Genesis 44:18-34 ▼

18 Then Judah came near to him and said, I beg you, O my lord, let your servant speak a few words in my lord's presence, and let not your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh.

19 My lord asked his servants, saying, Have you a father, or a brother?

20 And we said to my lord, We have a father, an old man, and he has a young son, the child of his old age; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.

21 Then you said to your servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes upon him.

22 And we said to my lord, The lad cannot leave his father; for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

23 And you said to your servants, Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.

24 And when we came up to your servant our father, we told him the words of my lord.

25 And your servant our father said to us, Go back again and buy us a little grain.

26 And we said to our father, We cannot go down; if our youngest brother goes down with us, then we will go down; for we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.

27 Then your servant our father said to us, You know that my wife bore me two sons;

28 And the one of them left me, and I said, Surely he has been killed; and I have never seen him since;

29 And now you want to take this one also from me, and if misfortune should befall him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.

30 Now therefore when we come to your servant our father, and the lad is not with us; seeing that his life is dear to him like his own life;

31 It shall come to pass when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die; and your servants shall bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.

32 For your servant became surety for the lad to our father, saying, If l do not bring him back to you, then I shall be guilty before my father forever.

33 Now therefore, let your servant stay here instead of the lad as a servant to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brothers.

34 For how can I go up to my father, if the lad is not with me? Lest I see the misfortune which will come on my father.