GOD'S WORD Translation GW
New International Version NIV
1 The famine was severe in the land.
1
Now the famine was still severe in the land.
2 When they finished eating the grain they had brought from Egypt, Israel said to his sons, "Go back and buy us a little more food."
2
So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”
3 Judah said to him, "The man gave us a severe warning: 'You won't be allowed to see me again unless your brother is with you.'
3
But Judah said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’
4 If you let our brother go with us, we'll go and buy food for you.
4
If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you.
5 If you won't let him go, we won't go. The man said to us, 'You won't be allowed to see me again unless your brother is with you.'"
5
But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ ”
6 Israel asked, "Why have you made trouble for me by telling the man you had another brother?"
6
Israel asked, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?”
7 They answered, "The man kept asking about us and our family: 'Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?' We simply answered his questions. How could we possibly know he would say, 'Bring your brother here'?"
7
They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’ he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”
8 Then Judah said to his father Israel, "Send the boy along with me. Let's get going so that we won't starve to death.
8
Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die.
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