1 V iendo Jacob que en Egipto había alimentos, dijo a sus hijos: «¿Por qué os estáis ahí mirando?

Now Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt. He said to his sons, “Why are you looking at one another?”

2 Y o he oído que hay víveres en Egipto; descended allá y comprad de allí para nosotros, para que podamos vivir y no muramos.»

And he said, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go there and buy some for us, so we may live and not die.”

3 D escendieron los diez hermanos de José a comprar trigo en Egipto.

So ten of Joseph’s brothers went to buy grain in Egypt.

4 P ero Jacob no envió a Benjamín, hermano de José, con sus hermanos, porque dijo: «No sea que le acontezca algún desastre.»

But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers. For he said, “I am afraid that something will happen to him.” Joseph’s Brothers Bow before Him

5 F ueron, pues, los hijos de Israel entre los que iban a comprar, porque había hambre en la tierra de Canaán.

So the sons of Israel joined those who were coming to buy grain for there was no food in Canaan.

6 J osé era el señor de la tierra, quien le vendía trigo a todo el mundo. Cuando llegaron los hermanos de José, se inclinaron a él rostro en tierra.

Joseph was the ruler of the land. He was the one who sold grain to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed to the ground in front of him.

7 J osé reconoció a sus hermanos en cuanto los vio; pero hizo como que no los conocía, y hablándoles ásperamente les dijo: —¿De dónde habéis venido? Ellos respondieron: —De la tierra de Canaán, para comprar alimentos.

When Joseph saw his brothers, he knew who they were. But he acted like a stranger and spoke sharp words to them. He said, “Where have you come from?” They answered, “From the land of Canaan, to buy food.”

8 R econoció, pues, José a sus hermanos, pero ellos no lo reconocieron.

Joseph knew his brothers but they did not know him.

9 E ntonces se acordó José de los sueños que había tenido acerca de ellos, y les dijo: —Espías sois; para ver las regiones indefensas del país habéis venido.

Joseph remembered the dreams he had had about them. He said to them, “You are spies. You have come to find the weak places in our land.”

10 — No, señor nuestro —respondieron ellos—, sino que tus siervos han venido a comprar alimentos.

They said to him, “No, my lord. Your servants have come to buy food.

11 T odos nosotros somos hijos del mismo padre y somos hombres honrados; tus siervos nunca fueron espías.

We are all sons of one man. We do not lie. Your servants are not working against you in secret.”

12 P ero José les dijo: —No; para ver las regiones indefensas del país habéis venido.

He said to them, “No! You have come to find the weak places in our land!”

13 — Tus siervos somos doce hermanos —respondieron ellos—, hijos de un hombre en la tierra de Canaán. El menor está hoy con nuestro padre y el otro ha desaparecido.

But they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father. And one is no more.”

14 Y José les dijo: —Eso es lo que os he dicho al afirmar que sois espías.

But Joseph said to them, “It is as I said. You are spies.

15 E n esto seréis probados: ¡Por vida del faraón, que no saldréis de aquí hasta que vuestro hermano menor venga!

You will be put to a test. By the life of Pharaoh, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here.

16 E nviad a uno de vosotros para que traiga a vuestro hermano, y vosotros quedad presos. Vuestras palabras serán probadas, si hay verdad en vosotros; y si no, ¡por la vida del faraón, que sois espías!

Send one of you to bring your brother, and the rest of you will be kept in prison. Your words will be put to a test to see if you are telling the truth. Or else, by the life of Pharaoh, you are spies for sure.”

17 E ntonces los puso juntos en la cárcel por tres días.

He put them all together in prison for three days.

18 A l tercer día les dijo José: —Haced esto y vivid: Yo temo a Dios.

Then Joseph said to them on the third day, “Do this and live, for I fear God.

19 S i sois hombres honrados, uno de vuestros hermanos se quedará en la cárcel, mientras los demás vais a llevar el alimento para remediar el hambre de vuestra familia.

If you are men who do not lie, let one of your brothers stay here in prison for all of you. But you others go and carry grain for your hungry families.

20 P ero traeréis a vuestro hermano menor; así serán verificadas vuestras palabras y no moriréis. Ellos lo hicieron así,

Then bring your youngest brother to me, so your words will be proven true. And you will live.” So they did what he said.

21 p ero se decían el uno al otro: —Verdaderamente hemos pecado contra nuestro hermano, pues vimos la angustia de su alma cuando nos rogaba y no lo escuchamos; por eso ha venido sobre nosotros esta angustia.

They said to one another, “For sure we are guilty for what we did to our brother. We saw the suffering of his soul while he begged us. But we would not listen. So this trouble has come to us.”

22 E ntonces Rubén les respondió, diciendo: —¿No os hablé yo y dije: “No pequéis contra el joven”? Pero no me escuchasteis; por eso ahora se nos demanda su sangre.

Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy?’ But you would not listen. Now we must pay for his blood.”

23 E llos no sabían que José los entendía, porque éste tenía un intérprete para hablar con ellos.

They did not know that Joseph understood them. For there was a man between them to tell the meaning of each other’s language.

24 E ntonces se apartó José de su lado, y lloró; cuando volvió a ellos, les habló y, tomando de entre ellos a Simeón, lo apresó en su presencia.

Joseph went away from them and cried. Then he returned to speak with them. And he took Simeon from them and put chains on him in front of his brothers. Joseph’s Brothers Return to Canaan

25 D espués mandó José que llenaran sus sacos de trigo y devolvieran el dinero a cada uno de ellos, poniéndolo en su saco, y que les dieran comida para el camino; así se hizo con ellos.

Then Joseph had their bags filled with grain. He had each man’s money returned to his bag, to buy what was needed as they traveled. So this was done for them.

26 E ntonces pusieron ellos su trigo sobre sus asnos y se fueron de allí.

Then they loaded their donkeys with their grain, and left.

27 P ero al abrir uno de ellos el saco para dar de comer a su asno en el mesón, vio el dinero que estaba en la boca de su costal.

When one of them opened his bag to give his donkey food at the place where they were staying the night, he saw his money. It was there at the top of his bag.

28 Y dijo a sus hermanos: —¡Me han devuelto mi dinero; aquí está, en mi saco! Entonces se les sobresaltó el corazón, y espantados se dijeron el uno al otro: —¿Qué es esto que Dios nos ha hecho?

He said to his brothers, “My money has been returned! It is inside my bag!” Then their hearts became full of fear. They turned to each other, shaking in fear, saying, “What is this that God has done to us?”

29 C uando llegaron junto a Jacob, su padre, en tierra de Canaán, le contaron todo lo que les había acontecido, diciendo:

When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said,

30 — Aquel hombre, el señor de la tierra, nos habló ásperamente y nos trató como a espías de la tierra.

“The man who is ruler of the land spoke sharp words to us. He thought that we had gone there to find the weak places in the country.

31 P ero nosotros le dijimos: “Somos hombres honrados, nunca fuimos espías.

But we said to him, ‘We do not lie. We are not working against you in secret.

32 S omos doce hermanos, hijos de nuestro padre; uno ha desaparecido y el menor está hoy con nuestro padre en la tierra de Canaán.”

We are twelve brothers, the sons of our father. One is no more. And the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.’

33 E ntonces aquel hombre, el señor de la tierra, nos dijo: “En esto conoceré que sois hombres honrados: dejad conmigo a uno de vuestros hermanos, tomad para remediar el hambre de vuestras familias y andad,

Then the man who is ruler of the land said to us, ‘I will know that you are telling the truth by this test. Leave one of your brothers with me. Take grain for your hungry families and go.

34 t raedme a vuestro hermano menor; así sabré que no sois espías, sino hombres honrados; entonces os entregaré a vuestro hermano y comerciaréis libremente por el país.”

But bring your youngest brother to me, so I will know you are not spies, but honest men telling the truth. Then I will return your brother to you. And then you may trade in the land.’”

35 A conteció que cuando vaciaban ellos sus sacos, vieron que en el saco de cada uno estaba la bolsita con su dinero; y tanto ellos como su padre, al ver las bolsitas con el dinero, tuvieron temor.

When they took the grain out of their bags, they found that every man’s money was in his bag. And when they and their father saw the money, they were afraid.

36 E ntonces su padre Jacob les dijo: —Me habéis privado de mis hijos: José no aparece, Simeón tampoco y ahora os llevaréis a Benjamín. Estas cosas acabarán conmigo.

Their father Jacob said to them, “You have taken my children from me! Joseph is no more. Simeon is no more. And now you would take Benjamin! All this has come upon me!”

37 R ubén respondió a su padre: —Quítales la vida a mis dos hijos, si no te lo devuelvo. Confíamelo a mí y yo te lo devolveré.

Then Reuben told his father, “You may kill my two sons if I do not return him to you. Put him in my care, and I will return him to you.”

38 P ero Jacob replicó: —No descenderá mi hijo con vosotros, pues su hermano ha muerto y él ha quedado solo; si le acontece algún desastre en el camino por donde vais, haréis descender mis canas con dolor al seol.

But Jacob said, “My son will not go with you. For his brother is dead, and only he is left. If something were to happen to him during your traveling, you would bring my white hair down to the grave in sorrow.”