Genesis 44:18-34

18Then Judah went up to Joseph and said, “Please, sir, let me speak openly with you. Don’t be angry with me, although you are equal to Pharaoh.

19Sir, you asked us, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’

20We answered, ‘We have a father who is old and a younger brother born to him when he was already old. The boy’s brother is dead, so he’s the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’

21“Then you said to us, ‘Bring him here to me so that I can see him myself.’

22We replied, ‘The boy can’t leave his father. If the boy leaves him, his father will die.’

23Then you told us, ‘If your youngest brother doesn’t come here with you, you will never be allowed to see me again.’

24When we went back to our father, we told him what you had said.

25“Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little more food.’

26We answered, ‘We can’t go back. We can only go back if our youngest brother is with us. The man won’t see us unless our youngest brother is with us.’

27“Then our father said to us, ‘You know that my wife ⌞Rachel⌟ gave me two sons.

28One is gone, and I said, “He must have been torn to pieces!” I haven’t seen him since.

29If you take this one away from me too and anything happens to him, you’ll drive this gray-haired old man to his grave.’

30“Our father’s life is wrapped up with the boy’s life. If I come ⌞home⌟ without the boy

31and he sees that the boy isn’t ⌞with me⌟, he’ll die. The grief would drive our gray-haired old father to his grave.

32“I guaranteed my father that the boy would come back. I said, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, then you can blame me the rest of my life, Father.’

33Sir, please let me stay and be your slave in the boy’s place, and let the boy go back with his brothers.

34How could I go back to my father if the boy isn’t with me? I couldn’t bear to see my father’s misery!”