Genesis 42:7-20

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

⁷ Joseph saw his brethren and he recognized them, but he treated them as if he were a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. He said, Where do you come from? And they replied, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

⁸ Joseph knew his brethren, but they did not know him.

⁹ And Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them and said to them, You are spies and with unfriendly purpose you have come to observe [secretly] the nakedness of the land.

¹⁰ But they said to him, No, my lord, but your servants have come [only] to buy food.

¹¹ We are all one man’s sons; we are true men; your servants are not spies.

¹² And he said to them, No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.

¹³ But they said, Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; the youngest is today with our father, and one is not.

¹⁴ And Joseph said to them, It is as I said to you, You are spies.

¹⁵ You shall be proved by this test: by the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go away from here unless your youngest brother comes here.

¹⁶ Send one of you and let him bring your brother, and you will be kept in prison, that your words may be proved whether there is any truth in you; or else by the life of Pharaoh you certainly are spies.

¹⁷ Then he put them all in custody for three days.

¹⁸ And Joseph said to them on the third day, Do this and live! I reverence and fear God.

¹⁹ If you are true men, let one of your brothers be bound in your prison, but [the rest of] you go and carry grain for those weakened with hunger in your households.

²⁰ But bring your youngest brother to me, so your words will be verified and you shall live. And they did so.