23. But you said to us, ‘You must bring your youngest brother. If you don’t, you will not be allowed to see me again.’
24. So we went back to our father and told him what you had said.
25. “Later, our father said, ‘Go again. Buy us a little more food.’
26. We said to our father, ‘We cannot go without our youngest brother. Without our youngest brother, we will not be allowed to see the governor.’
27. Then my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife Rachel gave me two sons.
28. One son left me. I thought, “Surely he has been torn apart by a wild animal.” And I haven’t seen him since.
29. Now you want to take this son away from me also. But something terrible might happen to him. Then I would be sad until the day I die.’
30. Now what will happen if we go home to our father without our youngest brother? He is the most important thing in our father’s life.
31. When our father sees that the young boy is not with us, he will die. And it will be our fault. We will cause the great sorrow that kills our father.
32. “I gave my father a guarantee that the young boy would be safe. I said to my father, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, you can blame me all my life.’
33. So now, please allow me to stay here and be your slave. And let the young boy go back home with his brothers.
34. I cannot go back to my father if the boy is not with me. I couldn’t stand to see my father that sad.”