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

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

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 yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, Arise, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say to them, Why have ye rewarded 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.”

Is not this the cup in which my lord drinketh, and by which indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.

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

And he overtook them, and he spoke to them these 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 said to him, Why saith my lord these words? Far be it from us that thy servants should do according to this thing:

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?

Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks’ mouths, we brought again to thee from the land of Canaan: how then should we steal from thy lord’s house silver or gold?

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

With whomever of thy servants it shall be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.

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 also let it be according to your words: he with whom it shall be found shall be my servant; and ye 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 every man his sack to the ground, and 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, and began at the eldest, and stopped at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

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

Then they tore their clothes, and loaded every man his donkey, 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 Judah and his brethren came to Joseph’s house; for he was yet there: and they fell 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 Joseph said to them, What deed is this that ye have done? knew ye not that such a man as I can certainly 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 Judah said, What shall we say to my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is 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 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 servant; and as for you, go in peace 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 Judah came near to him, and said, O my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thy anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.

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

My lord asked his 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 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 loveth him.

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 down to me, that I may set my eyes upon 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 lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would 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 shall come down with you, ye 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;

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

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

And our father said, Go again, 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 cannot go down: if our youngest brother shall be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man’s face, except our youngest brother shall be with us.

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

And thy servant my 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 the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I have not seen him since:

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)

And if ye take this also from me, and harm shall befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs 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 therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the 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 come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant 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 became surety for the lad to my father, saying, If I bring him not to thee, then I shall bear the blame to 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 therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a slave to my lord; and let the lad return 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 return to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest perhaps I see the evil that shall come on my father.