Their father Jacob said to them, “You are making me childless! Joseph is gone. Simeon is gone. And now you want to take Benjamin! Everything is against me.”

When Jacob saw the look on Laban’s face, he could tell his attitude toward him had changed.

returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy isn’t there! And I, where can I go?”

“So now, when I return to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us – his very life is bound up in his son’s life.

There he said to them, “I can tell that your father’s attitude toward me has changed, but the God of my father has been with me.

They replied, “Your servants are from a family of twelve brothers. We are the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is with our father at this time, and one is no longer alive.”

We are from a family of twelve brothers; we are the sons of one father. One is no longer alive, and the youngest is with our father at this time in the land of Canaan.’

For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see my father’s pain.”

My integrity will testify for me later on. When you come to verify that I’ve taken only the wages we agreed on, if I have in my possession any goat that is not speckled or spotted or any sheep that is not dark-colored, it will be considered stolen.”

There is no one greater in this household than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?”

But we replied, ‘We cannot go down there. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go, for we won’t be permitted to see the man’s face if our youngest brother is not with us.’