Genesis · Bible in Basic English
Genesis 42 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
BBE Bible in Basic English
RV1909 Reina-Valera 1909
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
1 Now Jacob, hearing that there was grain in Egypt, said to his sons, Why are you looking at one another?
1 Y VIENDO Jacob que en Egipto había alimentos, dijo á sus hijos: ¿Por qué os estáis mirando?
1 Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?”
2 And he said, I have had news that there is grain in Egypt: go down there and get grain for us, so that life and not death may be ours.
2 Y dijo: He aquí, yo he oído que hay víveres en Egipto; descended allá, y comprad de allí para nosotros, para que podamos vivir, y no nos muramos.
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.”
3 So Joseph's ten brothers went down to get grain from Egypt.
3 Y descendieron los diez hermanos de José á comprar trigo á Egipto.
3 Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with them, for fear, as he said, that some evil might come to him.
4 Mas Jacob no envió á Benjamín hermano de José con sus hermanos; porque dijo: No sea acaso que le acontezca algún desastre.
4 But Jacob didn’t send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers; for he said, “Lest perhaps harm happen to him.”
5 And the sons of Israel came with all the others to get grain: for they were very short of food in the land of Canaan.
5 Y vinieron los hijos de Israel á comprar entre los que venían: porque había hambre en la tierra de Canaán.
5 The sons of Israel came to buy among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
6 Now Joseph was ruler over all the land, and it was he who gave out the grain to all the people of the land; and Joseph's brothers came before him and went down on their faces to the earth.
6 Y José era el señor de la tierra, que vendía á todo el pueblo de la tierra: y llegaron los hermanos de José, é inclináronse á él rostro por tierra.
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.
7 And when Joseph saw his brothers, it was clear to him who they were, but he made himself strange to them, and talking roughly to them, said, Where do you come from? And they said, From the land of Canaan, to get food.
7 Y José como vió á sus hermanos, conociólos; mas hizo que no los conocía, y hablóles ásperamente, y les dijo: ¿De dónde habéis venido? Ellos respondieron: De la tierra de Canaán á comprar alimentos.
7 Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized 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 Now though Joseph saw that these were his brothers, they had no idea who he was.
8 José, pues, conoció á sus hermanos; pero ellos no le conocieron.
8 Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn’t recognize him.
9 Then the memory of his dreams about them came back to Joseph, and he said to them, You have come secretly to see how poor the land is.
9 Entonces se acordó José de los sueños que había tenido de ellos, y díjoles: Espías sois; por ver lo descubierto del país habéis venido.
9 Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land.”
10 And they said to him, Not so, my lord: your servants have come with money to get food.
10 Y ellos le respondieron: No, señor mío: mas tus siervos han venido á comprar alimentos.
10 They said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.
11 We are all one man's sons, we are true men; we have not come with any secret purpose.
11 Todos nosotros somos hijos de un varón: somos hombres de verdad: tus siervos nunca fueron espías.
11 We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men. Your servants are not spies.”
12 And he said to them, No, but you have come to see how poor the land is.
12 Y él les dijo: No; á ver lo descubierto del país habéis venido.
12 He said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land!”
13 Then they said, We your servants are twelve brothers, sons of one man in the land of Canaan; the youngest of us is now with our father, and one is dead.
13 Y ellos respondieron: Tus siervos somos doce hermanos, hijos de un varón en la tierra de Canaán; y he aquí el menor está hoy con nuestro padre, y otro no parece.
13 They 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.”
14 And Joseph said, It is as I said; you have come with some secret purpose;
14 Y José les dijo: Eso es lo que os he dicho, afirmando que sois espías:
14 Joseph said to them, “It is like I told you, saying, ‘You are spies!’
15 But in this way will you be put to the test: by the life of Pharaoh, you will not go away from this place till your youngest brother comes here.
15 En esto seréis probados: Vive Faraón que no saldréis de aquí, sino cuando vuestro hermano menor aquí viniere.
15 By 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 your number to get your brother, and the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are true; if not, by the life of Pharaoh, your purpose is certainly secret.
16 Enviad uno de vosotros, y traiga á vuestro hermano; y vosotros quedad presos, y vuestras palabras serán probadas, si hay verdad con vosotros: y si no, vive Faraón, que sois espías.
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.”
17 So he put them in prison for three days.
17 Y juntólos en la cárcel por tres días.
17 He put them all together into custody for three days.
18 And on the third day Joseph said to them, Do this, if you would keep your lives: for I am a god-fearing man:
18 Y al tercer día díjoles José: Haced esto, y vivid: Yo temo á Dios:
18 Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this, and live, for I fear God.
19 If you are true men, let one of you be kept in prison, while you go and take grain for the needs of your families;
19 Si sois hombres de verdad, quede preso en la casa de vuestra cárcel uno de vuestros hermanos; y vosotros id, llevad el alimento para el hambre de vuestra casa:
19 If 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.
20 And come back to me with your youngest brother, so that your words may be seen to be true, and you will not be put to death. This is what you are to do.
20 Pero habéis de traerme á vuestro hermano menor, y serán verificadas vuestras palabras, y no moriréis. Y ellos lo hicieron así.
20 Bring your youngest brother to me; so will your words be verified, and you won’t die.” They did so.
21 And they said to one another, Truly, we did wrong to our brother, for we saw his grief of mind, and we did not give ear to his prayers; that is why this trouble has come on us.
21 Y decían el uno al otro: Verdaderamente hemos pecado contra nuestro hermano, que vimos la angustia de su alma cuando nos rogaba, y no le oímos: por eso ha venido sobre nosotros esta angustia.
21 They 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.”
22 And Reuben said to them, Did I not say to you, Do the child no wrong? but you gave no attention; so now, punishment has come on us for his blood.
22 Entonces Rubén les respondió, diciendo: ¿No os hablé yo y dije: No pequéis contra el mozo; y no escuchasteis? He aquí también su sangre es requerida.
22 Reuben 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 were not conscious that the sense of their words was clear to Joseph, for he had been talking to them through one who had knowledge of their language.
23 Y ellos no sabían que los entendía José, porque había intérprete entre ellos.
23 They didn’t know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.
24 And turning away from them, he was overcome with weeping; then he went on talking to them again and took Simeon and put chains on him before their eyes.
24 Y apartóse él de ellos, y lloró: después volvió á ellos, y les habló, y tomó de entre ellos á Simeón, y aprisionóle á vista de ellos.
24 He turned himself away from them, and wept. Then he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes.
25 Then Joseph gave orders for their bags to be made full of grain, and for every man's money to be put back into his bag, and for food to be given them for the journey: which was done.
25 Y mandó José que llenaran sus sacos de trigo, y devolviesen el dinero de cada uno de ellos, poniéndolo en su saco, y les diesen comida para el camino: é hízose así con ellos.
25 Then 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.
26 Then they put the bags of grain on their asses and went away.
26 Y ellos pusieron su trigo sobre sus asnos, y fuéronse de allí.
26 They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed from there.
27 Now at their night's resting-place one of them, opening his bag to give his ass some food, saw his money in the mouth of the bag.
27 Y abriendo uno de ellos su saco para dar de comer á su asno en el mesón, vió su dinero que estaba en la boca de su costal.
27 As 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.
28 And he said to his brothers, My money has been given back: it is in my bag; then their hearts became full of fear, and turning to one another they said, What is this which God has done to us?
28 Y dijo á sus hermanos: Mi dinero se me ha devuelto, y aun helo aquí en mi saco. Sobresaltóseles entonces el corazón, y espantados dijeron el uno al otro: ¿Qué es esto que nos ha hecho Dios?
28 He 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?”
29 So when they came to Jacob their father, in the land of Canaan, they gave him an account of all their experiences, saying,
29 Y venidos á Jacob su padre en tierra de Canaán, contáronle todo lo que les había acaecido, diciendo:
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 who is the ruler of the country was rough with us and put us in prison, saying that we had come with a secret evil purpose.
30 Aquel varón, señor de la tierra, nos habló ásperamente, y nos trató como á espías de la tierra:
30 “The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country.
31 And we said to him, We are true men, we have no evil designs;
31 Y nosotros le dijimos: Somos hombres de verdad, nunca fuimos espías:
31 We said to him, ‘We are honest men. We are no spies.
32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is dead, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.
32 Somos doce hermanos, hijos de nuestro padre; uno no parece, y el menor está hoy con nuestro padre en la tierra de Canaán.
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 And the ruler of the land said, In this way I may be certain that you are true men; let one of you be kept here with me, while you go and take grain for the needs of your families;
33 Y aquel varón, señor de la tierra, nos dijo: En esto conoceré que sois hombres de verdad; dejad conmigo uno de vuestros hermanos, y tomad para el hambre de vuestras casas, y andad,
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.
34 And come back to me with your youngest brother: then I will be certain that you are true men, and I will give your brother back to you and let you do trade in the land.
34 Y traedme á vuestro hermano el menor, para que yo sepa que no sois espías, sino hombres de verdad: [así] os daré á vuestro hermano, y negociaréis en la tierra.
34 Bring 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.’”
35 And when they took the grain out of their bags, it was seen that every man's parcel of money was in his bag; and when they and their father saw the money, they were full of fear.
35 Y aconteció que vaciando ellos sus sacos, he aquí que en el saco de cada uno estaba el atado de su dinero: y viendo ellos y su padre los atados de su dinero, tuvieron temor.
35 As 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.
36 And Jacob their father said to them, You have taken my children from me: Joseph is gone and Simeon is gone, and now you would take Benjamin away; all these things have come on me.
36 Entonces su padre Jacob les dijo: Habéisme privado de mis hijos; José no parece, ni Simeón tampoco, y á Benjamín le llevaréis: contra mí son todas estas cosas.
36 Jacob, 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.”
37 And Reuben said, Put my two sons to death if I do not come back to you with him; let him be in my care and I will give him safely back to you.
37 Y Rubén habló á su padre, diciendo: Harás morir á mis dos hijos, si no te lo volviere; entrégalo en mi mano, que yo lo volveré á ti.
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.”
38 And he said, I will not let my son go down with you; for his brother is dead and he is all I have: if evil overtakes him on the journey, then through you will my grey head go down to the underworld in sorrow.
38 Y él dijo: No descenderá mi hijo con vosotros; que su hermano es muerto, y él solo ha quedado: y si le aconteciere [algún] desastre en el camino por donde vais, haréis descender mis canas con dolor á la sepultura.
38 He 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 gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.”
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Joseph
Betrayed and enslaved, he rose to rule Egypt and saved his family from famine.
Cited in the guide: Genesis 37; 39–50
Cross references (34)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Acts 7:12; Joshua 7:10; Exodus 20:18; Genesis 42:2; Exodus 5:19
- 2 Genesis 43:8; Matthew 4:4; Psalm 118:17; Genesis 43:2; Genesis 45:9
- 3 Genesis 42:13; Genesis 42:5
- 4 Genesis 42:38; Genesis 43:29; Genesis 3:22; Genesis 11:4; Genesis 35:16–19
- 5 Genesis 41:57; Genesis 12:10; Acts 7:11; Genesis 26:1; Acts 11:28
- 6 Genesis 41:55–56; Genesis 45:26; Acts 7:10; Genesis 19:1; Genesis 44:14
- 7 Genesis 42:30; Genesis 42:19–20; Genesis 42:14–17; Genesis 42:9–12; Matthew 15:23–26
- 8 Genesis 37:2; John 20:14; John 21:4; Luke 24:16
- 9 Genesis 37:5–9; Exodus 32:35; Genesis 42:34; Judges 1:24; Numbers 13:16–20
- 10 Genesis 37:8; Genesis 27:37; 1 Kings 18:7; Genesis 27:29; Genesis 44:9
- 11 2 Corinthians 6:4; Genesis 42:19; Genesis 42:33–34; John 7:18
- 13 Genesis 37:30; Genesis 44:20; Genesis 42:32; Genesis 43:7; Matthew 2:16
- 14 Matthew 15:21–28; Genesis 42:9–11; Job 13:24; Job 19:11
- 15 1 Samuel 17:55; Genesis 42:16; Genesis 42:30; Matthew 23:16–22; 1 Samuel 1:26
- 16 Genesis 42:11
- 17 Genesis 40:4; Hebrews 12:10; Genesis 40:7; Genesis 41:10; Isaiah 24:22
- 18 Leviticus 25:43; Nehemiah 5:15; Genesis 20:11; Luke 18:2; Luke 18:4
- 19 Genesis 42:26; Genesis 40:3; Isaiah 42:7; Isaiah 42:22; Genesis 42:1–2
- 20 Genesis 42:34; Genesis 43:5; Genesis 44:23; Genesis 42:15; John 2:5
- 21 Hosea 5:15; Genesis 37:23–28; Job 36:8–9; Mark 9:43–45; 1 Kings 17:18
- 22 Psalm 9:12; 1 Kings 2:32; 2 Chronicles 24:22; Genesis 37:21–22; Genesis 9:5–6
- 23 2 Corinthians 5:20; John 16:13–14
- 24 Genesis 43:30; Genesis 43:14; Isaiah 63:9; Genesis 45:14–15; Luke 19:41
- 25 1 Peter 3:9; Romans 12:17–21; Genesis 45:21; Isaiah 55:1; Matthew 5:44
- 27 Exodus 4:24; Genesis 43:21–22; Luke 10:34; Genesis 44:11; Luke 2:7
- 28 Lamentations 3:37; Isaiah 45:7; Song of Songs 5:6; Lamentations 2:17; 1 Kings 10:5
- 30 Genesis 42:7
- 31 Genesis 42:11
- 33 Genesis 42:19–20; Genesis 42:15
- 34 Genesis 34:10; Genesis 34:21; 1 Kings 10:15; Ezekiel 17:4
- 35 Genesis 43:21; Genesis 43:15; Genesis 42:27–28; Genesis 43:12
- 36 Genesis 43:14; Romans 8:31; 1 Samuel 27:1; Matthew 14:31; Romans 8:28
- 37 Genesis 46:9; Micah 6:7; Genesis 43:9; Genesis 44:32–34
- 38 Genesis 37:35; Genesis 42:4; Genesis 37:33; Genesis 42:13; Genesis 35:16–18
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… brethren who detained her for ten days; Jeroboam also, who received the ten sceptres (tribes), and the ten courts of the tabernacle, and the columns of ten cubits [high], and the ten sons of Jacob who were at first sent into Egypt to buy corn, and the ten apostles to whom the Lord appeared after His resurrection,--Thomas being absent,--represented, according …