19. Sir, you asked us, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’
20. We answered, ‘We have a father who is old and a younger brother born to him when he was already old. The boy’s brother is dead, so he’s the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’
21. “Then you said to us, ‘Bring him here to me so that I can see him myself.’
22. We replied, ‘The boy can’t leave his father. If the boy leaves him, his father will die.’
23. Then you told us, ‘If your youngest brother doesn’t come here with you, you will never be allowed to see me again.’
24. When we went back to our father, we told him what you had said.
25. “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little more food.’
26. We answered, ‘We can’t go back. We can only go back if our youngest brother is with us. The man won’t see us unless our youngest brother is with us.’
27. “Then our father said to us, ‘You know that my wife ⌊Rachel⌋ gave me two sons.
28. One is gone, and I said, “He must have been torn to pieces!” I haven’t seen him since.
29. If you take this one away from me too and anything happens to him, you’ll drive this gray-haired old man to his grave.’
30. “Our father’s life is wrapped up with the boy’s life. If I come ⌊home⌋ without the boy
31. and he sees that the boy isn’t ⌊with me⌋, he’ll die. The grief would drive our gray-haired old father to his grave.