Genesis 44:14-34

14When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there, and 1they fell to the ground before him. 15Joseph said to them, “What is this deed that you have done? Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed practice 2divination?” 16So Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s 3slaves, both we and the one in whose 4possession the cup has been found.” 17But he said, “Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose 5possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

18Then Judah approached him, and said, “Oh my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord’s ears, and 67do not be angry with your servant; for 8you are equal to Pharaoh. 199My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ 20We said to my lord, ‘We have an old father and 10a little child of his old age. Now 11his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.’ 21Then you said to your servants, ‘12Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him.’ 22But we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, 13his father would die.’ 23You said to your servants, however, ‘14Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 24Thus it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 2515Our father said, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’ 26But we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that 16my wife bore me two sons; 28and the one went out from me, and 17I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces,” and I have not seen him since. 29If you take this one also from 18me, and harm befalls him, you will 19bring my gray hair down to Sheol in 20sorrow.’ 30Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since 2122his life is bound up in the lad’s life, 31when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will 23bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. 32For your servant 24became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then 25let me bear the blame before my father forever.’ 33Now, therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. 34For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me--for fear that I see the evil that would 26overtake my father?”