42 ²⁶ (25b) All this was done; (26) and they loaded the corn on to their asses and went away. 42 ²⁷ When they stopped for the night, one of them opened his sack to give fodder to his ass, and there he saw his silver at the top of the pack. 42 ²⁸ He said to his brothers, 'My silver has been returned to me, and here it is in my pack.' Bewildered and trembling, they said to each other, 'What is this that God has done to us?'

42 ²⁹ When they came to their father Jacob in Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, 42 ³⁰ 'The man who is lord of the country spoke harshly to us and made out that we were spies. 42 ³¹ We said to him, "We are honest men, we are not spies. 42 ³² There are twelve of us, all brothers, sons of one father. One has disappeared, and the youngest is with our father in Canaan." 42 ³³ This man, the lord of the country, said to us, "This is how I shall find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers with me, take food for your hungry households and go. 42 ³⁴ Bring your youngest brother to me, and I shall know that you are not spies, but honest men. Then I will restore your brother to you, and you can move about the country freely." '

42 ³⁵ But on emptying their sacks, each of them found his silver inside, and when they and their father saw the bundles of silver, they were afraid. 42 ³⁶ Their father Jacob said to them, 'You have robbed me of my children. Joseph has disappeared; Simeon has disappeared; and now you are taking Benjamin. Everything is against me.' 42 ³⁷ Reuben said to his father, 'You may kill both my sons if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my charge, and I shall bring him back.' 42 ³⁸ But Jacob said, 'My son shall not go with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left. If he comes to any harm on the journey, you will bring down my grey hairs in sorrow to the grave.'