Genesis 42:18

At the end of those 3 days, Joseph talked to his brothers again. He said to them, “You know, I respect God and I want to do the right thing. So if you do what I say, I will not kill you.”

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:

In Context

17Then Joseph put his brothers in jail, and they stayed there for 3 days.

19Then Joseph said to them, “You told me that you are good men, and you don’t tell lies. So listen, this is what you have to do. Pick one man from your mob, and I will keep that man here in jail. The rest of you mob, you can go back to your home country. You can take food with you, and you can give that food to your families, because they are really hungry.

Read all of Genesis 42

Cross References

Luke 18:4The judge didn’t answer her. He took no notice of her, and he wouldn’t listen to her. But she kept on asking him, and for a while he kept on taking no notice of her. But after a while he said to himself, ‘This woman is making me go crazy. Even though I don’t respect God, and I don’t care about people, I will make sure she gets a fair go. I will give her what she wants. If I don’t do that, she will keep on asking me, and I’m getting sick of it.’”

Matthew Henry on Genesis 42:8-21

Joseph Speaks Roughly to His Brethren. ( b. c. 1706.) 7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. 8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Genesis 42:18