Jacob Learns What Happened in Egypt

²⁹ As soon as they had returned to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him everything that had happened to them. ³⁰ “The man who was in charge^[a] of the land spoke harshly to us,” they said. “He accused us of being spies!^{[b] 31} But we told him, ‘No! We’re honest men! We’re not spies! ³² Our father has twelve sons, but one of us isn’t alive anymore, and our youngest brother is with our father today back home in^[c] Canaan.’ ³³ But the man who was in charge of the land responded, ‘I’m going to test your honesty. Leave one of your brothers with me, take some grain for the famine that’s afflicting your households, and leave. ³⁴ But bring your youngest brother back to me so I can be sure that you’re honest men, and not spies. Then I’ll return your brother to you, and you’ll be allowed to trade anywhere in the land.’”

³⁵ Later on, as they went about unloading their sacks, each man’s bundle of money was found in each man’s sack. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were greatly distressed. ³⁶ Their father Jacob told them, “You’re causing me to lose my children! Joseph is gone. Now Simeon is gone, and you’re planning to take Benjamin, too. Everything’s going against me!”

³⁷ “Feel free to put my own two sons to death,” Reuben responded to his father, “if I don’t bring him back to you. Trust me—I’ll bring him back to you.”

³⁸ But Jacob replied, “My son isn’t going back with you, since his brother is dead and he’s the only one left. If something should harm him as you travel, then it’ll be death for me and my sad, gray hair!”^[d]