Joseph's Brothers Go to Egypt to Buy Grain
1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why don't you do something? 2 I hear that there is grain in Egypt; go there and buy some to keep us from starving to death.” 3 So Joseph's ten half brothers went to buy grain in Egypt, 4 but Jacob did not send Joseph's full brother Benjamin with them, because he was afraid that something might happen to him.
5 The sons of Jacob came with others to buy grain, because there was famine in the land of Canaan. 6 Joseph, as governor of the land of Egypt, was selling grain to people from all over the world. So Joseph's brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground. 7 When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he acted as if he did not know them. He asked them harshly, “Where do you come from?”
“We have come from Canaan to buy food,” they answered.
8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. 9 He remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them and said, “You are spies; you have come to find out where our country is weak.”
10 “No, sir,” they answered. “We have come as your slaves, to buy food. 11 We are all brothers. We are not spies, sir, we are honest men.”
12 Joseph said to them, “No! You have come to find out where our country is weak.”
13 They said, “We were twelve brothers in all, sir, sons of the same man in the land of Canaan. One brother is dead, and the youngest is now with our father.”
14 “It is just as I said,” Joseph answered. “You are spies. 15 This is how you will be tested: I swear by the name of the king that you will never leave unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 One of you must go and get him. The rest of you will be kept under guard until the truth of what you say can be tested. Otherwise, as sure as the king lives, you are spies.” 17 With that, he put them in prison for three days.
18 On the third day Joseph said to them, “I am a God-fearing man, and I will spare your lives on one condition. 19 To prove that you are honest, one of you will stay in the prison where you have been kept; the rest of you may go and take back to your starving families the grain that you have bought. 20 Then you must bring your youngest brother to me. This will prove that you have been telling the truth, and I will not put you to death.”
They agreed to this 21 and said to one another, “Yes, now we are suffering the consequences of what we did to our brother; we saw the great trouble he was in when he begged for help, but we would not listen. That is why we are in this trouble now.”
22 Reuben said, “I told you not to harm the boy, but you wouldn't listen. And now we are being paid back for his death.” 23 Joseph understood what they said, but they did not know it, because they had been speaking to him through an interpreter. 24 Joseph left them and began to cry. When he was able to speak again, he came back, picked out Simeon, and had him tied up in front of them.
Joseph's Brothers Return to Canaan
25 Joseph gave orders to fill his brothers' packs with grain, to put each man's money back in his sack, and to give them food for the trip. This was done. 26 The brothers loaded their donkeys with the grain they had bought, and then they left. 27 At the place where they spent the night, one of them opened his sack to feed his donkey and found his money at the top of the sack. 28 “My money has been returned to me,” he called to his brothers. “Here it is in my sack!” Their hearts sank, and in fear they asked one another, “What has God done to us?”
29 When they came to their father Jacob in Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them: 30 “The governor of Egypt spoke harshly to us and accused us of spying against his country. 31 ‘We are not spies,’ we answered, ‘we are honest men. 32 We were twelve brothers in all, sons of the same father. One brother is dead, and the youngest is still in Canaan with our father.’ 33 The man answered, ‘This is how I will find out if you are honest men: One of you will stay with me; the rest will take grain for your starving families and leave. 34 Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but honest men; I will give your brother back to you, and you can stay here and trade.’”
35 Then when they emptied out their sacks, every one of them found his bag of money; and when they saw the money, they and their father Jacob were afraid. 36 Their father said to them, “Do you want to make me lose all my children? Joseph is gone; Simeon is gone; and now you want to take away Benjamin. I am the one who suffers!”
37 Reuben said to his father, “If I do not bring Benjamin back to you, you can kill my two sons. Put him in my care, and I will bring him back.”
38 But Jacob said, “My son cannot go with you; his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. Something might happen to him on the way. I am an old man, and the sorrow you would cause me would kill me.”
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!”
