< Genesis 44 >
1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.
2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his grain money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.
4 And when they were gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, Up, follow after the men, and when thou overtake them, say to them, Why have ye rewarded evil for good?
5 Is not this that in which my lord drinks, and how he indeed divines? Ye have done evil in so doing.
6 And he overtook them, and he spoke to them these words.
7 And they said to him, Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from thy servants that they should do such a thing.
8 Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again to thee out of the land of Canaan. How then would we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?
9 With whomever of thy servants it be found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.
10 And he said, Now also let it be according to your words. He with whom it is found shall be my bondman, and ye shall be blameless.
11 Then they hurried, and took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.
12 And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left off at the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
13 Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and returned to the city.
14 And Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house. And he was yet there, and they fell before him on the ground.
15 And Joseph said to them, What deed is this that ye have done? Know ye not that such a man as I can indeed divine?
16 And Judah said, What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak, or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of thy servants. Behold, we are my lord's bondmen, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup is found.
17 And he said, Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my bondman, but as for you, get you up in peace to your father.
18 Then Judah came near to him, and said, Oh, my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant, for thou are even as Pharaoh.
19 My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?
20 And we said to my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one. And his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.
21 And thou said to thy servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes upon him.
22 And we said to my lord, The young man cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.
23 And thou said to thy servants, Unless your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.
24 And it came to pass when we came up to thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.
25 And our father said, Go again, buy us a little food.
26 And we said, We cannot go down. If our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down, for we may not see the man's face unless our youngest brother be with us.
27 And thy servant my father said to us, Ye know that my wife bore me two sons.
28 And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces, and I have not seen him since.
29 And if ye take this one also from me, and harm befall him, ye will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol. (Sheol )
30 Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the young man is not with us, since his life is bound up in the young man's life,
31 it will come to pass, when he sees that the young man is not with us, that he will die. And thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. (Sheol )
32 For thy servant became surety for the young man to my father, saying, If I do not bring him to thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father forever.
33 Now therefore, let thy servant, I pray thee, abide a bondman to my lord instead of the young man, and let the young man go up with his brothers.
34 For how shall I go up to my father, if the young man be not with me? Lest I see the evil that shall come on my father.
