Genesis 42 NKJV NIV Parallel

◄ Genesis 42 ►

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

1When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you just keep 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 continued, "I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die."

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

3Then 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 Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come 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 were among those who went to buy grain, for there was famine in the land of Canaan also.

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 governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to 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.”

7As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. "Where do you come from?" he asked. "From the land of Canaan," they replied, "to buy food."

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

8Although Joseph recognized his brothers, 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 he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected."

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

10"No, my lord," they answered. "Your servants have come to buy 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. Your servants are honest men, not spies."

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

12"No!" he said to them. "You have come to see where our land is unprotected."

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.”

13But they replied, "Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more."

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

14Joseph said to them, "It is just as I told 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.

15And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave 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!”

16Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!"

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

17And he put them all in custody 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 this 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, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households.

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, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die." This they proceeded to do.

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 another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that's 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 replied, "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood."

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

23They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using 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 began to weep, but then came back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound 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.

25Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man's silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them,

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

26they 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.

27At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver 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?”

28"My silver has been returned," he said to his brothers. "Here it is in my sack." Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, "What is this that God has 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:

29When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said,

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

30"The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though 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 were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in 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 who is lord over the land said to us, 'This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving 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 to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade 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.

35As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man's sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened.

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 have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, 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 both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back."

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 said, "My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow."

New International Version (NIV)

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