothers is no longer with us."H559H5650H8147H6240H251H1121H259H376H776H3667H6996H3117H1H25914But Joseph insisted, "As I said, you are spies!H3130H559H1696H559H727015This is how I will test your story. I swear by the life of Pharaoh that you will never leave Egypt unless your youngest brother comes here!H2063H974H2416H6547H3318H6996H251H93516One of you must go and get your brother. I'll keep the rest of you here in prison. Then we'll find out whether or not your story is true. By the life of Pharaoh, if it turns out that you don't have a younger brother, then I'll know you are spies."H7971H259H3947H251H631H1697H974H571H854H3808H2416H6547H727017So Joseph put them all in prison for three days.H622H4929H7969H311718On the third day Joseph said to them, "I am a God-fearing man. If you do as I say, you will live.H3130H559H7992H3117H6213H2421H3373H43019If you really are honest men, choose one of your brothers to remain in prison. The rest of you may go home with grain for your starving families.H3651H259H251H631H1004H4929H3212H935H7668H7459H100420But you must bring your youngest brother back to me. This will prove that you are telling the truth, and you will not die." To this they agreed.H935H6996H251H1697H539H4191H621321Speaking among themselves, they said, "Clearly we are being punished because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldn't listen. That's why we're in this trouble."H559H376H251H61H818H251H834H7200H6869H5315H2603H8085H6869H93522"Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy?" Reuben asked. "But you wouldn't listen. And now we have to answer for his blood!"H7205H6030H559H559H559H2398H3206H8085H1818H187523Of course, they didn't know that Joseph understood them, for he had been speaking to them through an interpreter.H3045H3130H8085H388724Now he turned away from them and began to weep. When he regained his composure, he spoke to them again. Then he chose Simeon from among them and had him tied up right before their eyes.H5437H1058H7725H1696H3947H8095H631H586925Joseph then ordered his servants to fill the men's sacks with grain, but he also gave secret instructions to return each brother's payment at the top of his sack. He also gave them supplies for their journey home.H3130H6680H4390H3627H1250H7725H376H3701H8242H5414H6720H1870H3651H621326So the brothers loaded their donkeys with the grain and headed for home.H5375H2543H7668H321227But when they stopped for the night and one of them opened his sack to get grain for his donkey, he found his money in the top of his sack.H259H6605H8242H5414H2543H4554H4411H7200H3701H572H631028"Look!" he exclaimed to his brothers. "My money has been returned; it's here in my sack!" Then their hearts sank. Trembling, they said to each other, "What has God done to us?"H559H251H3701H7725H2009H572H3820H3318H2729H559H376H251H430H621329When the brothers came to their father, Jacob, in the land of Canaan, they told him everything that had happened to them.H935H3290H1H776H3667H5046H7136H55930"The man who is governor of the land spoke very harshly to us," they told him. "He accused us of being spies scouting the land.H376H113H776H1696H7186H5414H7270H77631But we said, 'We are honest men, not spies.H559H3651H727032We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One brother is no longer with us, and the youngest is at home with our father in the land of Canaan.'H6240H8147H251H1121H1H259H6996H3117H1H776H366733"Then the man who is governor of the land told us, 'This is how I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take grain for your starving families and go on home.H376H113H776H559H3045H3651H3240H259H251H3947H7459H1004H321234But you must bring your youngest brother back to me. Then I will know you are honest men and not spies. Then I will give you back your brother, and you may trade freely in the land.'"H935H6996H251H3045H7270H3651H5414H251H5503H77635As they emptied out their sacks, there in each man's sack was the bag of money he had paid for the grain! The brothers and their father were terrified when they saw the bags of money.H7324H8242H376H6872H3701H8242H1H7200H6872H3701H337236Jacob exclaimed, "You are robbing me of my children! Joseph is gone! Simeon is gone! And now you want to take Benjamin, too. Everything is going against me!"H3290H1H559H7921H3130H8095H3947H114437Then Reuben said to his father, "You may kill my two sons if I don't bring Benjamin back to you. I'll be responsible for him, and I promise to bring him back."H7205H559H1H559H4191H8147H1121H935H5414H3027H772538But Jacob replied, "My son will not go down with you. His brother Joseph is dead, and he is all I have left. If anything should happen to him on your journey, you would send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave

."H559H1121H3381H251H4191H7604H611H7122H1870H3212H3381H7872H3015H7585