Genesis 43:1-10 ▼

1 THE famine was very severe in the land.

2 And when they had finished eating the wheat which they had brought from Egypt, their father Jacob said to them, Go down to Egypt, and buy us a little grain.

3 And Judah said to him, The man did solemnly charge us, saying, You shall not see my face except your brother is with you.

4 If you will send our brother with us, we will go down and buy grain for ourselves;

5 But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, You shall not see my face except your brother is with you.

6 Then their father Israel said to them, Why did you cause me this displeasure, as to tell the man whether you had another brother?

7 And they said, The man asked us straitly about ourselves and our kindred, saying, Is your father still alive? Have you another brother? And we told him simply because of these words; could we have known in advance that he would say to us that we should bring our brother down?

8 And Judah said to Israel his father, Send the lad with us, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and you, and also our little ones.

9 And I will be surety for him; of my hands shall you require him; if I do not bring him back to you, and set him before you, then I shall be guilty before my father forever;

10 For if we had not delayed, perhaps we would have now returned a second time.