Free Bible lesson for kids · Joseph
The Brothers Bow Down
A great famine came, and Jacob sent ten of his sons down to Egypt to buy corn, but he kept Benjamin at home. Joseph was now the governor of the land, and his brothers bowed down before him with their faces to the earth, just as his dreams had said; he knew them, but they did not know him. Joseph spoke roughly to them to test them, and they said to one another, “We are verily guilty concerning our brother.”
- Bible passage
- Genesis 42:1–38
- Big idea
- When we do wrong, God wants us to own it, and He is faithful to forgive.
- Memory verse
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 (KJV)- Ages
- Preschool to preteen (3 to 12), with tips for each age
- Time
- About 45 minutes
- Included, free
- Animated story film, coloring page, class sheet, teacher guide, questions and answers, a game
The story
Jacob sent ten sons to Egypt to buy grain, “that we may live, and not die,” but he kept Benjamin home (Genesis 42:1–4). The brothers bowed down before Joseph, the governor, with their faces to the earth (Genesis 42:6). Joseph knew them, but they did not know him. He remembered his dreams and spoke roughly: “Ye are spies” (Genesis 42:7–9).
After three days in prison, Joseph said one brother must stay until the others brought their youngest brother (Genesis 42:17–20). The brothers said to one another, “We are verily guilty concerning our brother” (Genesis 42:21). Joseph turned away and wept, then kept Simeon and sent the rest home with their money in their grain sacks (Genesis 42:24–25). When they found the money, they were afraid, and Jacob would not let Benjamin go (Genesis 42:35–38).
Read it in the Bible: Genesis 42:1–38 (KJV)
1Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? 2And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. 3And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. 4But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him. 5And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth. 7And 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. 8And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. 9And 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. 10And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. 11We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies. 12And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 13And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. 14And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies: 15Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither. 16Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. 17And he put them all together into ward three days. 18And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God: 19If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: 20But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so. 21And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. 22And 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. 23And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter. 24And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes. 25Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them. 26And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence. 27And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack’s mouth. 28And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us? 29And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying, 30The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. 31And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies: 32We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. 33And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone: 34And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land. 35And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. 36And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me. 37And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. 38And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
Questions to ask
Why did Jacob send his sons down to Egypt?
Because there was corn in Egypt, and they needed to buy food “that we may live, and not die” (Genesis 42:2).
What did Joseph’s brothers do when they came before him?
They bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth, just as Joseph had dreamed (Genesis 42:6, 9).
What did the brothers say to one another about what they had done to Joseph?
“We are verily guilty concerning our brother” (Genesis 42:21).
What this story teaches
- God always does what He says He will do (Genesis 42:6, 9).
- Hidden sin troubles our hearts until we deal with it (Genesis 42:21).
- When we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive (1 John 1:9).
- Joseph feared God and was kind to those who hurt him (Genesis 42:18–19).
Jesus Washes Our Sin Away
Joseph’s brothers felt guilty for what they had done. The blood of Jesus, God’s Son, washes us clean from all our sin.
1 John 1:7
A 45-minute lesson plan
| 5 min | Welcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Ask God to help us be honest when we do wrong, and thank Him that He forgives. |
|---|---|
| 10 min | The story. Play the story film: each verse appears on screen in the King James Version while the scene plays. Pause to ask what happens next. |
| 10 min | Talk about it. Ask the three questions below. Then ask: “When we do wrong, God wants us to own it, and He is faithful to forgive.” What does that mean for us? |
| 5 min | Memory verse. Say 1 John 1:9 together, covering one word at a time until the children can say it alone. |
| 10 min | Activity. Younger children color the coloring page while you retell the story; older children do the class sheet (memory-verse fill-in, word search and questions). |
| 5 min | Pray and send home. Pray together and send the sheet home so families can talk about the first question this week. |
- Preschool: keep it short and physical. Act out the story, use a simple prop, and repeat the big idea in one sentence.
- Elementary: let children find the passage in their own Bibles. Ask “who, what, where” questions first, then “why.”
- Preteens: read the verses before and after the passage, and ask how this story fits the whole story of the Bible.
Game time
For kids · game · indoors · about 10 minutes
Who’s the Leader?
You need: Nothing
- One child leaves the room. The group secretly picks a leader who starts motions (clapping, patting heads) that everyone copies.
- The child comes back and stands in the middle, trying to spot the leader as the motions change.
- When they guess right, the leader goes out next.
Joseph’s brothers bowed before the governor of Egypt and didn’t know it was Joseph, just as God had shown in his dreams.
For youth group · game · indoors · about 15 minutes
Mystery Guest
You need: A guest from your church hidden behind a screen
- The guest answers yes-or-no questions in a disguised voice.
- Teams take turns asking until someone guesses who it is.
- Then the guest shares a short story of how God worked in a hard season.
The brothers didn’t recognize Joseph, but God was bringing the family back together all along.
Pray
Ask God to help us be honest when we do wrong, and thank Him that He forgives.