Genesis 42:31
“And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:”
Genesis 42:31 in 7 translations
- KJVKing James Version
- And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:
- DRADouay–Rheims
- And we answered him: We are peaceable men, and we mean no plot.
- ASVAmerican Standard Version
- And we said unto him, We are true men; and we are no spies:
- DARBYDarby
- And we said to him, We are honest; we are not spies:
- WEBThe World English Bible
- We said to him, 'We are honest men. We are no spies.
- YLTYoung's Literal Translation
- and we say unto him, We are right men, we have not been spies,
- BPVBiblePics Version
- But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we are not spies.'
Context: Genesis 42
29And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying,
30The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.
31And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies:
32We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.
33And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone:
About Genesis 42: Joseph's Brothers Come to Egypt for Food
Joseph's brothers come to Egypt to buy food during the famine and they do not recognize Joseph, who tests them.
Commentary
Genesis 42 is the story of Joseph's brothers coming to Egypt to buy grain during a famine. Joseph, who had been sold into slavery by his brothers years earlier, is now the ruler of Egypt. He recognizes his brothers, but they do not recognize him. Joseph tests his brothers by accusing them of being spies and imprisoning them for three days. After the three days, Joseph releases them, but he keeps one of them, Simeon, as a hostage. He sends the other brothers back to Canaan with grain and orders them to bring Benjamin, Joseph's youngest brother, back with them.