They did not know that their money had been returned until they stopped at an inn to spend the night. One of the sacks was opened to get some grain, and then the brothers were amazed to find money in the mouth of the sack. Instead of being happy to learn that the grain had cost them nothing, they were very much alarmed by the discovery. It had been hard enough to bear the suspicion and rough treatment which they were shown by the E'gyp-tian ruler, but they were even more frightened by his strange act of returning their money. It did not occur to them that he might have meant nothing but kindness in so doing, and they wondered what further punishment the LORD was preparing for them. They dared not return to E'gypt and give back the money, for this time they, too, might be held in prison as spies, so all they could do was to hope for the best, and hasten to the land of their father.
When they reached the land of Ca'naan, they told Ja'cob of all that had happened to them in E'gypt. Then all the sacks of grain were opened, and in each was found the money which had been paid for the grain. Once again the brothers were frightened, and even Ja'cob could find no way of explaining the strange return of the money; he, too, felt that it was a sign of bad news in the future.
Ja'cob was overcome by the demand that Ben'ja-min, his beloved youngest son, be taken to E'gypt. He still thought that Jo'seph had been slain by a wild animal twenty-three years before, he knew that Sim'e-on was now in an E'gyp-tian prison, perhaps doomed to die, and now he was called upon to give up the son who had brought him comfort during many trials. The thought was more than he could bear, so he declared that it would be better if they all died of hunger. after the older brothers had failed to overcome the fears of Ja'cob, or to persuade him to let Ben'ja-min go down into E'gypt, it was agreed to do nothing about the matter for the time being. In our next story we shall learn how Ja'cob was forced to send Ben'ja-min to E'gypt, and how wonderfully the LORD blessed Ja'cob and his sons.
