Genesis 42
Things were hard in Canaan.A famine was taking a crucial toll on Israel's family,"I have heard that their is food in Egypt,",said Israel to his 11 sons,"The ten oldest of you go and get some food.Only leave Benjamin.your youngest brother with me.I have lost his only full brother,Joseph,it would break my heart to lose him,too.
So off the adult brothers went to Egypt to procure some food.
When they got there,they met a stern taskmaster,He said to them, "Where do you come from?"
"From Canaan," they said. "We've come to buy food."
The taskmaster stated,"You're spies. You've come to look for our weak spots."
"No, master," they said. "We've only come to buy food. We're all the sons of the same man; we're honest men; we'd never think of spying."
He said, "No.You're spies.You've come to look for our weak spots."
They said,"There were twelve of us brothers—sons of the same father in the country of Canaan. The youngest is with our father, and one is no more."
But the man said, "It's just as I said, you're spies. This is how I'll test you. As Pharaoh lives, you're not going to leave this place until your younger brother comes here. Send one of you to get your brother while the rest of you stay here in jail. We'll see if you're telling the truth or not. As Pharaoh lives, I say you're spies."
Then he threw them into jail for three days.
On the third day, the man in authoritysaid "Do this and you'll live.If you're as honest as you say you are, one of your brothers will stay here in jail while the rest of you take the food back to your hungry families. But you have to bring your youngest brother back to me, confirming the truth of your speech—and not one of you will die." They agreed.
Then they started talking among themselves. "Now we're paying for what we did to our brother—we saw how terrified he was when he was begging us for mercy. We wouldn't listen to him and now we're the ones in trouble."
Reuben broke in. "Didn't I tell you, 'Don't hurt the boy'? But no, you wouldn't listen. And now we're paying for his murder."
They loaded their food supplies on their donkeys and set off.
When they stopped for the night, one of them opened his sack to get food for his donkey; there at the mouth of his bag was his money. He called out to his brothers, "My money has been returned; it's right here in my bag!" They were puzzled—and frightened. "What's God doing to us?"
When they got back to their father Jacob, back in the land of Canaan, they told him everything that had happened, saying, "The man who runs the country spoke to us roughly and accused us of being spies. We told him, 'We are honest men and in no way spies. There were twelve of us brothers, sons of one father; one is gone and the youngest is with our father in Canaan.
"But the master of the country said, 'Leave one of your brothers with me, take food for your starving families, and go. Bring your youngest brother back to me, proving that you're honest men and not spies. And then I'll give your brother back to you and you'll be free to come and go in this country.'"
As they were emptying their food sacks, each man came on his purse of money. On seeing their money, they and their father were upset.
Their father said to them, "You're taking everything I've got! Joseph's gone, Simeon's gone, and now you want to take Benjamin. If you have your way, I'll be left with nothing."
Reuben spoke up: "I'll put my two sons in your hands as hostages. If I don't bring Benjamin back, you can kill them. Trust me with Benjamin; I'll bring him back."
But Jacob refused. "My son will not go down with you. His brother is dead and he is all I have left. If something bad happens to him on the road, you'll put my gray, sorrowing head in the grave."
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