1. BUT THE hunger and destitution and starvation were very severe and extremely distressing in the land [Canaan].
2. And when [the families of Jacob's sons] had eaten up the grain which the men had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, Go again; buy us a little food.
3. But Judah said to him, The man solemnly and sternly warned us, saying, You shall 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; for the man said to us, You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.
6. And Israel said, Why did you do me such a wrong and suffer this evil to come upon me 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 answered him accordingly. How could we know that he would say, Bring your brother down here?
8. And Judah said to Israel his father, Send the lad with me and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.
9. I will be security for him; you shall require him of me [personally]; if I do not bring him back to you and put him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.