Genesis 42:22
New International Version
Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.”

New Living Translation
“Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy?” Reuben asked. “But you wouldn’t listen. And now we have to answer for his blood!”

English Standard Version
And Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to sin against the boy? But you did not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.”

Berean Standard Bible
And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”

King James Bible
And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.

New King James Version
And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us.”

New American Standard Bible
Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Now justice for his blood is required.”

NASB 1995
Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’ and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood.”

NASB 1977
And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Now comes the reckoning for his blood.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And Reuben answered them, saying, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; yet you would not listen? So also his blood, behold, it is required of us.”

Amplified Bible
Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Now the accounting for his blood is required [of us for we are guilty of his death].”

Christian Standard Bible
But Reuben replied, “Didn’t I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn’t listen. Now we must account for his blood! ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But Reuben replied: “Didn’t I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn’t listen. Now we must account for his blood!”

American Standard Version
And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore also, behold, his blood is required.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Rubil answered and said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not sin against the boy’, and you did not listen? Even now, behold, his blood is required.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Ruben answered them, saying, Did I not speak to you, saying, Hurt not the boy, and ye heard me not? and, behold, his blood is required.

Contemporary English Version
Reuben spoke up, "Didn't I tell you not to harm the boy? But you wouldn't listen, and now we have to pay the price for killing him."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Ruben one of them, said: Did not I say to you: Do not sin against the boy: and you would not hear me? Behold his blood is required.

English Revised Version
And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore also, behold, his blood is required.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Reuben said to them, "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen. Now we must pay for this bloodshed."

Good News Translation
Reuben said, "I told you not to harm the boy, but you wouldn't listen. And now we are being paid back for his death."

International Standard Version
"Didn't I tell you!" Reuben replied. "'Don't wrong the kid!' I said, but would you listen? No! Now it's payback time!"

JPS Tanakh 1917
And Reuben answered them, saying: 'Spoke I not unto you, saying: Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore also, behold, his blood is required.'

Literal Standard Version
And Reuben answers them, saying, “Did I not speak to you, saying, Do not sin against the boy? And you did not listen; and his blood also, behold, it is required.”

Majority Standard Bible
And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!”

New American Bible
Then Reuben responded, “Did I not tell you, ‘Do no wrong to the boy’? But you would not listen! Now comes the reckoning for his blood.”

NET Bible
Reuben said to them, "Didn't I say to you, 'Don't sin against the boy,' but you wouldn't listen? So now we must pay for shedding his blood!"

New Revised Standard Version
Then Reuben answered them, “Did I not tell you not to wrong the boy? But you would not listen. So now there comes a reckoning for his blood.”

New Heart English Bible
Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not tell you, saying, �Do not sin against the boy,� but you wouldn�t listen? Therefore, look, now comes a reckoning for his blood."

Webster's Bible Translation
And Reuben answered them, saying, Did I not speak to you, saying, Do not sin against the young man; and ye would not hear? therefore behold also his blood is required.

World English Bible
Reuben answered them, saying, “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘Don’t sin against the child,’ and you wouldn’t listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required.”

Young's Literal Translation
And Reuben answereth them, saying, 'Spake I not unto you, saying, Sin not against the lad? and ye hearkened not; and his blood also, lo, it is required.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Joseph's Brothers Sent to Egypt
21Then they said to one another, “Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this distress has come upon us.” 22And Reuben responded, “Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you would not listen. Now we must account for his blood!” 23They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them.…

Cross References
Genesis 9:5
And surely I will require the life of any man or beast by whose hand your lifeblood is shed. I will demand an accounting from anyone who takes the life of his fellow man:

Genesis 9:6
Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind.

Genesis 37:21
When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue Joseph from their hands. "Let us not take his life," he said.

Genesis 37:22
"Do not shed his blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him." Reuben said this so that he could rescue Joseph from their hands and return him to his father.

Genesis 42:23
They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them.

Genesis 45:3
Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" But they were unable to answer him, because they were terrified in his presence.

Genesis 50:15
When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph bears a grudge? Then he will surely repay us for all the evil that we did to him."


Treasury of Scripture

And Reuben answered them, saying, Spoke I not to you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and you would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.

Spake I.

Genesis 37:21,22,29,30
And Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands; and said, Let us not kill him…

Luke 23:41
And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

Romans 2:15
Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

his blood.

Genesis 4:10
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

Genesis 9:5,6
And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man…

1 Kings 2:32
And the LORD shall return his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and better than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing thereof, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah.

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Genesis 42
1. Jacob sends his ten sons to buy grain in Egypt.
16. They are imprisoned by Joseph as spies.
18. They are set at liberty, on condition to bring Benjamin.
21. They have remorse for Joseph.
24. Simeon is kept for a pledge.
25. They return with grain, and their money.
29. Their relation to Jacob.
36. Jacob refuses to send Benjamin.














(22) His blood.--Evidently they thought that Joseph was dead, so that the accusation brought against them of falsehood for saying in Genesis 42:13 "one is not" is groundless. Moreover, Jacob uses the same words of Simeon (Genesis 42:36), meaning by it only that he was lost to him.

Verse 22. - And Reuben - who had not consented to, but had been altogether unable to prevent, the wickedness of his brethren (Genesis 37:22, 29) - answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child (or lad); and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required - literally, and also his blood, behold it is required. This was in accordance with the Noachic law against bloodshed (Genesis 9:5), with which it is apparent that Jacob's sons were acquainted.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But Reuben
רְאוּבֵ֨ן (rə·’ū·ḇên)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7205: Reuben -- 'behold a son!' oldest son of Jacob, also his desc

replied:
וַיַּעַן֩ (way·ya·‘an)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6030: To answer, respond

“Didn’t
הֲלוֹא֩ (hă·lō·w)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

I tell
לֵאמֹ֗ר (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

you not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

to sin against
תֶּחֶטְא֥וּ (te·ḥeṭ·’ū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 2398: To miss, to sin, to forfeit, lack, expiate, repent, lead astray, condemn

the boy?
בַיֶּ֖לֶד (ḇay·ye·leḏ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3206: Something born, a lad, offspring

But you would not
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

listen.
שְׁמַעְתֶּ֑ם (šə·ma‘·tem)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

Now
הִנֵּ֥ה (hin·nêh)
Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

we must account for
נִדְרָֽשׁ׃ (niḏ·rāš)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 1875: To tread, frequent, to follow, to seek, ask, to worship

his blood!”
דָּמ֖וֹ (dā·mōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1818: Blood, of man, an animal, the juice of the grape, bloodshed


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OT Law: Genesis 42:22 Reuben answered them saying Didn't I tell (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 42:21
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