Genesis 42
World English Bible
1Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy for us from there, so that we may live, and not die.”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
3 Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob didn’t send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers; for he said, “Lest perhaps harm happen to him.”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
5The sons of Israel came to buy amongst those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 Joseph was the governor over the land. It was he who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph’s brothers came, and bowed themselves down to him with their faces to the earth.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
7Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognised them, but acted like a stranger to them, and spoke roughly with them. He said to them, “Where did you come from?” They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8 Joseph recognised his brothers, but they didn’t recognise him.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
9 Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamt about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land.”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
10They said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men. Your servants are not spies.” 12 He said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land!”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
13They said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is today with our father, and one is no more.” 14Joseph said to them, “It is like I told you, saying, ‘You are spies!’
Genesis 42
World English Bible
15By this you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go out from here, unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him get your brother, and you shall be bound, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you, or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies.”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
17He put them all together into custody for three days.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
18Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this, and live, for I fear God.19If you are honest men, then let one of your brothers be bound in your prison; but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
20Bring your youngest brother to me; so will your words be verified, and you won’t die.” They did so.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
21They said to one another, “We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn’t listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us.”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
22Reuben answered them, saying, “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘Don’t sin against the child,’ and you wouldn’t listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required.” 23 They didn’t know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
24He turned himself away from them, and wept. Then he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from amongst them, and bound him before their eyes.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
25Then Joseph gave a command to fill their bags with grain, and to restore each man’s money into his sack, and to give them food for the way. So it was done to them.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
26They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed from there.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
27As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey food in the lodging place, he saw his money. Behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
28He said to his brothers, “My money is restored! Behold, it is in my sack!” Their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
29 They came to Jacob their father, to the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 We said to him, ‘We are honest men. We are no spies.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is today with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 33 The man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
34Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. So I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’ ”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
35As they emptied their sacks, behold, each man’s bundle of money was in his sack. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
36Jacob, their father, said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
37 Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons, if I don’t bring him to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him to you again.”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
38He said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left. If harm happens to him along the way in which you go, then you will bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”*
Genesis 42
World English Bible
1Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 He said, “Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy for us from there, so that we may live, and not die.”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
3 Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob didn’t send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers; for he said, “Lest perhaps harm happen to him.”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
5The sons of Israel came to buy amongst those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 Joseph was the governor over the land. It was he who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph’s brothers came, and bowed themselves down to him with their faces to the earth.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
7Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognised them, but acted like a stranger to them, and spoke roughly with them. He said to them, “Where did you come from?” They said, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.” 8 Joseph recognised his brothers, but they didn’t recognise him.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
9 Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamt about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land.”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
10They said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men. Your servants are not spies.” 12 He said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land!”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
13They said, “We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is today with our father, and one is no more.” 14Joseph said to them, “It is like I told you, saying, ‘You are spies!’
Genesis 42
World English Bible
15By this you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go out from here, unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him get your brother, and you shall be bound, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you, or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies.”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
17He put them all together into custody for three days.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
18Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this, and live, for I fear God.19If you are honest men, then let one of your brothers be bound in your prison; but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
20Bring your youngest brother to me; so will your words be verified, and you won’t die.” They did so.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
21They said to one another, “We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn’t listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us.”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
22Reuben answered them, saying, “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘Don’t sin against the child,’ and you wouldn’t listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required.” 23 They didn’t know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
24He turned himself away from them, and wept. Then he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from amongst them, and bound him before their eyes.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
25Then Joseph gave a command to fill their bags with grain, and to restore each man’s money into his sack, and to give them food for the way. So it was done to them.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
26They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed from there.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
27As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey food in the lodging place, he saw his money. Behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
28He said to his brothers, “My money is restored! Behold, it is in my sack!” Their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling to one another, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
29 They came to Jacob their father, to the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them, saying, 30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 We said to him, ‘We are honest men. We are no spies.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is today with our father in the land of Canaan.’ 33 The man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
34Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. So I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’ ”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
35As they emptied their sacks, behold, each man’s bundle of money was in his sack. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.
Genesis 42
World English Bible
36Jacob, their father, said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
37 Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons, if I don’t bring him to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him to you again.”
Genesis 42
World English Bible
38He said, “My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left. If harm happens to him along the way in which you go, then you will bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”*
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Get to know God
It is God who will give you the ability to forgive
The story of Joseph is often used as an example by many pastors to teach on forgiveness. The usual statement would be — Joseph was able to forgive, that is why God could bless him.
If you have suffered immense abuse and injustice, especially from childhood, especially when the things that people did to you had altered your life drastically and you suffered for years or are still suffering as a result of the evil deeds, you will understand that it is not so simple to forgive. The pain is excruciating and it haunt you all the time. You could not stop it even though you wish you could forgive to set yourself free.
Look at Genesis 42:24, Joseph wept when he heard what his brothers said in Genesis 42:21. The pain was excruciating. Not many people experienced and hence could understand this level of pain. Many teachers who taught about forgiveness had probably experienced some events where people wronged them. So they thought that simple statements such as “forgive because God has forgiven you” would help someone out of the bondage of unforgiveness. Even worse, people would quote what Jesus taught — if you do not forgive, so will your Father in heaven not forgive you.
My child, we must recognise that when our LORD Jesus said that statement Matthew 18:34-35, He used the parable of the unforgiving servant. It was a scenario where that person had already been set free and had the power to harm someone. For people who suffered immense pain for years, whose life had been destroyed, our LORD is not asking you to do the impossible, to disregard your pain. In fact, our LORD Jesus said that blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God. The entire sermon on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:2-12) was what our LORD Jesus said to assure those who are suffering or had suffered injustice, that great is your reward, not just on earth but also in eternity, in heaven. Know that when you are suffering, Jesus felt every pain that you are going through and His heart is for you. He is not expecting you to be super robots to have no feelings. He is saying, He is with you, right now, feeling every pain you feel and He promised that great is your reward ahead of you.
So, do not take things into your own hands, do not take revenge, let the LORD fight for you so you do not lose your reward.
Do you pray for your enemies?
My child, understand this, God knows your pain. Our LORD Jesus came as a man, lived on earth for 33 years, suffered all kinds of accusations, injustice and finally death. He understands every pain you are going through.
However, not every counsellor you meet understand what is excruciating mental and emotional pain. Some christian counsellors may even tell you to pray for your enemies while you are crying. That is not how God treats you. When our LORD Jesus saw Mary and Martha crying, eventhough He knew He was going to raise Lazarus in the next few minutes, He wept, He felt what the people felt. We have a God who fight for His people(Exodus 14:14, Numbers 12:5-8), not a God who expects us to do the impossible. We have a God who delights in bringing justice and loving kindness to the earth (Jeremiah 9:24).
Hence, when you are hurting, know that our LORD is right here with you, and He promises that He will bring justice and He will avenge you. Great is your reward. Do not take things into your own hands, do not take revenge.
Now, when the judgement comes on your enemies, then that is when you should pray for your enemy, just like what Job (Job 42:8) and Moses (Numbers 12:13) did.
Know this truth, my child, that God is a God of justice. He will judge your enemies of His people. When you are a believer of Jesus Christ, you are the true children of Abraham (Galatians 3:29) and all the promises to Abraham are yours. One of the promises God made to Abraham is that cursed are those who treat you with contempt. So, cry to the LORD, ask Him to fight for you, put complete trust in Him that He will fight for you and will bring justice. Above all, know that the LORD loves you and He is with you, He feels every of your tear drops (Psalms 56:8).
How to forgive, how to be set free from unforgiveness?
We all want to forgive because when we do not, we continue to feel the pain and we are prisoners of unforgiveness. However, it is not something we say we want and we can, the pain haunt us. So how do we forgive?
Do not try to be super human, to obey the law, to tell yourself to forgive and pray for your enemies. Instead, focus on the truth and the promises of God that He is a God of justice and He will judge those who have treated you with contempt. You can even pray to God to punish your enemies, like what David did (Psalms 109). Read Psalms 18:18,41, 37:6-8 the confidence that David had in the LORD to vindicate him. When you keep your mind focusing on God’s justice, you will be set free.
When you are walking through difficult times, you will experience a lot of blessings and miracles from God. Keep giving thanks to Him on all the blessings and miracles that God is doing in your life everyday, every moment. Enjoy the time with God. When such joy overwhelms you, you are freed (Ecclesiastes 5:19-20).
Each time painful memories flood into your mind, tell the LORD this :
“LORD, I have confidence that You will judge my enemies. I leave this piece of past memory into your hands. I thank you that you are replacing such memories with memories of all the good you are doing in my life. I believe you have great plans for me to restore me to higher positions than ever before. My hopes are in You, my LORD. There are exceedingly great rewards in heaven for me. Thank you, LORD. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”
Are you wondering…
How to become a believer?
You can be a believer simply by saying this prayer:
Dear God, thank you for so wonderfully make me and thank you for sending your Son, LORD Jesus to die for me so that I can have the blessed life that you intended for me — a life of leadership and fruitfulness. Now I believe and accept Jesus as my LORD and Saviour. I believe that from this time forth, I am a new creation, I am born again and I have the eternal life that Jesus came to give me. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.
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