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And Judah said to his father Israel, "Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we may live and not die-neither we, nor you, nor our children.

I will guarantee his safety. You may hold me personally responsible! If I do not bring him back and set him before you, then let me bear the guilt before you all my life.

When Joseph saw Benjamin with his brothers, he said to the steward of his house, "Take these men to my house. Slaughter an animal and prepare it, for they shall dine with me at noon."

But when we came to the place we stopped for the night, we opened our sacks and, behold, each of us found his silver in the mouth of his sack! It was the full amount of our money, and we have brought it back with us.

When Joseph looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son, he asked, "Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?" Then he declared, "May God be gracious to you, my son."

Joseph hurried out because he was moved to tears for his brother, and he went to a private room to weep.

Then he washed his face and came back out. Regaining his composure, he said, "Serve the meal."

Then Joseph instructed his steward: "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each one's silver in the mouth of his bag.

Put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain." So the steward did as Joseph told him.

They had not gone far from the city when Joseph told his steward, "Pursue the men at once, and when you overtake them, ask, 'Why have you repaid good with evil?

So each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it.

When Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph's house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him.

My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother?'

And we answered, 'We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age. The boy's brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him.'

So we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.'

So if the boy is not with us when I return to your servant, my father-his life is wrapped up in the boy's life-

Now please let your servant stay here as my lord's slave, in place of the boy. Let him return with his brothers.

Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Send everyone away from me!" So none of them were with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers.

Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?" But they were unable to answer him, because they were terrified in his presence.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come near me." And they did so. "I am Joseph, your brother," he said, "the one you sold into Egypt!