Genesis 43:1-10

1Now the famine was severe in the land.

2When they finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Return, buy us a little more food.”

3But Judah said to him, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’

4If you send our brother with us, we’ll go down and buy food for you.

5But if you will not send him, we won’t go down there because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’”

6Israel said, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had one more brother?”

7They replied, “The man questioned us thoroughly about ourselves and our family, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ So we answered him in this way. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down’?”

8Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me and we will go immediately. Then we will live and not die – we and you and our little ones.

9I myself pledge security for him; you may hold me liable. If I do not bring him back to you and place him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life.

10But if we had not delayed, we could have traveled there and back twice by now!”