Genesis 44:20–31

²⁰ 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.’ ²¹ Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so that I can see him for myself.’ ²² So we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.’ ²³ But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your younger brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ ²⁴ Now when we returned to your servant my father, we relayed your words to him. ²⁵ Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us some food.’ ²⁶ But we answered, ‘We cannot go down there unless our younger brother goes with us. So if our younger brother is not with us, we cannot see the man.’ ²⁷ And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. ²⁸ When one of them was gone, I said: “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. ²⁹ Now if you also take this one from me and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’ ³⁰ So if the boy is not with us when I return to your servant, and if my father, whose life is wrapped up in the boy’s life, ³¹ sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.