Genesis 42:9-13

42:9 Then Joseph remembered ¹  the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!” ² 

42:10 But they exclaimed, ³  “No, my lord! Your servants have come to buy grain for food! 42:11 We are all the sons of one man; we are honest men! Your servants are not spies.”

42:12 “No,” he insisted, “but you have come to see if our land is vulnerable.” ⁴  42:13 They replied, “Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers. ⁵  We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at this time, ⁶  and one is no longer alive.” ⁷ 

[42:9]  ¹ sn You are spies. Joseph wanted to see how his brothers would react if they were accused of spying.

[42:9]  ² tn Heb “to see the nakedness of the land you have come.”

[42:10]  ³ tn Heb “and they said to him.” In context this is best understood as an exclamation.

[42:12]  ⁴ tn Heb “and he said, ‘No, for the nakedness of the land you have come to see.’” The order of the introductory clause and the direct discourse has been rearranged in the translation for clarity.

[42:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “twelve [were] your servants, brothers [are] we.”

[42:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “today.”

[42:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “and the one is not.”