1
Now the famine was severe in the land.
2
And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, "Go back, buy us a little food."
3
But Judah spoke to him, saying, "The man solemnly warned us, saying, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.' "
4
"If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.
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 unless your brother is with you.' "
6
And Israel said, "Why did you deal so wrongfully with me as to tell the man whether you had still another brother?"
7
But they said, "The man asked us pointedly about ourselves and our family, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?' And we told him according to these words. Could we possibly have known that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?"
8
Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.
9
I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.
10
For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time."