The Return to Egypt

43 Now the famine was very severe in the land [of Canaan]. ² And it happened that when the families of Jacob’s sons had finished eating [all of] the grain which they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go again, buy us a little food.” ³ But Judah said to him, “The man [representing Pharaoh] solemnly and sternly warned us, saying, ‘You will not see my face [again] unless your brother is with you.’ ⁴ If you will send our brother with us, we will go down [to Egypt] and buy you food. ⁵ But if you will not send him, we will not go down there; for the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.’” ⁶ And Israel (Jacob) said, “Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man that you had another brother?” ⁷ And they said, “The man asked us straightforward questions about ourselves and our relatives. He said, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?’ And we ^[a]answered him accordingly. How could we possibly know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down [here to Egypt]’?” ⁸ Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the young man with me and we will get up and go [buy food], so that we may live and not die [of starvation], we as well as you and our little ones. ⁹ I will be security (a guarantee) for him; ^[b]you may hold me [personally] responsible for him. If I do not bring him [back] to you and place him [safely] before you, then let me bear the blame before you forever. ¹⁰ For if we had not delayed like this, surely by now we would have returned the second time.”

¹¹ Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this; take some of the choicest products of the land in your sacks, and carry it as a present [of tribute] to the man [representing Pharaoh], a little balm and a little honey, aromatic spices or gum, resin, pistachio nuts, and almonds. ¹² Take double the [amount of] money with you, and take back the money that was returned in the opening of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight. ¹³ Take your brother [Benjamin] also, and get up, and go to the man; ¹⁴ and may ^[c]God Almighty grant you compassion and favor before the man, so that he will release to you your other brother [Simeon] and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children [Joseph, Simeon, and Benjamin], I am bereaved.” ¹⁵ Then the men took the present, and they took double the [amount of] money with them, and Benjamin; then they left and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.