Bible in Basic English
And we said to my lord, We have an old father and a young child, whom he had when he was old; his brother is dead and he is the only son of his mother, and is very dear to his father.
And you said to your servants, Let him come down to me with you, so that I may see him.
And we said to my lord, His father will not let him go; for if he went away his father would come to his death.
But you said to your servants, If your youngest brother does not come with you, you will not see my face again.
And when we went back to your servant, our father, we gave him an account of my lord's words.
And our father said, Go again and get us a little food.
And we said, Only if our youngest brother goes with us will we go down; for we may not see the man's face again if our youngest brother is not with us.
And our father said to us, You have knowledge that my wife gave me two sons;
The one went away from me, and I said, Truly he has come to a violent death; and from that time I have not seen him,
If now you take this one from me, and some evil comes to him, you will make my grey head go down in sorrow to the underworld.
If then I go back to your servant, my father, without the boy, because his life and the boy's life are one,
When he sees that the boy is not with us, he will come to his death, and our father's grey head will go down in sorrow to the underworld.
For I made myself responsible for the boy to my father, saying, If I do not give him safely back to you, let mine be the sin for ever.
So now let me be my lord's servant here in place of the boy, and let him go back with his brothers.
For how may I go back to my father without the boy, and see the evil which will come on my father?
— Genesis 44:20-1964, Bible in Basic English
“And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die. And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food. And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man’s face, except our youngest brother be with us. And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons: And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since: And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad’s life; It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever. Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father. ”
Then he said, Far be it from me to do so: but the man who had my cup will be my servant; and you may go back to your father in peace.
Then Judah came near him, and said, Let your servant say a word in my lord's ears, and let not your wrath be burning against your servant: for you are in the place of Pharaoh to us.
My lord said to his servants, Have you a father or a brother?
And we said to my lord, We have an old father and a young child, whom he had when he was old; his brother is dead and he is the only son of his mother, and is very dear to his father.
And you said to your servants, Let him come down to me with you, so that I may see him.
And we said to my lord, His father will not let him go; for if he went away his father would come to his death.
But you said to your servants, If your youngest brother does not come with you, you will not see my face again.
And when we went back to your servant, our father, we gave him an account of my lord's words.
And our father said, Go again and get us a little food.
And we said, Only if our youngest brother goes with us will we go down; for we may not see the man's face again if our youngest brother is not with us.
And our father said to us, You have knowledge that my wife gave me two sons;
The one went away from me, and I said, Truly he has come to a violent death; and from that time I have not seen him,
If now you take this one from me, and some evil comes to him, you will make my grey head go down in sorrow to the underworld.
If then I go back to your servant, my father, without the boy, because his life and the boy's life are one,
When he sees that the boy is not with us, he will come to his death, and our father's grey head will go down in sorrow to the underworld.
For I made myself responsible for the boy to my father, saying, If I do not give him safely back to you, let mine be the sin for ever.
So now let me be my lord's servant here in place of the boy, and let him go back with his brothers.
For how may I go back to my father without the boy, and see the evil which will come on my father?