1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? 2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.
3 And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. 4 But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him. 5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.
7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. 8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. 11 We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies. 12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 13 And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. 14 And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies: 15 Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither. 16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. 17 And he put them all together into ward three days. 18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God: 19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: 20 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. 23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter. 24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.
25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them. 26 And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack’s mouth. 28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?
29 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying, 30 The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies: 32 We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. 33 And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone: 34 And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.
35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me. 37 And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. 38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
1 Toe Jakob merk dat daar koring in Egipte was, het Jakob aan sy seuns gesê: Wat kyk julle so na mekaar?
2 En hy sê: Kyk, ek het gehoor dat daar koring in Egipte is; trek daarheen af, en koop vir ons daar koring, dat ons kan lewe en nie sterwe nie.
3 Daarop het tien van Josef se broers afgetrek om koring uit Egipte te koop.
4 Maar Benjamin, die broer van Josef, het Jakob nie saam met sy broers gestuur nie; want hy het gedink: Altemit kan 'n ongeluk hom oorkom.
5 So het die seuns van Israel dan gekom om koring te koop onder diegene wat daar aangekom het; want daar was hongersnood in die land Kana„n.
6 En Josef was die maghebber oor die land, hy wat aan al die mense van die land koring verkoop het; daarom het die broers van Josef gekom en hulle voor hom met die aangesig na die aarde gebuig.
7 Sodra Josef sy broers sien, het hy hulle herken maar hom vreemd teenoor hulle gehou en hulle hard aangespreek en vir hulle gesê: Waar kom julle vandaan? En hulle antwoord: Uit die land Kanaän om voedsel te koop.
8 En Josef het sy broers herken, maar hulle het hom nie herken nie.
9 Toe dink Josef aan die drome wat hy aangaande hulle gedroom het; en hy sê vir hulle: Julle is spioene, julle het gekom om te kyk waar die land oop is.
10 Maar hulle het hom geantwoord: Nee, my heer, maar u dienaars het gekom om voedsel te koop.
11 Ons is almal seuns van een man, ons is eerlike mense; u dienaars is geen spioene nie.
12 Toe sê hy vir hulle: Nee, maar julle het gekom om te kyk waar die land oop is.
13 En hulle antwoord: U dienaars is twaalf in getal, ons is broers, seuns van een man in die land Kana„n; en kyk, die jongste is nou by ons vader, maar die een is daar nie meer nie.
14 Toe sê Josef vir hulle: Dit is wat ek julle gesê het: Julle is spioene!
15 Hieraan sal julle getoets word: so waar as Farao leef, julle sal hiervandaan nie trek tensy dat julle jongste broer hierheen kom nie.
16 Stuur een van julle, dat hy julle broer gaan haal, maar julle moet in die gevangenis bly. So sal dan julle woorde getoets word, of die waarheid by julle is of nie. So waar as Farao leef, julle is spioene!
17 Daarop het hy hulle saam drie dae lank in bewaring laat hou.
18 En op die derde dag sê Josef vir hulle: Doen dit, dan sal julle lewe; ek vrees God!
19 As julle eerlike mense is, laat een van julle broers gevange bly in die huis waar julle in bewaring is; maar gaan julle, bring die koring vir die honger van julle huisgesinne weg,
20 en bring julle jongste broer na my toe -- dan sal julle woorde waar gemaak word, en julle sal nie sterwe nie. En hulle het so gedoen.
21 Toe sê hulle vir mekaar: Voorwaar, ons boet nou vanweë ons broer, omdat ons die benoudheid van sy siel gesien het toe hy ons gesmeek het en ons nie geluister het nie -- daarom kom hierdie benoudheid oor ons.
22 Daarop antwoord Ruben hulle: Het ek nie vir julle gesê nie: Besondig julle nie aan die seun nie? Maar julle het nie geluister nie. Kyk, so word dan ook sy bloed geëis.
23 En hulle het nie geweet dat Josef dit verstaan nie, want daar was 'n tolk tussen hulle.
24 Toe draai hy hom van hulle af weg en ween. Daarna het hy na hulle teruggegaan en met hulle gespreek; en hy het S¡meon onder hulle uitgeneem en hom voor hulle oë gebind.
25 Daarop gee Josef bevel om hulle sakke vol koring te maak en elkeen se geld weer in sy sak te sit en om aan hulle padkos vir die reis saam te gee. En so is aan hulle gedoen.
26 En hulle het die koring op hulle esels gelaai en daar weggetrek.
27 En toe die een sy sak oopmaak om sy esel in die herberg voer te gee, sien hy sy geld; en kyk, dit was somaar bo in sy sak!
28 En hy sê vir sy broers: My geld is teruggegee; hier lê dit dan ook in my sak! Toe het hulle hart hul begewe, en hulle draai verskrik na mekaar toe en sê: Wat het God ons nou aangedoen?
29 En hulle het by hul vader Jakob in die land Kana„n gekom en hom alles vertel wat hulle wedervaar het en gesê:
30 Die man, die heer van die land, het ons hard aangespreek en ons vir spioene van die land gehou.
31 Maar ons het aan hom gesê: Ons is eerlike mense, ons is geen spioene nie.
32 Ons is twaalf broers, seuns van ons vader; die een is daar nie meer nie, en die jongste is nou by ons vader in die land Kana„n.
33 Daarop het die man, die heer van die land, aan ons gesê: Hieraan sal ek weet dat julle eerlike mense is -- laat een van julle broers by my bly; en neem vir die honger van julle huisgesinne en trek weg,
34 en bring julle jongste broer na my toe; dan sal ek weet dat julle geen spioene is nie. As julle eerlike mense is, sal ek julle broer aan julle teruggee, en julle mag in die land rondtrek.
35 En toe hulle hul sakke leegmaak, was elkeen se bondeltjie geld daar in sy sak! En toe hulle hul bondeltjies geld sien, hulle en hul vader, was hulle bevrees.
36 Daarop sê Jakob, hulle vader, vir hulle: Julle beroof my van kinders. Josef is weg! En S¡meon is weg! En Benjamin wil julle wegneem! Alles is teen my!
37 Toe spreek Ruben sy vader aan en sê: U kan my twee seuns doodmaak as ek hom nie na u terugbring nie. Vertrou hom aan my toe, en ,k sal hom na u terugbring.
38 Maar hy sê: My seun sal nie saam met julle aftrek nie, want sy broer is dood, en hy het alleen oorgebly; en as 'n ongeluk hom oorkom op die pad wat julle sal gaan, dan sal julle my grys hare met kommer in die doderyk laat afdaal.