Atlas Biblica

    Genesis · 38 verses

    Genesis 42

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    Joseph knows his brothers at once; they bow before him, call him lord, and explain that one brother is no more, while the supposedly absent brother listens through an interpreter and says nothing.

    The brothers before Josephvv. 1–24

    Jacob sends ten sons to Egypt for grain, keeping Benjamin at home because he fears harm may befall him. Joseph, now ruler of the land and seller of grain, recognizes the men who do not recognize him; he treats them as strangers, accuses them of spying, and demands that Benjamin be brought down. After three days in prison, he permits all but one to return with grain, provided they bring the youngest brother. The brothers understand the ordeal as punishment for what they did to Joseph, and Reuben says that his warning went unheard. Joseph understands every word, though they do not know it; he turns aside to weep, then has Simeon bound before their eyes.

    The silver in the sacksvv. 25–38

    Joseph fills their sacks with grain, secretly returns each man's silver, and sends provisions for the journey. At the night's lodging one brother discovers the silver, and the men tremble at what God has done to them. When they empty every sack before Jacob, every bag of silver appears again, which does not improve the family meeting. Jacob says that Joseph is gone, Simeon is no more, and now Benjamin is wanted too. Reuben offers his own two sons if he fails to bring Benjamin back, but Jacob refuses: Benjamin will not go down, lest harm bring his gray hair to Sheol in sorrow.

    The text

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    Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Names the Hebrew and Greek put in the verse link to the person, place or people they name; the address beside each verse is a link to that verse, which is what a reader copies and shares.

    1. Gen 42:1When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?”

    2. Gen 42:2“Look,” he added, “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.”

    3. Gen 42:3So ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

    4. Gen 42:4But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “I am afraid that harm might befall him.”

    5. Gen 42:5So the sons of Israel were among those who came to buy grain, since the famine had also spread to the land of Canaan.

    6. Gen 42:6Now Joseph was the ruler of the land; he was the one who sold grain to all its people. So when his brothers arrived, they bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.

    7. Gen 42:7And when Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them as strangers and spoke harshly to them. “Where have you come from?” he asked. “From the land of Canaan,” they replied. “We are here to buy food.”

    8. Gen 42:8Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.

    9. Gen 42:9Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

    10. Gen 42:10“Not so, my lord,” they replied. “Your servants have come to buy food.

    11. Gen 42:11We are all sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.”

    12. Gen 42:12“No,” he told them. “You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”

    13. Gen 42:13But they answered, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.”

    14. Gen 42:14Then Joseph declared, “Just as I said, you are spies!

    15. Gen 42:15And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

    16. Gen 42:16Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be confined so that the truth of your words may be tested. If they are untrue, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!”

    17. Gen 42:17So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,

    18. Gen 42:18and on the third day he said to them, “I fear God. So do this and you will live:

    19. Gen 42:19If you are honest, leave one of your brothers in custody while the rest of you go and take back grain to relieve the hunger of your households.

    20. Gen 42:20Then bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be verified, that you may not die.” And to this they consented.

    21. Gen 42:21Then they said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.”

    22. Gen 42:22And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”

    23. Gen 42:23They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them.

    24. Gen 42:24And he turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes.

    25. Gen 42:25Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s silver to his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. This order was carried out,

    26. Gen 42:26and they loaded the grain on their donkeys and departed.

    27. Gen 42:27At the place where they lodged for the night, one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of the sack.

    28. Gen 42:28“My silver has been returned!” he said to his brothers. “It is here in my sack.” Their hearts sank, and trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

    29. Gen 42:29When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they described to him all that had happened to them:

    30. Gen 42:30“The man who is lord of the land spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying on the country.

    31. Gen 42:31But we told him, ‘We are honest men, not spies.

    32. Gen 42:32We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’

    33. Gen 42:33Then the man who is lord of the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest: Leave one brother with me, take food to relieve the hunger of your households, and go.

    34. Gen 42:34But bring your youngest brother back 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.’”

    35. Gen 42:35As they began emptying their sacks, there in each man’s sack was his bag of silver! And when they and their father saw the bags of silver, they were dismayed.

    36. Gen 42:36Their father Jacob said to them, “You have deprived me of my sons. Joseph is gone and Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is going against me!”

    37. Gen 42:37Then Reuben said to his father, “You may kill my two sons if I fail to bring him back to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him.”

    38. Gen 42:38But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”

    01 — Also here

    Who else the chapter reaches

    Names written in the English are linked in the text above. These are the ones that are not: an entity the Hebrew or Greek names under a spelling the translation does not use, or one reached only by an assertion about a verse of this chapter.

    Named in the Hebrew or Greek somewhere in this chapter, under a form the English renders differently — the registry's Ludim against the translation's Ludites — so there is no word in the sentence to hang the link on.

    Reached by an assertion Atlas extracted from a verse of this chapter rather than by a name written in it — a pronoun, a title, or a participant the sentence carries without naming. This layer is model-read and measured at 88.6–90.3% precision, and it is kept separate from the names above for that reason.

    02 — Read alongside

    Where this is echoed

    Readers' own connections, from OpenBible's crowd-voted cross-references — agreement about relevance, and not scholarly confidence. 284 passages were voted onto 34 verses of this chapter; the 16 shown lead on votes, and each is listed at the verse it was voted onto most strongly.

    • 18Leviticus 25:43You are not to rule over them harshly, but you shall fear your God.
    • 38Genesis 37:35All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him.
    • 36Genesis 43:14May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother along with Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
    • 1Acts 7:12When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sent our fathers on their first visit.
    • 2Genesis 43:8And Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our children.
    • 4Genesis 42:38But Jacob replied, “My son will not go down there with you, for his brother is dead, and he alone is left. If any harm comes to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.”
    • 13Genesis 37:30returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”
    • 18Nehemiah 5:15The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people. But I did not do this, because of my fear of God.
    • 20Genesis 44:23But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your younger brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’
    • 20Genesis 42:34But bring your youngest brother back 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.’”
    • 20Genesis 43:5But if you will not send him, we will not go; for the man told us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”
    • 21Hosea 5:15Then I will return to My place until they admit their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
    • 222 Chronicles 24:22Thus King Joash failed to remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had extended to him. Instead, Joash killed Jehoiada’s son. As he lay dying, Zechariah said, “May the LORD see this and call you to account.”
    • 221 Kings 2:32The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he put to the sword Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army.
    • 22Psalms 9:12For the Avenger of bloodshed remembers; He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.
    • 33Genesis 42:19–20If you are honest, leave one of your brothers in custody while the rest of you go and take back grain to relieve the hunger of your households.

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