Chapter Summary
Chapter 42 opens with Jacob and his family suffering from a severe famine. Hearing that there is food in Egypt, Jacob sends ten of his sons there to buy grain, keeping his youngest son, Benjamin, at home out of fear for his safety. Unbeknownst to them, the governor of Egypt who controls the grain distribution is their brother Joseph, whom they had sold into slavery years earlier. When they appear before Joseph, he immediately recognizes them but pretends to be a stranger and speaks harshly, accusing them of being spies. The brothers deny this, explaining they are twelve brothers, sons of one man, with one brother missing and the youngest at home. Joseph demands they prove their honesty by bringing Benjamin to him. As a test, he imprisons them for three days, then releases nine of them to go home with grain, keeping Simeon as a hostage. He secretly returns their money in their sacks. On their journey home, they discover the returned money, causing them great fear and distress, interpreting it as a sign of God's judgment for their past sin against Joseph. They recount all these events to their father Jacob, who is heartbroken and refuses to let Benjamin go to Egypt, fearing he will lose another son.