Joseph's Brothers Go to Egypt To Buy Grain
1 When Jacob found out there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why are you just sitting here, staring at one another? 2 I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down and buy some, so we won't starve to death.”
3 Ten of Joseph's brothers went to Egypt to buy grain. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph's younger brother Benjamin with them; he was afraid that something might happen to him. 5 So Jacob's sons joined others from Canaan who were going to Egypt because of the terrible famine.
6 Since Joseph was governor of Egypt and in charge of selling grain, his brothers came to him and bowed with their faces to the ground. 7-8 They did not recognize Joseph, but at once he knew who they were, though he pretended not to know. Instead, he spoke harshly and asked, “Where do you come from?”
“From the land of Canaan,” they answered. “We've come here to buy grain.”
9 Joseph remembered what he had dreamed about them and said, “You're spies! You've come here to find out where our country is weak.”
10 “No sir,” they replied. “We're your servants, and we have only come to buy grain. 11 We're honest men, and we come from the same family—we're not spies.”
12 “That isn't so!” Joseph insisted. “You've come here to find out where our country is weak.”
13 But they explained, “Sir, we come from a family of twelve brothers. The youngest is still with our father in Canaan, and one of our brothers is dead.”
14 Joseph replied:
It's like I said. You're spies, 15 and I'm going to find out the truth. I swear by the life of the king that you won't leave this place until your youngest brother comes here. 16 Choose one of you to go after your brother, while the rest of you stay here in jail. That will show whether you are telling the truth. But if you are lying, I swear by the life of the king that you are spies!
17 Joseph kept them all under guard for three days, 18 before saying to them:
Since I respect God, I'll give you a chance to save your lives. 19 If you are honest men, one of you must stay here in jail, and the rest of you can take the grain back to your starving families. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me. Then I'll know that you are telling the truth, and you won't be put to death.
Joseph's brothers agreed 21 and said to one another, “We're being punished because of Joseph. We saw the trouble he was in, but we refused to help him when he begged us. That's why these terrible things are happening.”
22 Reuben spoke up, “Didn't I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn't listen, and now we have to pay the price for killing him.”
23 They did not know that Joseph could understand them, since he was speaking through an interpreter. 24 Joseph turned away from them and cried, but soon he turned back and spoke to them again. Then he had Simeon tied up and taken away while they watched.
Joseph's Brothers Return to Canaan
25 Joseph gave orders for his brothers' grain sacks to be filled with grain and for their money to be put in their sacks. He also gave orders for them to be given food for their journey home. After this was done, 26 they each loaded the grain on their donkeys and left.
27 When they stopped for the night, one of them opened his sack to get some grain for his donkey, and at once he saw his moneybag. 28 “Here's my money!” he told his brothers. “Right here in my sack.”
They were trembling with fear as they stared at one another and asked themselves, “What has God done to us?”
29 When they returned to the land of Canaan, they told their father Jacob everything that had happened to them:
30 The governor of Egypt was rude and treated us like spies. 31 But we told him, “We're honest men, not spies. 32 We come from a family of twelve brothers. The youngest is still with our father in Canaan, and the other is dead.”
33 Then the governor of Egypt told us, “I'll find out if you really are honest. Leave one of your brothers here with me, while you take the grain to your starving families. 34 But bring your youngest brother to me, so I can be certain that you are honest men and not spies. After that, I'll let your other brother go free, and you can stay here and trade.”
35 When the brothers started emptying their sacks of grain, they found their moneybags in them. They were frightened, and so was their father Jacob, 36 who said, “You have already taken my sons Joseph and Simeon from me. And now you want to take away Benjamin! Everything is against me.”
37 Reuben spoke up, “Father, if I don't bring Benjamin back, you can kill both of my sons. Trust me with him, and I'll bring him back.”
38 But Jacob said, “I won't let my son Benjamin go down to Egypt with the rest of you. His brother is already dead, and he is the only son I have left. I am an old man, and if anything happens to him on the way, I'll die from sorrow, and all of you will be to blame.”
Jāzepa brāļi dodas uz Ēģipti
1 Kad Jēkabs uzzināja, ka Ēģiptē ir labība, viņš teica saviem dēliem: “Ko jūs skatāties viens uz otru?!” 2 Viņš teica: “Re, es dzirdēju, ka Ēģiptē ir labība! Dodieties turp un pērciet mums labību, lai mēs varam dzīvot, nevis mirt!” 3 Un desmit Jāzepa brāļi devās uz Ēģipti pirkt labību. 4 Bet Jāzepa brāli Benjāminu Jēkabs nelaida kopā ar tiem, domādams: “Ka tik viņam negadās nelaime!” 5 Un Israēla dēli atnāca pirkt kopā ar tiem, kuri arī bija nākuši, jo Kanaāna zemē bija bads. 6 Un Jāzeps – viņam bija vara pār to zemi! Viņš pārdeva labību visām zemes tautām! Atnāca Jāzepa brāļi, un tie klanījās viņam ar seju līdz zemei! 7 Jāzeps ieraudzīja savus brāļus un pazina, bet nedevās tiem zināms, runāja ar tiem stingri un teica: “No kurienes jūs nākat?” Viņi teica: “No Kanaāna zemes! Lai nopirktu ēdamo!” 8 Jāzeps pazina savus brāļus, bet tie viņu nepazina. 9 Tad Jāzeps atcerējās sapņus, ko bija par tiem sapņojis, un teica: “Jūs esat spiegi – jūs esat nākuši izskatīt zemes neaizsargātās vietas!” 10 Bet viņi tam teica: “Nē, mans kungs! Tavi kalpi ir atnākuši pirkt ēdamo! 11 Mēs visi esam viena vīra dēli! Mēs – godīgi! Tavi kalpi nav spiegi!” 12 Bet viņš teica: “Nē! Jūs esat nākuši izskatīt zemes neaizsargātās vietas!” 13 Bet tie teica: “Mēs esam tavi kalpi! Mēs bijām divpadsmit! Mēs esam brāļi, viena vīra dēli no Kanaāna zemes! Redzi – jaunākais šodien ir kopā ar tēvu, un viena vairs nav!” 14 Bet Jāzeps tiem teica: “Ir tā, kā es jums teicu – jūs esat spiegi! 15 Tā jūs tiksiet pārbaudīti – pie faraona dzīvības! – jūs neaiziesiet no šejienes tikmēr, kamēr šurp neatnāks jūsu jaunākais brālis! 16 Sūtiet vienu no jums, lai tas atved jūsu jaunāko brāli. Jūs paliksiet ieslodzīti, un jūsu vārdi tiks pārbaudīti, vai jums ir taisnība vai nav! Pie faraona dzīvības – jūs esat spiegi!” 17 Un viņš lika tos apsargāt trīs dienas. 18 Trešajā dienā Jāzeps tiem teica: “Tā dariet un paliksiet dzīvi! Es bīstos Dieva! 19 Ja jūs esat godīgi, tad viens no brāļiem lai paliek ieslodzīts sardzes namā, bet jūs ejiet, aiznesiet labību uz savām mājām, kur bads! 20 Atvediet pie manis savu jaunāko brāli, tad es pārliecināšos par jūsu vārdiem, un jūs nemirsiet!” Un viņi tā darīja. 21 Viņi teica viens otram: “Tiešām, mēs esam vainīgi par mūsu brāli – kad redzējām viņa dvēseli bēdās, kad viņš mēģināja mūs iežēlināt, bet mēs neklausījāmies! Tādēļ pār mums nākusi šī nelaime!” 22 Un Rūbens viņiem atbildēja: “Vai es jums neteicu: nenoziedzieties pret bērnu! – bet jūs neklausījāt, un nu viņa asinis tiks atprasītas!” 23 Viņi nezināja, ka Jāzeps saprot, jo viņš ar tiem runāja caur tulku. 24 Un viņš aizgriezās no tiem un raudāja, un, atkal pievērsies, runāja ar tiem, paņēma Šimonu un viņu acu priekšā to ieslodzīja. 25 Un Jāzeps pavēlēja piebērt viņu traukus ar labību, kā arī atdot viņu naudu, ieliekot katra maisā, un dot tiem ceļamaizi. Un tā tika darīts. 26 Viņi uzkrāva labību ēzeļiem un devās projām no turienes. 27 Kad tai vietā, kur viņi nakšņoja, viens atvēra savu maisu, lai iedotu barību ēzelim, tas ieraudzīja savu naudu, un redzi – tā bija viņa maišeļa virspusē! 28 Viņš teica saviem brāļiem: “Mana nauda ir atlikta atpakaļ, redzi kur – manā maišelī!” Sirds tiem kāpa pa muti, un tie drebēdami teica: “Ko Dievs mums ir darījis?!”
29 Kad viņi pārnāca pie sava tēva Jēkaba uz Kanaāna zemi, viņi pastāstīja tam visu, kas viņiem gadījies: 30 “Tas vīrs, tās zemes kungs, ar mums runāja stingri un turēja mūs par šīs zemes spiegiem! 31 Bet mēs viņam teicām: mēs esam godīgi! Mēs neesam spiegi! 32 Mēs esam divpadsmit brāļi, mūsu tēva dēli, viena vairs nav, bet jaunākais šodien ir kopā ar mūsu tēvu Kanaāna zemē. 33 Un tas vīrs, tās zemes kungs, mums teica: šādi es uzzināšu, vai jūs esat godīgi – atstājiet pie manis vienu no saviem brāļiem, ņemiet labību badā esošajiem mājās un ejiet! 34 Atvediet savu jaunāko brāli pie manis! Tad es zināšu, ka jūs neesat spiegi, bet esat godīgi. Tad es atdošu jums brāli un jūs varēsiet brīvi staigāt šajā zemē.”
35 Bet, kad viņi iztukšoja savus maisus, redzi – katram maisā bija paša naudas maisiņš, un, kad viņi ieraudzīja savus naudas maisiņus, viņi un viņu tēvs izbijās. 36 Un viņu tēvs Jēkabs tiem teica: “Bez bērniem jūs mani esat atstājuši! Jāzepa vairs nav, Šimona vairs nav, tagad jūs paņemsiet Benjāminu! Pār mani tas viss ir nācis!” 37 Un Rūbens teica savam tēvam: “Nonāvē divus manus dēlus, ja es viņu pie tevis neatvedīšu atpakaļ! Dod viņu man, un es viņu atvedīšu pie tevis atpakaļ!” 38 Bet viņš teica: “Mans dēls neies kopā ar jums, jo viņa brālis ir miris un viņš ir vienīgais, kas palicis! Ja nu ceļā, kurp jūs ejat, viņu ķers nelaime, jūs manu rūpēs nosirmojušo galvu novedīsiet šeolā!”
