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 commanded the steward of his house, saying: Fill their sacks with corn, as much as they can hold: and put the money of every one in the top 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 in the mouth of the younger’s sack put my silver cup, and the price which he gave for the wheat. And it was so done.

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

And when the morning arose, they were sent away with 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 were now departed out of the city, and had gone forward a little way; Joseph sending for the steward of his house, said: Arise, and pursue after the men: and when thou hast overtaken them, say to them: Why have you 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.”

The cup which you have stolen is that in which my lord drinketh, and in which he is wont to divine: you have done a very evil thing.

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

He did as he had commanded him. And having overtaken them, he spoke to them the same 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 answered: Why doth our lord speak so, as though thy servants had committed so heinous a fact?

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?

The money, that we found in the top of our sacks, we brought back to thee from the land of Chanaan: how then should it be that we should steal out of thy lord’s house, gold or silver?

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 shall be found that which thou seekest, let him die, and we will be the bondmen of my 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 to them: Let it be according to your sentence: with whomsoever it shall be found, let him be my servant, and you shall be blameless.

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

Then they speedily took down their sacks to the ground, and every man opened 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;

Which when he had searched, beginning at the eldest and ending at the youngest, 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.

Then they rent their garments, and loading their asses again, returned into the town.

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 Juda at the head of his brethren went in to Joseph, (for he was not yet gone out of the place), and they altogether fell down before him on the ground.

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 he said to them: Why would you do so? know you not that there is no one like me in the science of divining.

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 Juda said to him: What shall we answer my lord? or what shall we say, or be able justly to allege? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are all bondmen to my lord, both we, and he with whom the cup was 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.”

Joseph answered: God forbid that I should do so: he that stole the cup, he shall be my bondman: and go you away free 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.

Then Juda coming nearer, said boldly: I beseech thee, my lord, let thy servant speak a word in thy ears, and be not angry with thy servant: for after Pharao thou art,

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

My lord. Thou didst ask thy servants the first time: Have you 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 answered thee, my lord: We have a father an old man, and a young boy, that was born in his old age; whose brother by the mother is dead: and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him tenderly.

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

And thou saidst to thy servants: Bring him hither to me, and I will set my eyes on 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;

We suggested to my lord: The boy cannot leave his father: for if he leave him, 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.

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

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;

Therefore when we were gone up to thy servant our father, we told him all that my lord had said.

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

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

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 to him: We cannot go: if our youngest brother go down with us, we will set out together: otherwise, without him we dare not see the man’s face.

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

Whereunto he answered: You know that my wife bore me two.

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

One went out, and you said: A beast devoured him: and hitherto he appeareth not.

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 you take this also, and any thing befall him in the way you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow unto hell. (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),

Therefore if I shall go to thy servant our father, and the boy be wanting, (whereas his life dependeth upon the life of him, )

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)

And he shall see that he is not with us, he will die, and thy servants shall bring down his gray hairs with sorrow unto hell. (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.

Let me be thy proper servant, who took him into my trust, and promised, saying: If I bring him not again, I will be guilty of sin against 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,

Therefore I thy servant will stay instead of the boy in the service of my lord, and let the boy 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 I cannot return to my father without the boy, lest I be a witness of the calamity that will oppress my father.