Genesis 44

1 He commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in his sack’s mouth.

And he commanded him who was over his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry; and put every man's money in the mouth of his sack.

2 Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, with his grain money.” He did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain-money. And he did according to the word of Joseph which he had spoken.

3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

In the morning, when it was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

4 When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men. When you overtake them, ask them, ‘Why have you rewarded evil for good?

They were gone out of the city, [and] not [yet] far off, when Joseph said to him who was over his house, Up! follow after the men; and when thou overtakest them, thou shalt say to them, Why have ye rewarded evil for good?

5 Is not this that from which my lord drinks, and by which he indeed divines? You have done evil in so doing.’”

Is not this [it] in which my lord drinks, and in which indeed he divines? Ye have done evil [in] what ye have done.

6 He overtook them, and he spoke these words to them.

And he overtook them, and he spoke to them these words.

7 They said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing!

And they said to him, Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from thy servants to do such a thing!

8 Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks’ mouths, we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan. How then should we steal silver or gold out of your lord’s house?

Behold, the money that we found in our sacks' mouths we have brought again to thee from the land of Canaan; and how should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?

9 With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”

With whomsoever of thy servants it is found, let him die; and we also will be my lord's bondmen.

10 He said, “Now also let it be according to your words. He with whom it is found will be my slave; and you will be blameless.”

And he said, Now also [let] it [be] according to your words: let him with whom it is found be my bondman, but ye shall be blameless.

11 Then they hurried, and each man took his sack down to the ground, and each man opened his sack.

And they hasted and laid down every man his sack on the ground, and opened every man his sack.

12 He searched, beginning with the oldest, and ending at the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

And he searched carefully: he began at the eldest, and ended at the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

13 Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey, and returned to the city.

Then they rent their clothes, and loaded every man his ass, and they returned to the city.

14 Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there. They fell on the ground before him.

And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; and he was still there; and they fell down before him to the ground.

15 Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Do not you know that such a man as I can indeed do divination?”

And Joseph said to them, What deed is this which ye have done? Did ye not know that such a man as I can certainly divine?

16 Judah said, “What will we tell my lord? What will we speak? How will we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and he also in whose hand the cup is found.”

And Judah said, What shall we say to my lord? what shall we speak, and how justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of thy servants; behold, we are my lord's bondmen, both we, and he in whose hand the cup has been found.

17 He said, “Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup is found, he will be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

And he said, Far be it from me to do so! The man in whose hand the cup has been found, he shall be my bondman; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.

18 Then Judah came near to him, and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even as Pharaoh.

Then Judah came near to him, and said, Ah! 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 art even as Pharaoh.

19 My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father, or a brother?’

My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?

20 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.’

And we said to my lord, We have an aged father, and a child born to him in his old age, [yet] young; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loves him.

21 You said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’

And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set mine eye on him.

22 We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’

And we said to my lord, The youth cannot leave his father: if he should leave his father, [his father] would die.

23 You said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will see my face no more.’

And thou saidst to thy servants, Unless your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.

24 When we came up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

And it came to pass when we came up to thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

25 Our father said, ‘Go again and buy us a little food.’

And our father said, Go again, buy us a little food.

26 We said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down: for we may not see the man’s face, unless our youngest brother is with us.’

But we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down; for we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.

27 Your servant, my father, said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.

And thy servant my father said to us, Ye know that my wife bore me two [sons];

28 One went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces;” and I have not seen him since.

and the one went out from me, and I said, He must certainly have been torn in pieces; and I have not seen him [again] hitherto.

29 If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol (Sheol h7585).'

And if ye take this one also from me, and mischief should befall him, ye will bring down my grey hairs with misery to Sheol. (Sheol h7585)

30 Now therefore when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us; since his life is bound up in the boy’s life;

And now, when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us, — seeing that his life is bound up with his life,

31 it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol (Sheol h7585).

it will come to pass when he sees that the lad is not [there], that he will die; and thy servants will bring down the grey hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. (Sheol h7585)

32 For your servant became collateral for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him to you, then I will bear the blame to my father forever.’

For thy servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, If I bring him not to thee, then I shall be guilty toward my father all my days.

33 Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy, my lord’s slave; and let the boy go up with his brothers.

And now, let thy servant stay, I pray thee, instead of the lad a bondman to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brethren;

34 For how will I go up to my father, if the boy is not with me?—lest I see the evil that will come on my father.”

for how should I go up to my father if the lad were not with me? — lest I see the evil that would come on my father.