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Judah Approached Joseph Ready for War and Prayer

Judah walked toward Egypt's throne prepared for war, prayer, or appeasement, and his words broke Joseph's disguise before Benjamin was lost.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. Judah Walked Toward the Throne
  2. Politeness Held a Knife
  3. Sarah's Plagues Entered the Room
  4. Joseph Heard the Brother He Needed
  5. The Lion Made the Bull Reveal Himself

Benjamin stood condemned over a cup he had not stolen.

The brothers were trapped in Egypt, far from Jacob, under the eye of a ruler who spoke through interpreters and held life like a clerk holds grain receipts. Joseph's disguise still held. Judah did not know the man in front of him was the brother he had once helped sell.

The silver cup lay like a verdict. Benjamin waited.

He only knew that Benjamin could not be left behind.

Judah Walked Toward the Throne

The Torah says Judah approached.

The rabbis will not let that verb sit quietly. Bereshit Rabbah hears three movements in one step. War. Prayer. Appeasement. Judah came ready for all of them. If the ruler wanted violence, Judah had come for violence. If heaven had to be begged, he had come to pray. If soft words could free Benjamin, he had come with those too.

The step toward Joseph was therefore not a diplomatic courtesy. It was a whole man gathering every weapon available to him: body, mouth, memory, threat, humility, and prayer.

Judah did not know which one would work. He only knew retreat would kill his father.

Politeness Held a Knife

Targum Pseudo-Jonathan preserves the courtesy and the accusation together.

Judah begs permission to speak in the lord's ear, but the words carry iron under them. The Egyptian ruler had once claimed to fear God. Judah now measures him against his own claim. A man who fears God does not pass judgment like a corrupt prince of Pharaoh.

The body bends. The sentence strikes.

That is Judah's genius in the scene. He does not abandon respect, because respect keeps the door open. He does not abandon rebuke, because Benjamin's life requires truth. The speech moves like a wheel, showing a different face with each turn. Plea becomes charge. Charge becomes warning. Warning becomes offer.

Take me instead, Judah says. Let the boy go home.

Sarah's Plagues Entered the Room

Then Judah brought the dead into the court.

He reminded the ruler of Sarah, their grandmother, and of Pharaoh's house struck with plagues after she was taken. He remembered Rachel, whose death followed a careless curse. He gestured toward Simeon and Levi, who had destroyed Shechem for Dinah.

The warning was clear. This family is not safe to abuse.

Midrash Aggadah makes Judah's body monstrous in rage. The hairs of his chest pierce through his clothing. Iron bars could be chewed and spat as dust. Yalkut Shimoni lets the roar carry across impossible distance, until Chushim son of Dan hears it and answers. Joseph, still hidden, kicks a stone pillar into gravel to show that the storm in front of him is not the only strength in Egypt.

Two kings are testing the floor.

Joseph Heard the Brother He Needed

Joseph had waited years to learn whether his brothers had changed.

They had once watched him vanish into slavery and carried a bloodied garment home to Jacob. Now Judah stands before the ruler of Egypt and offers himself for Rachel's other son. The old crime is being answered in the body of the man who helped commit it.

Joseph presses him. Why such concern for Benjamin now, when another brother had once been sold for silver? The question is cruel because it is true. Judah does not run from it. He stays in the room and keeps pleading.

That is what breaks the disguise. Not Judah's threats alone. Not his eloquence alone. His willingness to become a slave in Benjamin's place proves that the family has moved since the pit.

The Lion Made the Bull Reveal Himself

The confrontation becomes animal and royal in the rabbinic imagination.

Judah is the lion. Joseph is the bull. The other brothers hold back because kings are disputing, and it is not fitting to step between them. Even the angels descend to watch the clash.

Judah's approach changes history because it turns guilt into surety. The brother who once calculated survival at Joseph's expense now risks himself for Benjamin. In that instant, kingship begins to move toward Judah. A king is not the one who never sinned. A king is the one who stands in front when someone weaker is about to be lost.

Joseph can no longer remain Egyptian before such a brother. The room has heard enough. The disguise falls.

JudahJosephBenjaminBrothersKingshipEgypt
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From the tradition

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Bereshit Rabbah 93:4Bereshit Rabbah

That’s where Judah found himself in the biblical story of Joseph. to a powerful moment from that saga, as illuminated by the ancient commentary of Bereshit Rabbah.

The verse (Genesis 44:18). Simple enough. But the Rabbis, those master interpreters of scripture, see so much more beneath the surface. They connect this moment to a verse from Proverbs (25:11): "Like golden apples in silver ornaments is a well-turned phrase."

Akilas, a fascinating figure – a proselyte, someone who converted to Judaism – translates this verse a little differently: "Golden apples in silver bowls." What's the difference, and why does it matter?

The Rabbis in Bereshit Rabbah 93 use this to highlight the power of Judah’s words. The Hebrew for "a well-turned phrase" is davar davur al ofanav. The key word here is ofan, which means "wheel." Just as a wheel shows its face on all sides, so too were Judah's words deemed logical and persuasive to everyone involved in the tense confrontation with Joseph. Every angle, every perspective, was considered. He left no stone unturned. Judah wasn't just speaking; he was crafting his words with care, presenting his argument in a way that resonated with everyone present. It was a masterclass in diplomacy, born of desperation and love for his brother Benjamin and his father Jacob.

But there's another layer to this interpretation. The Rabbis continue, connecting Judah’s approach to another verse from Proverbs (20:5): "Like deep water is counsel in the heart of a man…" This is such a vivid image. Imagine a deep well, filled with cool, refreshing water. The water is there, it's good, but it's inaccessible. No one can reach it.

This, they say, is like the counsel hidden within a person's heart. It's valuable, but how do you bring it to the surface? How do you access it? The commentary explains that someone had to tie rope to rope, thread to thread, cord to cord, to finally draw that water up. Once they did, everyone could drink and be refreshed.

This is what Judah did with Joseph. He didn’t give up. He kept responding to Joseph, addressing each point, each concern, until he finally touched Joseph’s heart. He painstakingly pieced together an argument so compelling, so emotionally resonant, that it broke through Joseph’s carefully constructed defenses. As we find in Midrash Rabbah, Judah’s persistence, his carefully chosen words, were the key to unlocking the compassion hidden deep within Joseph.

It's a powerful lesson, isn't it? Sometimes, the most valuable resources – understanding, compassion, reconciliation – are hidden deep within us, or within others. It takes effort, persistence, and carefully chosen words to bring them to the surface. Just like drawing water from a deep well, it requires connecting different strands, different perspectives, until we reach the source.

So, the next time you find yourself in a difficult situation, remember Judah’s example. Remember the golden apples in silver bowls, the wheel that shows its face on all sides, and the deep well waiting to be tapped. Your words, carefully chosen and persistently delivered, might just be the key to unlocking a miracle.

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Bereshit Rabbah 93:6Bereshit Rabbah

Our guide? None other than Bereshit Rabbah 93, a treasure trove of rabbinic interpretations on the Book of Genesis. Specifically, Now, that word "approached"… it's loaded. What kind of approach was it?

Rabbi Yehuda sees it as an approach for war, citing a verse from II Samuel (10:13) where vayigash is used to describe advancing into battle. Rabbi Nehemya, however, interprets it as an approach for conciliation, like the tribe of Judah approaching Joshua in (Joshua 14:6) to appease him. And the Rabbis? They see it as an approach for prayer, like Elijah approaching God in I (Kings 18:36).

Rabbi Elazar, bless his heart, offers a unifying interpretation. Judah, he says, was ready for anything: war, conciliation, or prayer. He was prepared to do whatever it took to get Benjamin back.

Then Judah says, "Please, my lord (bi adoni)..." And the Rabbis really unpack this. It's not just polite phrasing. Judah is offering himself as a substitute! "Take me (bi) and not him (bei)!" He’d fill the water jugs, he'd do the hard labor, he'd chop the wood. He was arguing that he would be a better servant than Benjamin.

But there’s more simmering beneath the surface. Judah accuses Joseph of injustice (baya), saying, "You said, 'Bring him down to me, [and I will set my eye upon him]' (Genesis 44:21); is this the setting of an eye? It is the opposite of what you said! It is blindness of the eye." In other words, you obscured the truth from us.

Rabbi Simon adds that Judah is pointing out that Joseph is acting unjustly by demanding Benjamin as a slave when he has the means to pay for the alleged theft. It's against Jewish law: "If he has nothing, he shall be sold for his theft" (Exodus 22:2).

And then things get really intense. Judah reminds Joseph that Pharaoh and his household were afflicted with leprosy because Pharaoh abducted Sarah (Genesis 12:17). He warns Joseph to be careful. He also mentions Rachel's death, connecting it to Jacob's curse in (Genesis 31:32). It's like Judah is throwing every possible argument, every historical precedent, at Joseph, trying to shake him.

Judah even brings up the story of how he and his brothers destroyed an entire city because of Dinah. He suggests that Joseph might be considering something even worse against Benjamin. He’s saying, “We did it for a woman, and this is for a man?" According to Etz Yosef, Judah suspected Joseph intended to sexually abuse Benjamin and considered homosexual abuse to be worse than Shekhem’s abuse of Dina or Pharoah's intent to abuse Sarah.

Another interpretation of "May your servant please speak (yedaber na)..." from Rabbi Yirmeya bar Shemaya is that Judah is threatening to bring pestilence (dever) upon Egypt if Joseph doesn't relent! Rabbi Hanin adds the image of Judah in a rage, so powerful that his hair rips through his garments and he spits out iron as dust!

Judah even dares to compare Joseph to Pharaoh, accusing him of making empty decrees and, shockingly, lusting after males. He then asserts his own power, reminding Joseph that his father is king in Canaan and he is second to him. He declares that if he draws his sword, he will start with Joseph and then move on to Pharaoh himself!

But that last threat almost backfires. Because Judah said he would start with Joseph and then go after Pharaoh, Joseph gives a signal to Manasseh, who stomps his foot, causing the entire palace to shake! Judah recognizes this as a sign of immense power, something only his family possesses. Realizing he can’t win through force, Judah finally softens his tone and begins to speak gently: "My lord asked..." (Genesis 44:19).

What a rollercoaster. This passage from Bereshit Rabbah gives us a glimpse into the depth of feeling, the layers of argument, and the raw power dynamics at play in this pivotal moment. It reminds us that even in the most familiar stories, there's always more to uncover, more to understand, and more to be amazed by. It makes you wonder, doesn't it, what hidden depths lie beneath the surface of our interactions, our negotiations, our pleas? What "approaches" are we really making?

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Midrash Aggadah, Genesis 44:18Midrash Aggadah

"Then Judah approached him" (Genesis 44:18). This "approaching" we find is used in three senses: for war, for appeasement, and for prayer. For war, as it is written, "And Joab approached, and the people who were with him, to the battle" (II Samuel 10:13). For appeasement, as it is written, "And they approached him and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle" (Numbers 32:16). For prayer, as it is written, "And Elijah the prophet approached" (I Kings 18:36). And so Judah said to Joseph: if it is for war I come, and if it is for prayer I come, and if it is for appeasement I come. "Pray, my lord" (Genesis 44:18), by the life of [God], you pass this over us, for so you said to us, "Bring him down to me," etc. (Genesis 44:21). "Let your servant speak a word in my lord's ears" (Genesis 44:18), let my words enter your ears. The grandmother of this one [Benjamin], because Pharaoh detained her one night, he and all his house were stricken with plagues; beware, lest this man be stricken with leprosy. And they said concerning Judah that at the time he grew hot with anger, the hairs of his heart would pierce his garments and come out, and he would put bars of iron into his mouth and bring them out as dust. "For you are like Pharaoh" (Genesis 44:18), just as Pharaoh decrees and does not fulfill, so too you decree and do not fulfill; just as Pharaoh lusts after males, so too you lust after males.

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Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis 44:18Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis

Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Genesis turns to Judah Approaches the Throne, A Prince of Pharaoh's Judgment.

"Judah came near to him and said, In imploring my lord, let thy servant, I implore, speak a word in the hearing of my lord, and let not thy anger grow strong against thy servant; for at the hour that we came to thee thou didst say to us, I fear before the Lord; and now thy judgments are rendered like (the judgments) of a prince of Pharoh" (Genesis 44:18). Targum Pseudo-Jonathan preserves the opening with surgical precision.

Read the accusation hiding under the politeness. The vizier once told the brothers, ani et ha-Elokim yarei, "I fear God" (Genesis 42:18). Judah is now holding him to that claim. You said you feared God. Then why are you behaving like a typical prince of Pharaoh, snatching a boy because of a cup?

The sages read this as tokhachah, legitimate rebuke, spoken with the body bent in implored courtesy but with the words aimed straight at the conscience of the ruler. The Aramaic rabrava de-Pharoh, "a prince of Pharoh," is Judah's way of saying: you have become exactly what you said you feared to become.

This is not the Judah who sold Joseph. That Judah calculated profit. This Judah calculates justice. He walks toward the throne of Egypt, unarmed, outnumbered, representing a family's entire future, and he begins his defense by reminding the judge of the judge's own prior oath.

It is the opening move of the speech that will break Joseph's disguise.

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Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 150:2Yalkut Shimoni on Torah

Parashat Vayigash. "My son, if you have gone surety for your neighbor" (Genesis 44:18; Proverbs 6:1). Said Rabbi Chanina: flee from three things and cling to three. Flee from accepting deposits, from refusing-declarations, and from going surety between a man and his fellow; and cling to chalitzah, to the release of vows, and to making peace between a man and his fellow. Said Rabbi Shimon bar Abba: a deposit (pikadon) is called nothing other than "go out, this one" (puk dein). Another interpretation: "my son, if you have gone surety for your neighbor," this is Judah, as it says, "I myself will be surety." "You are snared by the words of your mouth" (Proverbs 6:2), "if I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then I shall have sinned against you all the days." "Do this then, my son, and deliver yourself; go, humble yourself" (Proverbs 6:3), in the dust of his feet; "and importune your neighbor," and make him king over you, "and Judah drew near to him." "For behold, the kings assembled" (Psalms 48:5), this is Judah and Joseph, who met together. "They passed by together," this one was filled with fury (evrah) against that one, and that one was filled with fury against this one. "They saw, and so they were amazed," "and the men marveled, each at his fellow" (Genesis 43:33). "They were terrified, they hurried away," "and his brothers could not answer him." "Trembling seized them there," these are the tribes; they said: kings are contending with one another, what concern is it of ours? "And Judah drew near to him." "One is so near to another" (Job 41:8), this is Judah and Joseph; "and no breath can come between them," these are the tribes, who said: the kings, etc. "Apples of gold in settings of silver" (Proverbs 25:11), Aquilas the convert rendered it: golden apples within silver dishes. "A word fitly spoken upon its wheels," just as a wheel shows faces on every side, so were Judah's words seen on every side when he spoke with Joseph. "And Judah drew near to him." "Counsel in the heart of a man is deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out" (Proverbs 20:5). A parable: a well whose waters were fine and deep, but no creature could drink from it. One came and tied rope to rope and cord to cord, drew up and drank from it, and then all began to draw and drink from it. So Judah did not budge from answering Joseph word for word until he reached his heart. "And Judah drew near to him." "Behold, days are coming, says the LORD, when the plowman shall draw near the reaper" (Amos 9:13). The plowman is Judah, "I will make Ephraim ride, Judah shall plow" (Hosea 10:11). The reaper is Joseph, "and behold, we were binding sheaves" (Genesis 37:7). "And the treader of grapes," this is Judah, "for I have trodden Judah for Myself" (Zechariah 9:13). "In the one who draws out the seed," this is Joseph, who drew out the seed of Jacob and brought them down to Egypt. "And Judah drew near to him." "Wisdom strengthens the wise" (Ecclesiastes 7:19). Said Rabbi Yochanan: when Joseph seized Benjamin, Judah said to him: Benjamin you have seized, and is there peace in my father's house? Immediately Judah grew angry and roared in a loud voice, and his voice traveled four hundred parasangs until Chushim son of Dan heard, and he leaped from the land of Canaan, and the two of them roared together and sought to overturn the land of Egypt upon them. Job said, "the roaring of the lion" (Job 4:10), this is Judah, as it says, "a lion's whelp is Judah" (Genesis 49:9). "And the voice of the fierce lion," this is Chushim son of Dan, as it says, "and of Dan he said: Dan is a lion's whelp" (Deuteronomy 33:22). "And the teeth of the young lions are broken," these are the warriors of Joseph; for when Judah cried out, the teeth of all of them fell out. Said Rabbi Levi: even his brothers, when they saw Judah angry, were filled with fury, and they stamped on the ground and made it furrows upon furrows, as it says, "the old lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness" (Job 4:11). "The old lion perishes for lack of prey," this is Judah, who handed himself over for Benjamin, saying: perhaps the Holy One, blessed be He, will pardon me that sin of saying to my father "Joseph is surely torn in pieces" (Genesis 37:33). "And the cubs of the lioness are scattered," these are his brothers, who were filled with fury at Joseph. When Joseph saw the signs of Judah, that he was angry, he was at once shaken and said: woe to me, lest he kill me. And what were the signs of Judah? His right eye dripped blood. And some say: he was clothed in five garments, and a single hair was upon his heart, and when he grew angry it would tear all of them and burst out. What did Joseph do at that hour? A pillar of stone on which he was sitting he kicked, and made it a heap of pebbles. Judah said: this one too is a mighty man like us. At that hour Judah grasped the sword and sought to draw it, but it would not be drawn. He said: surely this man is a fearer of Heaven; therefore it says "wisdom strengthens the wise," this is Joseph; "more than ten rulers," these are his ten brothers. "And Judah drew near to him." Rabbi Yehuda says: drawing near is for war, as you say, "and Joab drew near, with the people who were with him, for battle." Rabbi Nechemiah says: drawing near is for appeasement, as you say, "and the children of Judah drew near to Joshua to appease him" (Joshua 14:6). And the sages say: drawing near is for prayer, "and Elijah drew near" (1 Kings 18:36). Rabbi Elazar resolved it for them: if for war, I come; if for appeasement, I come; and if for prayer, I come. Rabbi Meir says: vayigash is only an expression of peace, as it says, "and he drew near, etc., and asked them of their welfare" (1 Samuel 30:21). Rabbi Yehuda says: vayigash is only an expression of consolation, as it says, "and he drew near and kissed him." Rabbi Nechemiah says: vayigash is only an expression of offering, as it says, "and he brought near the bull of the sin offering" (Leviticus 8:14). Rabbi Yose says: vayigash is only an expression of rebuke, as it says, "stand back." Rabbi Nathan says: vayigash is only an expression of feeling, as it says, "come near, that I may feel you, my son" (Genesis 27:21). "And he said: please, my lord" (Genesis 44:18). "By me" and not by him: if for war, I am good; if for service, I am good; if for splitting wood, I am good. Another interpretation: "please, my lord," you are bringing trouble upon us; yesterday you said to us, "bring him down to me that I may set my eye upon him" (Genesis 44:21), is this setting of the eye, is this blinding of the eye? In our laws it is written, "if he has nothing, he shall be sold for his theft," and this one has means to pay. "Let your servant speak a word," let my words enter your ears: the grandmother of this lad, because Pharaoh drew her to himself for one night, he and all his house were stricken with plagues. Beware lest this man be stricken with leprosy. The mother of this lad died only from the curse of my father, "with whomever you find your gods, let him not live" (Genesis 31:32); beware lest one curse take effect upon you and this man die. Two of us entered a great city and destroyed it for the sake of one female; and here, for the sake of a male, on account of love of the eye he came to the lodging-place of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it says, "and between his shoulders He dwells" (Deuteronomy 33:12), how much more so. "Let your servant speak a word." [Read as davar/dever:] a word I bring out of my mouth and bring a plague into the city of No. When Judah would raise his anger he would put bars of iron into his mouth and bring them out as dust. "For you are like Pharaoh" (Genesis 44:18). Just as Pharaoh decrees and does not fulfill, so you decree and do not fulfill; and as Pharaoh lusts after males, so you lust after males; and as Pharaoh is king, and you are second to him, so too my father is king in the land of Canaan, and I am second to him. And if I draw my sword against you, I begin with you and I finish with Pharaoh. Had he said "from Pharaoh I begin and with you I finish," Joseph would have let it pass; but since he said "from you I begin," he signaled to Manasseh, who stamped one stamp, and the whole palace shook. He said: this stamp is from my father's house. When he saw this he began to speak gently, "my lord asked his servants." Another interpretation: "and Judah drew near to him," they entered into rebukes. Judah said to Naphtali: leap and see how many marketplaces there are in Egypt. He leaped and saw and said: twelve marketplaces. He said: let each one destroy his own, and I will destroy three. Joseph said: Egypt is not like Shechem; if you destroy Egypt you destroy the whole world, as it is written, "like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt" (Genesis 13:10). "For you are like Pharaoh." If I draw my sword I will kill all of Egypt. Joseph said: if you draw it out, I will wind it around your neck. Judah said: I will open my mouth and swallow you. Joseph said: if you open your mouth, I will stop it with a stone. He said: if I go to my father, what shall I tell him? He said: tell him, the rope went after the bucket. Judah began to grow angry, for he did not understand the riddle. Joseph sent to Pharaoh to send him three hundred warriors. He said: with a false oath he judges us. Joseph said to him: falsehood belongs to falsifiers; with a lie you brought up your brother out of the pit. Judah said to him: the fire of Shechem burns in my heart. He said: the fire of Tamar your daughter-in-law, we will quench it. He said to him: I will cause the marketplaces of Egypt to run with blood. He said to them: you are practiced in the matter, for you dipped the tunic in blood. When Joseph saw that he wished to destroy Egypt, he made himself known to his brothers. They sought to kill him; an angel came and scattered them into the four corners of the house. Judah cried out one cry, and all the princes of Egypt fell, and the beasts fell, and Joseph fell from his stool, and the teeth of the three hundred warriors fell out, and they turned their faces and did not return until the day of their death. Even Pharaoh fell from his throne, as it says, "and the report was heard in Pharaoh's house" (Genesis 45:16).

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Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vayigash 5:1Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vayigash

Another interpretation: "Then Judah drew near to him and said: Pray (bi), my lord" (Genesis 44:18). He said to him: With force (biyah) you are passing judgment over us. Why? Because you said to us, "Do this and live; I fear God" (Genesis 42:18). You do not fear the Holy One, blessed be He; rather, you resemble Pharaoh, as it is said, "for you are like Pharaoh" (Genesis 44:18). Thus: with force you are passing judgment over us.

He said to him: You are judging us neither by the law of the kingdom nor by the law of Heaven. By the law of Heaven, one who is found stealing pays double, as it is said, "If the thief is found, he shall pay double" (Exodus 22:6); and if he has nothing with which to pay, he is sold for his theft. By the law of the kingdom, they take everything he has. If by the law of the kingdom you are seizing us, take for yourself everything that is in our hands; but if by the law of Heaven, if we cannot pay his price, here we are to you as slaves. "Pray (bi), my lord", with force (biyah) you are passing judgment over us.

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Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vayigash 6:3Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vayigash

FOR YOU ARE LIKE PHARAOH (Genesis 44:18). He said to him: Just as Pharaoh is great here, and you are second to him, so my father is great in the land of Canaan, and I am second to him. He said: I swear, if I draw my sword from its scabbard, I begin with you, and with Pharaoh I finish, as it is said, "Iron sharpens iron" (Proverbs 27:17). It is fitting for the two of them to stand one against the other; it is fitting for a king who exalts himself against a king. Judah is a king, as it is written of him, "Judah prevailed above his brothers" (I Chronicles 5:2). Joseph is a king, as it is written of him, "And he made him ride in his second chariot" (Genesis 41:43). Therefore the two of them were goring one another. Therefore it is said, "in me, my lord" (Genesis 44:18).

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Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vayigash 8:1Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vayigash

Another interpretation of "And Judah drew near to him" (Genesis 44:18): he drew near to do battle with him. For this expression is nothing other than the language of war, as it is said, "And Joab and the people drew near to the battle" (II Samuel 10:13).

Our Rabbis said: When Judah was filled with fury, his hairs would stand on end and burst through his garments. And there are those who say that he would take iron beans and place them in his mouth and crunch them with his teeth, and his rage would mount. Therefore it is said, "And he drew near."

"And he said: Please (bi), my lord, you bring injustice (biyah) upon us. Yesterday you said to us, 'Bring your younger brother down to me,' and we brought him. Now you have taken him. Is this not injustice?"

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