Genesis 42
Israel’s Sons Go to Egypt buy Food
When Jacob (Israel) heard that Egypt had plenty of grain, he told his sons,
“Why are you guys just standing around looking at each other? I heard there’s grain in Egypt! Go there and buy some for us so we can live and not die.”
So 10 of Joseph’s brothers went, but Jacob didn’t let Benjamin go with them, saying,
“I’m scared that something bad might happen to him.”
So Israel’s sons went to buy food from Egypt like the rest of the surrounding countries since the famine was afflicting all of them.
Joseph Imprisons Them
Since Joseph was Egypt’s ruler, he was the one selling food to other countries. So when Joseph’s brothers got there, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. Joseph recognized them, but hid his identity and spoke to them harshly, saying,
“Where do you come from?”
Not recognizing him, they said,
“Sir, we come from Canaan, looking to buy food.”
As they bowed, Joseph remembered the dreams he had about about them and said,
“You’re SPIES! You came here to scope out weaknesses in our country!”
They said,
“No, no, no—we’re not spies, sir! We are your servants who just came to buy some food. We’re all brothers—honest men. We are your servants—not spies.”
But Joseph insisted,
“No, you came to scope out our weaknesses!”
They said,
“We are 12 brothers coming from Canaan, and we are your servants. Our youngest brother stayed home with our father, and the other one is no longer living.”
Joseph said,
“I’m positive you guys are spies, so I’ll need to put your claim to the test. By Pharaoh’s life, you won’t leave here until your youngest brother comes here! I’ll let one of you go back to get your brother while the rest of you are held here in prison. I need to know if you’re telling the truth or not, and if you aren’t, then by Pharaoh’s life, you are spies.”
So he threw them all in jail for 3 days.
Most Brothers Released
On the third day, Joseph told them,
“Look, I’m a God-fearing man—so if you want to live, you’re gonna have to do what I say. I’ll let you leave one of you here in prison, while the rest of you carry grain back to your families… as long as you bring your youngest brother back here to prove your claim. If you do that, none of you will die.”
So they agreed to do what Joseph said, but said to themselves,
“I bet this is happening to us because of what we did to Joseph! We all saw the agony in his eyes when he pleaded with us, yet we ignored him!”
Reuben said,
“Didn’t I tell you not to harm him? But you guys didn’t listen! Now God is punishing us for shedding his blood!”
But as they were talking, they didn’t realize that Joseph overheard them because there were officials between them. When Joseph heard their conversation, he turned away and wept.
Afterwards, Joseph seized Simeon and threw him in prison before their eyes. Then he gave the orders and had his officials fill the brothers’ bags with grain, give them full refunds, and give them food for their journey home. So the brothers loaded their donkeys with their grain and left.
Brothers Framed for Stealing
Later, the brothers got to their hotel, and one of them opened his sack to feed his donkey. When he opened it, all the money he spent on buying the sack was sitting right there in the sack. He told his brothers,
“Uhhh.. guys? I just opened my sack and all my money was still in there.”
When the rest of the brothers heard, it sent a shiver down their spine. Their hearts sank and they said,
“Why is God doing this to us??”
When they got back to their dad in Canaan, they told him everything that had happened and how they needed to take Benjamin back to prove their innocence and free Simeon.
As each of them opened their sacks, they all found their money in their sacks. When their dad saw that, everyone was terrified.
Jacob Clings to Benjamin
Their dad Jacob told them,
“You guys are depriving me of my children! First, Joseph was taken away, then Simeon got stuck in Egypt, and now you wanna take Benjamin from me too!”
Reuben said,
“If I don’t bring him back to you alive, you can take the lives of my own 2 sons. Put Benjamin in my care, and I’ll bring him back to you safely.”
But Jacob said,
“I can’t let him go with you—his brother is dead, and now he’s the only one I have left. If he were to fall into harm’s way on that journey, then you’d be pulling me and my gray head down to the grave in utter anguish.”