Genesis 42:22-37

22Reuben answered them and said, “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t sin against the boy’? But you didn’t listen. Now, see how his blood is now being accounted for.”

23They did not know that Joseph was listening, since there was an interpreter between them.

24He turned away from them and wept. When he turned back to them and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and tied him up before their eyes.

25Then Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to return each man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. So it was done for them.

26Then they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left from there.

27As one of them opened his sack to give fodder to his donkey at the lodge, he saw his money—behold, it was in the opening of his bag.

28So he said to his brothers, “My money has been returned! Look, it’s in my bag.” Their hearts sank. Trembling, each one turned to his brother and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

29When they came to their father Jacob, in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them, saying,

30“The man, the lord of the land, spoke with us harshly, and took us as spies of the land.

31But we said to him, ‘We’re honest. We’ve never been spies.

32We are twelve brothers, sons of our father. One is no more and the youngest is with our father today in the land of Canaan.’

33Then the man, the lord of the land, said to us, ‘By this I’ll know if you’re honest: leave one of your brothers with me. As for the hunger of your homes: take and go!

34Then bring your youngest brother to me, so that I may know you are not spies, but you are honest. I’ll give you back your brother and you can move about freely in the land.’”

35Now as they were emptying their sacks, behold, there was each man’s bundle of money in his sack. When they saw their money bundles, they and their father, they were afraid.

36Then their father Jacob said to them, “You’ve made me childless! Joseph is no more. Now Simeon is gone, and next you’ll take Benjamin! Everything is against me!”

37Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “You can put my two sons to death if I don’t bring him back to you. Put him in my hand and I—I will return him to you.”