If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us—see, God is witness between you and me!”

And he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape.”

And Jacob said, “No, please, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, inasmuch as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me.

But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are weak, and the flocks and herds which are nursing are with me. And if the men should drive them hard one day, all the flock will die.

But on this condition we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of you is circumcised,

But if you will not heed us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone.”

Only on this condition will the men consent to dwell with us, to be one people: if every male among us is circumcised as they are circumcised.

Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.

So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?

If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses.

Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.”

But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.”

If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.

But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’ ”

I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.”

And their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.

And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!”

And we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’

But we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’

For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.’

For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?”

The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock.”

Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.”