New King James Version

King James Bible

1When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”

1Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?

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.”

2And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.

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

3And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.

4But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “Lest some calamity befall him.”

4But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him.

5And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

5And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was 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.

6And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.

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.”

7And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

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

8And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not 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!”

9And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

10And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.

10And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come.

11We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.”

11We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies.

12But he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.”

12And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

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.”

13And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not.

14But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’

14And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye 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.

15Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither.

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!”

16Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies.

17So he put them all together in prison three days.

17And he put them all together into ward three days.

18Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God:

18And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and 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 ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses:

20And bring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.” And they did so.

20But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.

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.”

21And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon 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.”

22And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.

23But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter.

23And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by 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.

24And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him 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 commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them.

26So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there.

26And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence.

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.

27And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth.

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?”

28And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?

29Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying:

29And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying,

30“The man who is lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

30The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

31But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies.

31And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no 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 be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father 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.

33And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone:

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.’ ”

34And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick 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.

35And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles 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.”

36And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are 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.”

37And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again.

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.”

38And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.