BRAGADAYJAH 140

As the brothers made their way back home, one of them decided to open his sack to extract some corn for his donkey, and in opening the sack he saw that his money was still there. Seeing the money, they became afraid fearing that some trap was being set for them. Indeed it was there guilty consciences which made them afraid, fearing that God was about to punish them in some way for the evil they had done toward their younger brother Joseph. So then, they hastened home and reported to their father, the surprising events and details of their trip to Egypt. They spoke of the strange man who was lord of the land of Egypt, who spoke to them roughly and accused them of being spies. We told him that we were not spies; that we are honest men come down to Egypt for no other purpose than to buy corn, owing to the famine in our land; that there were twelve of us brothers, and the youngest of us was yet with you our father in the land of Canaan. But the man, the lord of the land, told us in order to prove ourselves true men and not spies, we had to leave one of us, behind as surety, and take food to our home and be gone. So he took hold of Simeon and bound him and threw him in prison. Then he said; “when you return bring your youngest brother here to me, only then would I believe that you are whom you say you are. Only then may you come and go freely and buy corn as you please.” Having reported to their father, and related the many twists and turns of their journey, they went to open the other un-opened sacks of corn, only to find that each sack contained all the money that each of them took with them to the land of Egypt to buy corn. This made them and their father very much more afraid. Now Israel was sore, afraid and felt that his sons had fallen into some sort of a trap. He had lost his beloved son Joseph; Simeon was in jail and perhaps even killed by this time; now he is being asked to send away his youngest son Benjamin. Suppose, he speculated, that on the way down, something untoward were to happen to Benjamin; Simeon would then be killed for sure, and maybe even the rest of his sons. No, thought Israel; it was too risky. To lose another son would hasten my gray hairs and send me to my grave. Rueben tried to encourage his father and even told him to slay his own two sons should he fail to bring Benjamin back home safely; but Israel could not be persuaded. More.