Show Don't Tell: Genesis 42:29-38

Instead of saying "The brothers told Jacob what happened," hear the father's grief compound. They arrive home and report everything: the harsh governor, the accusation of spying, Simeon imprisoned, the demand for Benjamin. Then they empty their sacks. Silver in every one. Fear grips them—and Jacob. "You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more. Simeon is no more. Now you want to take Benjamin." Reuben offers his own two sons as guarantee. Jacob's response is fierce: "My son will not go down there with you. If harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow." He would rather let Simeon rot than risk Benjamin. The favoritism that destroyed one son now threatens another.