¹ 雅各见埃及有粮，就对儿子们说：你们为甚麽彼此观望呢？

² 我听见埃及有粮，你们可以下去，从那里为我们籴些来，使我们可以存活，不至於死。

³ 於是，约瑟的十个哥哥都下埃及籴粮去了。

⁴ 但约瑟的兄弟便雅悯，雅各没有打发他和哥哥们同去，因为雅各说：恐怕他遭害。

⁵ 来籴粮的人中有以色列的儿子们，因为迦南地也有饥荒。

⁶ 当时治理埃及地的是约瑟；发粮给那地众民的就是他。约瑟的哥哥们来了，脸伏於地，向他下拜。

⁷ 约瑟看见他哥哥们，就认得他们，却装作生人，向他们说些严厉话，问他们说：你们从那里来？他们说：我们从迦南地来籴粮。

⁸ 约瑟认得他哥哥们，他们却不认得他。

⁹ 约瑟想起从前所做的那两个梦，就对他们说：你们是奸细，来窥探这地的虚实。

¹⁰ 他们对他说：我主阿，不是的。仆人们是籴粮来的。

¹¹ 我们都是一个人的儿子，是诚实人；仆人们并不是奸细。

¹² 约瑟说：不然，你们必是窥探这地的虚实来的。

¹³ 他们说：仆人们本是弟兄十二人，是迦南地一个人的儿子，顶小的现今在我们的父亲那里，有一个没有了。

¹⁴ 约瑟说：我才说你们是奸细，这话实在不错。

¹⁵ 我指着法老的性命起誓，若是你们的小兄弟不到这里，你们就不得出这地方，从此就可以把你们证验出来了。

¹⁶ 须要打发你们中间一个人去，把你们的兄弟带来。至於你们，都要囚在这里，好证验你们的话真不真，若不真，我指着法老的性命起誓，你们一定是奸细。

¹⁷ 於是约瑟把他们都下在监里三天。

¹⁸ 到了第三天，约瑟对他们说：我是敬畏神的；你们照我的话行就可以存活。

¹⁹ 你们如果是诚实人，可以留你们中间的一个人囚在监里，但你们可以带着粮食回去，救你们家里的饥荒。

²⁰ 把你们的小兄弟带到我这里来，如此，你们的话便有证据，你们也不至於死。他们就照样而行。

²¹ 他们彼此说：我们在兄弟身上实在有罪。他哀求我们的时候，我们见他心里的愁苦，却不肯听，所以这场苦难临到我们身上。

²² 流便说：我岂不是对你们说过，不可伤害那孩子麽？只是你们不肯听，所以流他血的罪向我们追讨。

²³ 他们不知道约瑟听得出来，因为在他们中间用通事传话。

²⁴ 约瑟转身退去，哭了一场，又回来对他们说话，就从他们中间挑出西缅来，在他们眼前把他捆绑。

²⁵ 约瑟吩咐人把粮食装满他们的器具，把各人的银子归还在各人的口袋里，又给他们路上用的食物，人就照他的话办了。

²⁶ 他们就把粮食驮在驴上，离开那里去了。

²⁷ 到了住宿的地方，他们中间有一个人打开口袋，要拿料喂驴，才看见自己的银子仍在口袋里，

²⁸ 就对弟兄们说：我的银子归还了，看哪，仍在我口袋里！他们就提心吊胆，战战兢兢的彼此说：这是神向我们做甚麽呢？

²⁹ 他们来到迦南地、他们的父亲雅各那里，将所遭遇的事都告诉他，说：

³⁰ 那地的主对我们说严厉的话，把我们当作窥探那地的奸细。

³¹ 我们对他说：我们是诚实人，并不是奸细。

³² 我们本是弟兄十二人，都是一个父亲的儿子，有一个没有了，顶小的如今同我们的父亲在迦南地。

³³ 那地的主对我们说：若要我知道你们是诚实人，可以留下你们中间的一个人在我这里，你们可以带着粮食回去，救你们家里的饥荒。

³⁴ 把你们的小兄弟带到我这里来，我便知道你们不是奸细，乃是诚实人。这样，我就把你们的弟兄交给你们，你们也可以在这地做买卖。

³⁵ 後来他们倒口袋，不料，各人的银包都在口袋里；他们和父亲看见银包就都害怕。

³⁶ 他们的父亲雅各对他们说：你们使我丧失我的儿子：约瑟没有了，西缅也没有了，你们又要将便雅悯带去；这些事都归到我身上了。

³⁷ 流便对他父亲说：我若不带他回来交给你，你可以杀我的两个儿子。只管把他交在我手里，我必带他回来交给你。

³⁸ 雅各说：我的儿子不可与你们一同下去；他哥哥死了，只剩下他，他若在你们所行的路上遭害，那便是你们使我白发苍苍、悲悲惨惨的下阴间去了。

¹ Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?"

² He said, "Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy for us from there, so that we may live, and not die."

³ Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

⁴ But Jacob didn't send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers; for he said, "Lest perhaps harm happen to him."

⁵ The sons of Israel came to buy among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

⁶ Joseph was the governor over the land. It was he who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph's brothers came, and bowed themselves down to him with their faces to the earth.

⁷ Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but acted like a stranger to them, and spoke roughly with them. He said to them, "Where did you come from?" They said, "From the land of Canaan to buy food."

⁸ Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn't recognize him.

⁹ Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them, and said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land."

¹⁰ They said to him, "No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.

¹¹ We are all one man's sons; we are honest men. Your servants are not spies."

¹² He said to them, "No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land!"

¹³ They said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more."

¹⁴ Joseph said to them, "It is like I told you, saying, 'You are spies!'

¹⁵ By this you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go forth from here, unless your youngest brother comes here.

¹⁶ Send one of you, and let him get your brother, and you shall be bound, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you, or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies."

¹⁷ He put them all together into custody for three days.

¹⁸ Joseph said to them the third day, "Do this, and live, for I fear God.

¹⁹ If you are honest men, then let one of your brothers be bound in your prison; but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses.

²⁰ Bring your youngest brother to me; so will your words be verified, and you won't die." They did so.

²¹ They said one to another, "We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn't listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us."

²² Reuben answered them, saying, "Didn't I tell you, saying, 'Don't sin against the child,' and you wouldn't listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required."

²³ They didn't know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.

²⁴ He turned himself away from them, and wept. Then he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes.

²⁵ Then Joseph gave a command to fill their bags with grain, and to restore each man's money into his sack, and to give them food for the way. So it was done to them.

²⁶ They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed from there.

²⁷ As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey food in the lodging place, he saw his money. Behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.

²⁸ He said to his brothers, "My money is restored! Behold, it is in my sack!" Their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling one to another, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?"

²⁹ They came to Jacob their father, to the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them, saying,

³⁰ "The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country.

³¹ We said to him, 'We are honest men. We are no spies.

³² We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.'

³³ The man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way.

³⁴ Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. So I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.'"

³⁵ It happened as they emptied their sacks, that behold, each man's bundle of money was in his sack. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.

³⁶ Jacob, their father, said to them, "You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me."

³⁷ Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "Kill my two sons, if I don't bring him to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him to you again."

³⁸ He said, "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left. If harm happens to him along the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol."