Genesis 44

1 Then he instructed the manager of his house, saying, "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack.

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 Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, along with the silver for his grain." So he did according to the word that Joseph had told him.

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 As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent off along with their donkeys.

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

4 When they were far from the city, Joseph said to his manager, "Up, go after the men, and when you overtake them, ask 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 Why have you stolen my silver cup? Isn't it from this that my lord drinks and by which he indeed uses for divination? You have done evil in doing this.'"

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 caught up with them and spoke these words to them.

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

7 But 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 our lord speak according to these words? far be it from thy servants to do according to this word.

8 Look, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house?

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 whomever of your servants it is found, he must die, and we also will be my lord's slaves."

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 said, "Very well, then, it will be as you say. The one with whom it is found will be my slave, but you will be blameless."

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 Then they hurried, and each man lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack.

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

12 And he searched, beginning with the oldest, and ending at the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

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

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

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

14 So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there, and they fell to the ground 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 said to them, "What is this deed that you have done? Didn't you know that a man like me can indeed practice divination?"

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 Then Judah said, "What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? And how can we clear ourselves? God has uncovered the guilt of your servants. Look, we are my lord's slaves, both we, and the one in whose possession the cup was 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 But he said, "Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose possession the cup was found, he will be my slave. But as for you, go up to your father in peace."

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 Then Judah approached him, and said, "My lord, please allow your servant to speak a word in the ears of my lord, and do not become angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself.

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 asked his servants, saying, 'Do you have a father or a brother?'

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

20 And we said to my lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a child born when he was old, a little one, and his brother is dead, and he is his mother's only child, and his father loves 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 Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, so that I can see him myself.'

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

22 And we said to my lord, 'The boy can't leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

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 But you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.'

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

24 And it happened when we came up to your servant my father, we told 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 But our father said, 'Go again, buy us a little food.'

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

26 We said, 'We can't go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down, for we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is 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 Then your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons.

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

28 And the one disappeared from me, and I said, "Surely he is torn in pieces." And I haven't 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 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)

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 So now, 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,

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 it will happen, when he sees that the boy is not with us, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray 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 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 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 So now, please let your servant remain instead of the boy, a slave to my lord, and let the boy go 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 will I go up to my father if the boy isn't with me? I could not bear to see the misery that would come on 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.