They replied, "The man questioned us thoroughly about ourselves and our family, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' So we answered him in this way. How could we possibly know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down'?"

But we replied, 'We cannot go down there. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go, for we won't be permitted to see the man's face if our youngest brother is not with us.'

(Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban.) Laban rushed out to meet the man at the spring.

"But Esau my brother is a hairy man," Jacob protested to his mother Rebekah, "and I have smooth skin!

But Judah said to him, "The man solemnly warned us, 'You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'

But if you will not send him, we won't go down there because the man said to us, 'You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.'"

Israel said, "Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had one more brother?"

Take your brother too, and go right away to the man.

May the sovereign God grant you mercy before the man so that he may release your other brother and Benjamin! As for me, if I lose my children I lose them."