Genesis 42 NLT ISV Parallel

◄ Genesis 42 ►

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1When Jacob heard that grain was available in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you standing around looking at one another?

1Eventually, Jacob observed that there was grain in Egypt, so he asked his sons, "Why do you keep on staring at one another?

2I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy enough grain to keep us alive. Otherwise we’ll die.”

2Pay attention now! I've heard that there is grain in Egypt, so go down there and buy some grain for us, so we can live, instead of dying."

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

3So ten of Joseph's brothers left to buy grain from Egypt.

4But Jacob wouldn’t let Joseph’s younger brother, Benjamin, go with them, for fear some harm might come to him.

4Jacob would not send Joseph's brother Benjamin to accompany them, because he was saying, "I'm afraid that he'll come to some kind of harm."

5So Jacob’s sons arrived in Egypt along with others to buy food, for the famine was in Canaan as well.

5Israel's sons went in a caravan that included others who were going to Egypt to buy grain, because the famine pervaded the land of Canaan, too.

6Since 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.

6Meanwhile, Joseph continued to be ruler over the land, in charge of selling to everyone in the land. Joseph's brothers appeared and bowed down to him, face down.

7Joseph 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.”

7As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he knew who they were, but he remained disguised and asked them gruffly, "Where are you from?" "From the land of Canaan," they replied. "We're here to buy food."

8Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn’t recognize him.

8But Joseph had already recognized his brothers, even though they had not recognized him.

9And 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.”

9Furthermore, Joseph remembered the dreams that he had about them. So he accused them, "You're spies! You've come here to spy on our undefended territories!"

10“No, my lord!” they exclaimed. “Your servants have simply come to buy food.

10"No, your majesty," they replied. "Your servants have come here to buy food.

11We are all brothers—members of the same family. We are honest men, sir! We are not spies!”

11We're all sons of a common father. We're honest men, your majesty. We're not spies!"

12“Yes, you are!” Joseph insisted. “You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become.”

12But Joseph kept insisting, "It's just as I've said—you've come here to spy on our unguarded territories!"

13“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.”

13"But your majesty," they pleaded, "your servants include twelve brothers, the sons of a common father back in the land of Canaan. Please! Our youngest brother remains with our father, and the other one is no longer alive."

14But Joseph insisted, “As I said, you are spies!

14"I'm right!" Joseph insisted. "Just as I said, you're spies!

15This 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!

15So here's how we'll test you. You can bet the life of Pharaoh that you're not leaving here until your youngest brother comes here!

16One 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.”

16One of you is to be sent back so he can get your brother while the rest of you remain in custody. That way, we'll test whether or not you're telling the truth. If you're not, as surely as the Pharaoh lives, you're spies!"

17So Joseph put them all in prison for three days.

17Then Joseph locked them all together in prison for three days.

18On the third day Joseph said to them, “I am a God-fearing man. If you do as I say, you will live.

18Three days later, Joseph told them, "I fear God, so do this and you'll live.

19If 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.

19If you're honest men, leave one of your brothers here in custody, then the rest of you can leave and take some grain with you to alleviate the famine that's affecting your households.

20But 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.

20Just be sure to bring your youngest brother back to me so what you've claimed can be verified. That way, you won't die."

21Speaking 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.”

21"We're all guilty because of what we did to our brother!" they told each other. "We kept on watching his suffering while he pleaded with us! We're in this mess because we wouldn't listen!"

22“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!”

22"Didn't I tell you!" Reuben replied. "'Don't wrong the kid!' I said, but would you listen? No! Now it's payback time!"

23Of course, they didn’t know that Joseph understood them, for he had been speaking to them through an interpreter.

23Meanwhile, they had no idea that Joseph could understand them, since he was talking to them through an interpreter.

24Now 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.

24He turned away from them and began to weep. When he returned, he spoke with them, but then he took Simeon away from them and had him placed under arrest right in front of them.

25Joseph 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.

25After this, Joseph gave orders to fill up their sacks with grain, to return each man's money to his own sack, and to supply each of them with provisions for their return journey. All of this was done for them.

26So the brothers loaded their donkeys with the grain and headed for home.

26Then they each mounted up, their donkeys having been loaded with grain, and left from there.

27But 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.

27Later on, one of them opened up his sack to give his donkey some fodder after they had stopped at the place where they intended to lodge for the night. There, in the mouth of his sack, was all of his money!

28“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?”

28He reported to his brothers, "My money has been returned! It's right here in my sack!" Trembling with mounting consternation, each of them asked one another, "What is God doing to us?"

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

29As soon as they had returned to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him everything that had happened to them.

30“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.

30"The man who was in charge of the land spoke harshly to us," they said. "He accused us of being spies!

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

31But we told him, 'No! We're honest men! We're not spies!

32We 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.’

32Our father has twelve sons, but one of us isn't alive anymore, and our youngest brother is with our father today back home in Canaan.'

33“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.

33But the man who was in charge of the land responded, 'I'm going to test your honesty. Leave one of your brothers with me, take some grain for the famine that's afflicting your households, and leave.

34But 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.’”

34But bring your youngest brother back to me so I can be sure that you're honest men, and not spies. Then I'll return your brother to you, and you'll be allowed to trade anywhere in the land.'"

35As 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.

35Later on, as they went about unloading their sacks, each man's bundle of money was found in each man's sack. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were greatly distressed.

36Jacob 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!”

36Their father Jacob told them, "You're causing me to lose my children! Joseph is gone. Now Simeon is gone, and you're planning to take Benjamin, too. Everything's going against me!"

37Then 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.”

37"Feel free to put my own two sons to death," Reuben responded to his father, "if I don't bring him back to you. Trust me—I'll bring him back to you."

38But 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. ”

38But Jacob replied, "My son isn't going back with you, since his brother is dead and he's the only one left. If something should harm him as you travel, then it'll be death for me and my sad, gray hair!"

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