Genesis 42

Genesis 42 provides an account of the severe famine that gripped the ancient Near East, including the land of Canaan where Jacob and his family lived. When Jacob learned that grain was available for purchase in Egypt, he sent ten of his sons to buy food, keeping only Benjamin (his youngest son and the full brother of the presumed-dead Joseph) safely at home.

Upon arriving in Egypt, the ten brothers unknowingly came before Joseph, who had risen to become the second-in-command of all Egypt and oversaw the distribution of grain during the famine. Joseph immediately recognized his brothers, but they didn't recognize him after more than twenty years and his transformation into an Egyptian official. Rather than revealing his identity, Joseph decided to test his brothers, speaking to them harshly through an interpreter and accusing them of being spies.

The brothers vehemently denied the accusation, explaining that they were honest men — sons of one father in Canaan — and that they had come only to buy food. They mentioned that they were originally twelve brothers, but “one is not” and the youngest had remained at home with their father. Joseph continued his harsh treatment, insisting that they must prove their honesty by bringing their youngest brother to Egypt while one of them remained imprisoned as a guarantee of their return.

After keeping all the brothers in custody for three days, Joseph modified his demand, stating that only one brother would remain in prison while the others returned home with grain. He required them to bring back their youngest brother as proof of their truthfulness, warning that otherwise they wouldn't see his face again. The brothers, speaking among themselves in Hebrew and unaware that Joseph understands them, began to acknowledge their guilt regarding their treatment of Joseph years earlier, recognizing their current situation as divine retribution for their past sins.

Joseph, overhearing his brothers' confession and expressions of remorse, was deeply moved and turned away to weep privately. He then returned and selected Simeon to remain bound before their eyes while the others prepared to return to Canaan. Unknown to his brothers, Joseph secretly ordered his servants to return each brother's money to their grain sacks, along with provisions for their journey home.

Genesis 42 concludes with the brothers' discovery of the returned money, first when one opened his sack at a lodging place during the journey, and later when they all discovered their money back at home. This discovery filled them with fear, as they wondered what God was doing to them. When they related all of this to Jacob, including Joseph's demand to see Benjamin and Simeon's imprisonment, Jacob was devastated, lamenting that he was being bereaved of his children and refusing to allow Benjamin to go to Egypt, declaring that, if harm should come to Benjamin, it would bring his gray hairs down to the grave in sorrow.