Genesis 44

1 Joseph ordered his household supervisor, “Fill the men's sacks with as much grain as they can hold and put each man's money at the top of his sack.

Then he gave orders to the servant who was over his house, saying, Put as much food into the men's bags as will go into them, and put every man's money in the mouth of his bag;

2 Then put my special silver cup at the top of the sack of the youngest, along with the money for his grain.” He did as Joseph told him.

And put my cup, my silver cup, in the youngest one's bag, with his money. So he did as Joseph said.

3 At sunrise they were sent on their way with their donkeys.

And at dawn the men, with their asses, were sent away.

4 They had hardly left the city when Joseph told his household supervisor, “Go after those men, and when you catch up with them, ask them, ‘Why have you paid back good with evil by stealing my master's silver cup?

And when they had gone only a little way out of the town, Joseph said to the servant who was over his house, Go after them; and when you overtake them, say to them, Why have you done evil in reward for good?

5 This is the cup he personally drinks from, and which he uses for divination. What you've done is really evil!’”

Is not this the cup from which my lord takes wine and by which he gets knowledge of the future? Truly, you have done evil.

6 When he caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had said.

So he overtook them and said these words to them.

7 “My lord, what are you saying?” they replied. “We your servants wouldn't do anything like that!

And they said to him, Why does my lord say such words as these? far be it from your servants to do such a thing:

8 Remember that we brought back the money we found at the top of our sacks when we returned from Canaan. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house?

See, the money which was in the mouth of our bags we gave back to you when we came again from Canaan: how then might we take silver or gold from your lord's house?

9 If any one of us is found with it, he shall die, and all of us will become your slaves.”

If it comes to light that any of your servants has done this, let him be put to death, and we will be your lord's servants.

10 “Whatever you say,” the man replied, “but only the one found with it will become my slave since the rest of you will be free of any blame.”

And he said, Let it be as you say: he in whose bag it is seen will become my servant; and you will not be responsible.

11 They all unloaded their sacks and put them on the ground. They each opened their own sacks.

Then every man quickly got his bag down and undid it.

12 The household supervisor searched the sacks, beginning with the oldest and working his way down to the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

And he made a search, starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was in Benjamin's bag.

13 The brothers tore their clothes in grief. Then they loaded their sacks back on their donkeys and headed back to the city.

Then in bitter grief they put the bags on the asses again and went back to the town.

14 Joseph was still at home when Judah and his brothers arrived, and they fell to the ground before him.

So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house; and he was still there: and they went down on their faces before him.

15 “Why did you do this?” Joseph asked. “Don't you know a man like me can find out things through divination?”

And Joseph said, What is this thing which you have done? had you no thought that such a man as I would have power to see what is secret?

16 “My lord, what can we say?” Judah replied. “How can we explain this to you? In what way can we prove our innocence? God has exposed the guilt of your servants. My lord, we are your slaves—all of us, including the one who was found with the cup.”

And Judah said, What are we to say to my lord? how may we put ourselves right in his eyes? God has made clear the sin of your servants: now we are in your hands, we and the man in whose bag your cup was seen.

17 “I wouldn't do anything like that!” Joseph replied. “Only the man who was found with the cup will become my slave. The rest of you are free to return to your father.”

Then he said, Far be it from me to do so: but the man who had my cup will be my servant; and you may go back to your father in peace.

18 Judah came closer and said to him, “If you please, my lord, let your servant just say a word. Please don't become angry with your servant, even though you are as powerful as Pharaoh himself.

Then Judah came near him, and said, Let your servant say a word in my lord's ears, and let not your wrath be burning against your servant: for you are in the place of Pharaoh to us.

19 My lord, previously you asked us, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’

My lord said to his servants, Have you a father or a brother?

20 We told you, my lord, ‘We have an elderly father, and a younger brother, born when our father was already old. The boy's brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother's children left, and his father loves him dearly.’

And we said to my lord, We have an old father and a young child, whom he had when he was old; his brother is dead and he is the only son of his mother, and is very dear to his father.

21 Then you ordered us, ‘Bring him here to me so I can see him.’

And you said to your servants, Let him come down to me with you, so that I may see him.

22 We told you, ‘The boy can't leave his father; if he did, his father would die.’

And we said to my lord, His father will not let him go; for if he went away his father would come to his death.

23 But you told us, ‘If your youngest brother doesn't come with you, you won't see me again.’

But you said to your servants, If your youngest brother does not come with you, you will not see my face again.

24 So when we went back to your servant, our father, we explained to him everything you had told us.

And when we went back to your servant, our father, we gave him an account of my lord's words.

25 However, later on, our father told us, ‘Go back and buy some more food.’

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

26 But we said, ‘There's no way we can go back unless Benjamin our youngest brother goes with us, because we won't be able to see the man if Benjamin isn't with us.’

And we said, Only if our youngest brother goes with us will we go down; for we may not see the man's face again if our youngest brother is not with us.

27 Then my father said to us, ‘You realize that my wife had two sons for me.

And our father said to us, You have knowledge that my wife gave me two sons;

28 One is no more, ripped to pieces no doubt, for I've never seen him since.

The one went away from me, and I said, Truly he has come to a violent death; and from that time I have not seen him,

29 If you take this one away from me too, and something bad happens to him, you'll send this old man to his grave in grief.’ (Sheol h7585)

If now you take this one from me, and some evil comes to him, you will make my grey head go down in sorrow to the underworld. (Sheol h7585)

30 So if the boy isn't with us when I go back to my father, whose life depends on the life of the boy,

If then I go back to your servant, my father, without the boy, because his life and the boy's life are one,

31 as soon as he sees the boy isn't there he'll die, and we will really send this old man, our father, to his grave in grief. (Sheol h7585)

When he sees that the boy is not with us, he will come to his death, and our father's grey head will go down in sorrow to the underworld. (Sheol h7585)

32 In fact I gave myself as the guarantee for the boy to my father. I told him, ‘If I don't bring him back to you, then I will always carry the blame!’

For I made myself responsible for the boy to my father, saying, If I do not give him safely back to you, let mine be the sin for ever.

33 So please let me stay here as my lord's slave instead of the boy. Let him go back home with his brothers.

So now let me be my lord's servant here in place of the boy, and let him go back with his brothers.

34 For how could I ever go back to my father if the boy wasn't with me? I couldn't stand seeing the anguish that would cause my father.”

For how may I go back to my father without the boy, and see the evil which will come on my father?