1. But the famine continued to ravage the land of Canaan.
2. When the grain they had brought from Egypt was almost gone, Jacob said to his sons, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”
3. But Judah said, “The man was serious when he warned us, ‘You won’t see my face again unless your brother is with you.’
4. If you send Benjamin with us, we will go down and buy more food.
5. But if you don’t let Benjamin go, we won’t go either. Remember, the man said, ‘You won’t see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”
6. “Why were you so cruel to me?” Jacob moaned. “Why did you tell him you had another brother?”
7. “The man kept asking us questions about our family,” they replied. “He asked, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ So we answered his questions. How could we know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”
8. Judah said to his father, “Send the boy with me, and we will be on our way. Otherwise we will all die of starvation—and not only we, but you and our little ones.
9. I personally guarantee his safety. You may hold me responsible if I don’t bring him back to you. Then let me bear the blame forever.
10. If we hadn’t wasted all this time, we could have gone and returned twice by now.”
11. So their father, Jacob, finally said to them, “If it can’t be avoided, then at least do this. Pack your bags with the best products of this land. Take them down to the man as gifts—balm, honey, gum, aromatic resin, pistachio nuts, and almonds.
12. Also take double the money that was put back in your sacks, as it was probably someone’s mistake.