31 And we said to him, We are men of peace, we are not spies. 32 We are twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is with his father to-day in the land of Chanaan. 33 And the man, the lord of the land, said to us, Herein shall I know that ye are peaceable; leave one brother here with me, and having taken the corn ye have purchased for your family, depart. 34 And bring to me your younger brother; then I shall know that ye are not spies, but that ye are men of peace: and I will restore you your brother, and ye shall trade in the land. 35 And it came to pass as they were emptying their sacks, there was each man's bundle of money in his sack; and they and their father saw their bundles of money, and they were afraid. 36 And their father Jacob said to them, Ye have bereaved me. Joseph is not, Symeon is not, and will ye take Benjamin? all these things have come upon me. 37 And Ruben spoke to his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee; give him into my hand, and I will bring him back to thee. 38 But he said, My son shall not go down with you, because his brother is dead, and he only has been left; and [suppose] it shall come to pass that he is afflicted by the way by which ye go, then ye shall bring down my old age with sorrow to Hades. <39 Now the famine was severe upon the land.>*

31 εἴπαμεν δὲ αὐτῷ· εἰρηνικοί ἐσμέν, οὐκ ἐσμὲν κατάσκοποι· 32 δώδεκα ἀδελφοί ἐσμεν, υἱοὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν· ὁ εἷς οὐχ ὑπάρχει, ὁ δὲ μικρὸς μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν σήμερον ἐν γῇ Χαναάν. 33 εἶπε δὲ ἡμῖν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ κύριος τῆς γῆς· ἐν τούτῳ γνώσομαι ὅτι εἰρηνικοί ἐστε· ἀδελφὸν ἕνα ἄφετε ὧδε μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ, τὸν δὲ ἀγορασμὸν τῆς σιτοδοσίας τοῦ οἴκου ὑμῶν λαβόντες ἀπέλθατε. 34 καὶ ἀγάγετε πρός με τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὑμῶν τὸν νεώτερον, καὶ γνώσομαι ὅτι οὐ κατάσκοποί ἐστε, ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι εἰρηνικοί ἐστε, καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὑμῶν ἀποδώσω ὑμῖν, καὶ τῇ γῇ ἐμπορεύσεσθε. 35 ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ κατακενοῦν αὐτοὺς τοὺς σάκκους αὐτῶν, καὶ ἦν ἑκάστου ὁ δεσμὸς τοῦ ἀργυρίου ἐν τῷ σάκκῳ αὐτῶν· καὶ εἶδον τοὺς δεσμοὺς τοῦ ἀργυρίου αὐτῶν αὐτοὶ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν. 36 εἶπε δὲ αὐτοῖς ᾿Ιακὼβ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῶν· ἐμὲ ἠτεκνώσατε, ᾿Ιωσὴφ οὔκ ἔστι, Συμεὼν οὐκ ἔστι, καὶ τὸν Βενιαμὶν λήψεσθε; ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ ἐγένετο ταῦτα πάντα. 37 εἶπε δὲ Ρουβὴν τῷ πατρὶ αὐτῶν λέγων· τοὺς δύο υἱούς μου ἀπόκτεινον, ἐὰν μὴ ἀγάγω αὐτὸν πρὸς σέ· δὸς αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν χεῖρά μου, κἀγὼ ἀνάξω αὐτὸν πρὸς σέ. 38 ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· οὐ καταβήσεται ὁ υἱός μου μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν, ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ ἀπέθανε καὶ αὐτὸς μόνος καταλέλειπται· καὶ συμβήσεται αὐτὸν μαλακισθῆναι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, ᾗ ἐὰν πορεύησθε, καὶ κατάξετέ μου τὸ γῆρας μετὰ λύπης εἰς ἅδου. 39 ὁ δὲ λιμὸς ἐνίσχυσεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.

* Verse 39 translated by Herb Swanson.