1 Kad nu Jēkabs redzēja, ka Ēģiptē ir labība, tas sacīja saviem dēliem: "Kāpēc jūs skatāties cits uz citu? 2 Redziet, es esmu dzirdējis, ka Ēģiptē ir labība, noejiet turp un pērciet mums to, lai mēs varētu palikt dzīvi un mums nebūtu jāmirst." 3 Un Jāzepa desmit brāļi nogāja, lai iepirktu labību no Ēģiptes. 4 Bet Jāzepa brālim Benjamīnam Jēkabs neļāva iet brāļiem līdzi, jo viņš sacīja: "Ka tam nenotiek kāda nelaime." 5 Tā Israēla dēli nogāja citu gājēju vidū, lai pirktu labību, jo Kānaāna zemē bija bads. 6 Bet Jāzeps bija zemes pārvaldnieks un labības pārdevējs visiem zemes iedzīvotājiem. Kad Jāzepa brāļi nāca un klanījās līdz zemei viņa priekšā, 7 tad Jāzeps, ieraudzījis savus brāļus, tos pazina, tomēr viņš izlikās viņus nepazīstam un teica viņiem skarbi: "No kurienes jūs nākuši?" Un viņi atbildēja: "No Kānaāna zemes, lai pirktu labību." 8 Un Jāzeps pazina savus brāļus, bet tie viņu nepazina. 9 Un Jāzeps atcerējās savus sapņus, kādus tas par viņiem bija sapņojis, un viņš sacīja tiem: "Jūs esat izlūki, jo jūs esat nākuši izpētīt zemes neapsargātās vietas." 10 Un tie atbildēja: "Nē, kungs, tavi kalpi ir nākuši labību pirkt. 11 Mēs visi esam viena vīra dēli, mēs esam godīgi ļaudis, tavi kalpi nav izlūki." 12 Bet viņš teica uz tiem: "Nē! Jūs esat nākuši izpētīt zemes neapsargātās vietas." 13 Bet tie sacīja: "Mēs, tavi kalpi, bijām divpadsmit brāļi, viena tēva dēli Kānaāna zemē; jaunākais šobrīd vēl ir pie mūsu tēva, bet tā viena vairs nav." 14 Tad Jāzeps viņiem sacīja: "Tas tā ir, kā es jums esmu teicis. Jūs esat izlūki. 15 Tik tiešām, ka faraons dzīvs, pie tā varēs pārbaudīt jūs; no šejienes jūs netiksit prom, kamēr jūsu jaunākais brālis netiks atvests šurp! 16 Aizsūtiet vienu no jūsu vidus, tas lai paņem jūsu brāli, bet jūs esat apcietināti; tā jūsu vārdi tiks pārbaudīti, vai tie ir patiesība vai nav. Pie faraona dzīvības! Jūs esat izlūki." 17 Un viņš tos ieslēdza cietumā trīs dienas. 18 Un Jāzeps sacīja viņiem trešajā dienā: "Darait tā, tad jūs paliksit dzīvi, arī es bīstos Dieva. 19 Ja jūs esat uzticami ļaudis, tad lai viens no jums, brāļiem, paliek važās šinī apcietinājumā, bet jūs pārējie ejiet un aizvediet labību, tāpēc ka bads taču ir jūsu mājās. 20 Atvediet savu jaunāko brāli pie manis, tad jūsu vārdi apstiprināsies un jūs nemirsit." Un tie darīja tā. 21 Un tie cits citam sacīja: "Patiesi, mums tagad jāizpērk vaina mūsu brāļa dēļ; mēs redzējām viņa dvēseles bēdas, kad viņš lūdzās, lai mēs to apžēlotu, bet mēs viņu nepaklausījām; tāpēc tagad pār mums nāk šīs bēdas." 22 Un Rūbens tiem atbildēja: "Vai es neteicu jums, sacīdams: neapgrēkosimies pie zēna, - bet jūs neklausījāt. Tagad viņa asinis tiek atprasītas." 23 Un viņi nezināja, ka Jāzeps viņus saprata, jo tur bija tulks starp tiem. 24 Un viņš aizgāja no tiem un raudāja, bet tad atkal atgriezās pie viņiem un sarunājās ar tiem. Un viņš paņēma no viņu vidus Simeonu un saistīja to viņu acu priekšā. 25 Un Jāzeps deva pavēli piepildīt viņu maisus ar labību, bet viņu naudu ielikt ikviena maisā un iedot ceļamaizi līdzi ceļā. Un tā tika darīts. 26 Tad tie uzkrāva labību saviem ēzeļiem un aizgāja no turienes. 27 Kad nu viens no tiem atvēra savu maisu, lai mājvietā dotu barību savam ēzelim, tad tas ieraudzīja savu naudu, kas bija viņa barības maisa virsgalā. 28 Un viņš sacīja saviem brāļiem: "Mana nauda ir atlikta atpakaļ, lūk, tā ir manā barības maisā." Un sirds tiem pamira, jo tie bija izbijušies un teica cits citam: "Ko Dievs mums ir darījis?" 29 Un viņi nonāca pie sava tēva Jēkaba Kānaāna zemē un stāstīja viņam visu, kas tiem bija atgadījies, sacīdami: 30 "Tas zemes kungs runāja ar mums bargi un turēja mūs par izlūkiem. 31 Bet mēs teicām viņam: mēs esam godīgi ļaudis, mēs neesam izlūki. 32 Mēs esam divpadsmit brāļi, viena tēva dēli, tā viena nav, un tikai jaunākais šobrīd ir pie mūsu tēva Kānaāna zemē. 33 Un tas zemes kungs mums sacīja: pēc tā es pazīšu, vai jūs esat uzticami: vienu no jums, brāļiem, atstājiet pie manis, bet ņemiet labību, jo bads ir jūsu mājās, un ejiet. 34 Un atvediet savu jaunāko brāli pie manis, tad es zināšu, ka jūs neesat izlūki, bet taisni ļaudis. Tad es jums atdošu jūsu brāli, un jūs varēsit brīvi ceļot pa šo zemi." 35 Un, izberot savus maisus, viņi atrada ikviens savu naudas vīstokli savā maisā; un viņi un viņu tēvs, ieraudzījuši naudas vīstokļus, sabijās. 36 Un Jēkabs, viņu tēvs, sacīja viņiem: "Jūs man atņemat manus bērnus! Jāzepa vairs nav, Simeona arī nav. Tagad arī Benjamīnu jūs gribat paņemt. Viss tas ir nācis pār mani!" 37 Tad Rūbens sacīja savam tēvam: "Manus divi dēlus tu vari likt nonāvēt, ja es viņu tev neatvedīšu atpakaļ; dod viņu manā rokā, es tev viņu atvedīšu atpakaļ." 38 Un viņš sacīja: "Manam dēlam nebūs iet ar jums, jo viņa īstais brālis ir miris un viņš ir viens pats atlicies. Ja ceļā, kurā jūs dodaties, ar viņu kas notiek, tad jūs manu sirmo galvu ar skumjām novestu pazemē."
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.”
