Genesis 44

1 And he commands him who [is] over his house, saying, “Fill the bags of the men [with] food, as they are able to carry, and put the money of each in the mouth of his bag;

And Joseph charged the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put the money of each in the mouth of his sack.

2 and my cup, the silver cup, you put in the mouth of the bag of the young one, and his grain-money”; and he does according to the word of Joseph which he has spoken.

And put my silver cup into the sack of the youngest, and the price of his corn. And it was done according to the word of Joseph, as he said.

3 The morning is bright, and the men have been sent away, they and their donkeys—

The morning dawned, and the men were sent away, they and their asses.

4 they have gone out of the city—they have not gone far off—and Joseph has said to him who [is] over his house, “Rise, pursue after the men; and you have overtaken them, and you have said to them: Why have you repaid evil for good?

And when they had gone out of the city, [and] were not far off, then Joseph said to his steward, Arise, and pursue after the men; and thou shalt overtake them, and say to them, Why have ye returned evil for good?

5 Is this not that with which my lord drinks? And he observes diligently with it; you have done evil [in] that which you have done.”

Why have ye stolen my silver cup? is it not this out of which my lord drinks? and he divines augury with it; ye have accomplished evil in that which ye have done.

6 And he overtakes them, and speaks to them these words,

And he found them, and spoke to them according to these words.

7 and they say to him, “Why does my lord speak according to these words? Far be it from your servants to do according to this word;

And they said to him, Why does our lord speak according to these words? far be it from thy servants to do according to this word.

8 behold, the money which we found in the mouth of our bags we brought back to you from the land of Canaan, and how do we steal from the house of your lord silver or gold?

If we brought back to thee out of the land of Chanaan the money which we found in our sacks, how should we steal silver or gold out of the house of thy lord?

9 With whomsoever of your servants it is found, he has died, and we also are to my lord for servants.”

With whomsoever of thy servants thou shalt find the cup, let him die; and, moreover, we will be servants to our lord.

10 And he says, “Now also, according to your words, so it [is]; he with whom it is found becomes my servant, and you are acquitted”;

And he said, Now then it shall be as ye say; with whomsoever the cup shall be found, he shall be my servant, and ye shall be clear.

11 and they hurry and take down each his bag to the earth, and each opens his bag;

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

12 and he searches—at the eldest he has begun, and at the youngest he has completed—and the cup is found in the bag of Benjamin;

And he searched, beginning from the eldest, until he came to the youngest; and he found the cup in Benjamin's sack.

13 and they tear their garments, and each loads his donkey, and they return to the city.

And they rent their garments, and laid each man his sack on his ass, and returned to the city.

14 And Judah and his brothers come to the house of Joseph, and he is yet there, and they fall to the earth before him;

And Judas and his brethren came in to Joseph, while he was yet there, and fell on the ground before him.

15 and Joseph says to them, “What [is] this deed that you have done? Have you not known that a man like me diligently observes?”

And Joseph said to them, What is this thing that ye have done? know ye not that a man such as I can surely divine?

16 And Judah says, “What do we say to my lord? What do we speak? And how do we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we [are] servants to my lord, both we, and he in whose hand the cup has been found”;

And Judas said, What shall we answer to our lord, or what shall we say, or wherein should we be justified? whereas God has discovered the unrighteousness of thy servants; behold, we are slaves to our lord, both we and he with whom the cup has been found.

17 and he says, “Far be it from me to do this; the man in whose hand the cup has been found, he becomes my servant; and you, go up in peace to your father.”

And Joseph said, Far be it from me to do this thing; the man with whom the cup has been found, he shall be my servant; but do ye go up with safety to your father.

18 And Judah comes near to him and says, “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in the ears of my lord, and do not let your anger burn against your servant—for you are as Pharaoh.

And Judas drew near him, and said, I pray, Sir, let thy servant speak a word before thee, and be not angry with thy servant, for thou art next to Pharao.

19 My lord has asked his servants, saying, Do you have a father or brother?

Sir, thou askedst thy servants, saying, Have ye a father or a brother?

20 And we say to my lord, We have a father, an aged one, and a child of old age, a little one; and his brother died, and he is left alone of his mother, and his father has loved him.

And we said to [my] lord, We have a father, an old man, and he has a son of his old age, a young one, and his brother is dead, and he alone has been left behind to his mother, and his father loves him.

21 And you say to your servants, Bring him down to me, and I set my eye on him;

And thou saidst to they servants, Bring him down to me, and I will take care of him.

22 and we say to my lord, The youth is not able to leave his father, when he has left his father, then he has died;

And we said to [my] lord, The child will not be able to leave his father; but if he should leave his father, he will die.

23 and you say to your servants, If your young brother does not come down with you, you do not add to see my face.

But thou saidst to they servants, Except your younger brother come down with you, ye shall not see my face again.

24 And it comes to pass, that we have come up to your servant my father, that we declare to him the words of my lord;

And it came to pass, when we went up to thy servant our father, we reported to him the words of our lord.

25 and our father says, Return, buy for us a little food,

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

26 and we say, We are not able to go down; if our young brother is with us, then we have gone down; for we are not able to see the man’s face, and our young brother not with us.

And we said, We shall not be able to go down; but if our younger brother go down with us, we will go down; for we shall not be able to see the man's face, our younger brother not being with us.

27 And your servant my father says to us, You have known that my wife bore two to me,

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

28 and one goes out from me, and I say, Surely he is torn—torn! And I have not seen him since;

and one is departed from me; and ye said that he was devoured of wild beasts, and I have not seen him until now.

29 when you have taken also this from my presence, and harm has met him, then you have brought down my grey hairs with evil to Sheol. (Sheol h7585)

If then ye take this one also from my presence, and an affliction happen to him by the way, then shall ye bring down my old age with sorrow to the grave. (Sheol h7585)

30 And now, at my coming to your servant my father, and the youth not with us (and his soul is bound up in his soul),

Now then, if I should go in to they servant, and our father, and the boy should not be with us, (and his life depends on this [lad's] life)

31 then it has come to pass, when he sees that the youth is not, that he has died, and your servants have brought down the grey hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol; (Sheol h7585)

—it shall even come to pass, when he sees the boy is not with us, [that] he will die, and thy servants will bring down the old age of thy servant, and our father, with sorrow to the grave. (Sheol h7585)

32 for your servant obtained the youth by guarantee to my father, saying, If I do not bring him to you—then I have sinned against my father all the days.

For thy servant has received the boy [in charge] from his father, saying, If I bring him not to thee, and place him before thee, I shall be guilty towards my father for ever.

33 And now, please let your servant abide instead of the youth [as] a servant to my lord, and the youth goes up with his brothers,

Now then I will remain a servant with thee instead of the lad, a domestic of my lord; but let the lad go up with his brethren.

34 for how do I go up to my father, and the youth not with me? Lest I look on the evil which finds my father.”

For how shall I go up to my father, the lad not being with us? lest I behold the evils which will befall my father.