As it turned out, the famine that was proving so profitable to Joseph was making things less than comfortable for his father Jacob and his brothers. So, Jacob sent ten of his sons down to Egypt. He kept Benjamin back at home though, because he didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. So, apparently it’s okay if his other sons get murdered along the way or sold into slavery or any of the other nasty things that happened to people back then, but Benjamin needed to be protected.
Anyway, the ten brothers showed up in Egypt, and went to Joseph to buy some grain. Joseph of course recognized his brothers immediately, but thanks to the gobs of makeup Egyptian men wore in those days, none of the brothers recognized Joseph. Joseph, remembering his dreams predicting his brothers would bow down before him, decided to do his damndest to make sure those dreams came true. So, he accused his brothers of being spies and accused them of coming just so they could see how bad off Egypt was, presumably so their vast armies could invade or something of that nature. The brothers pleaded with Joseph, swearing that they were all honest men, and brothers in the same family. Unfortunately, they didn’t know when to keep their big mouths shut, and happened to mention that there was another brother back home. Joseph, seeing an opportunity, demanded that they send one person to bring the other brother to Egypt. To give them time to think of a good response to his demand without any unnecessary distractions, he threw them all in prison.
After three days, Joseph came to them and told them to take some corn back to their family, but bring back their youngest brother. In order to ensure their return, he demanded that one of them stay behind in prison. The other brothers, not realizing Joseph could understand everything they said because he had cleverly decided to speak only through an interpreter, began talking loudly amongst themselves. They decided that this whole mess they were in was all because they had sold their youngest brother into slavery. Reuben, eager to show everyone else up, reminded them that he had been the one to tell them not to just kill the kid, so really, he had saved them all from eternal damnation. So he definitely shouldn’t have to be the one to stay in prison.
Joseph, hearing that his brothers actually felt slightly guilty, turned away and cried like a little girl. He then turned back, took Simeon, and tied him up and threw him in the dungeon. He then ordered them to fill their sacks with corn and then, when they weren’t looking, he slipped their money back in their wallets and sent them on their way. On the way back home, the money was discovered, and the brothers got scared, assuming God was playing one of his infamous practical jokes on them, which likely meant one of them was going to be a pillar of salt soon.
At any rate, the brothers returned to Jacob, and told him they had to take Benjamin back with them. Jacob, having already lost his sons Joseph and Simeon, refused to let them take Benjamin too. Reuben, jumping a little further ahead than one would think prudent in the initial stages of a negotiation, offered to let Jacob kill his two sons if he didn’t return with Simeon and Benjamin, but Jacob still refused, claiming that if anything were to happen to little Benjamin, he (Jacob) would die from sorrow.
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