6. Joseph was the governor of Egypt at the time. He was the one who checked the sale of grain to people who came to Egypt to buy it. Joseph’s brothers came to him and bowed before him.
7. Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted like he didn’t know them. He was rude when he spoke to them. He said, “Where do you come from?” The brothers answered, “We have come from the land of Canaan to buy food.”
8. Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not know who he was.
9. Then Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamed about his brothers. Joseph said to his brothers, “You have not come to buy food! You are spies. You came to learn where we are weak.”
10. But the brothers said to him, “No, sir, we come as your servants. We have come only to buy food.
11. We are all brothers—we all have the same father. We are honest men. We have come only to buy food.”
12. Then Joseph said to them, “No, you have come to spy on us!”
13. And the brothers said, “No, sir, we come as servants from Canaan. We are all brothers, sons of the same father. There were twelve brothers in our family. Our youngest brother is still at home with our father, and the other brother died a long time ago.”