Genesis 42:1-2 New English Translation

Joseph’s Brothers in Egypt

42 When Jacob heard^[a] there was grain in Egypt, he^[b] said to his sons, “Why are you looking at each other?”^[c] ²He then said, “Look, I hear that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us^[d] so that we may live^[e] and not die.”^[f]

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Footnotes

Genesis 42:1 tn Heb “saw.”
Genesis 42:1 tn Heb “Jacob.” Here the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
Genesis 42:1 sn Why are you looking at each other? The point of Jacob’s question is that his sons should be going to get grain rather than sitting around doing nothing. Jacob, as the patriarch, still makes the decisions for the whole clan.
Genesis 42:2 tn Heb “and buy for us from there.” The word “grain,” the direct object of “buy,” has been supplied for clarity, and the words “from there” have been omitted in the translation for stylistic reasons.
Genesis 42:2 tn Following the imperatives, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav expresses purpose of result.
Genesis 42:2 tn The imperfect tense continues the nuance of the verb before it.

New English Translation (NET)