Genesis 44

1 When his brothers were ready to return home, Joseph said to the man who was in charge of things in his house, “Fill the sacks of those men with as much grain as they can carry [on their donkeys]. And put in the top of each man’s sack the silver that he paid for the grain.

Joseph 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 opening.

2 Then put my silver cup in the top of the youngest brother’s sack, along with the silver that he paid for the grain.” So the servant did what Joseph told him to do.

Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's opening of the youngest, and also his money for the grain.” The steward did as Joseph had said.

3 The next morning at dawn the men started on the way home with their donkeys.

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

4 When they had not gone far from the city, Joseph said to the servant in charge of things in his house, “Pursue those men immediately. When you catch up to them, say to them, ‘We did good things for you! Why have you paid us back by doing something bad to us?

When they were out of the city but were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you returned evil for good?

5 [You have stolen the cup] that my master drinks from [RHQ]! It is the cup that he uses to find out things that nobody knows! What you did was very wicked!’”

Is this not the cup from which my master drinks, and the cup that he uses for divination? You have done evil, this thing that you have done.'”

6 The servant [left immediately and] when he caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had told him to say.

The steward overtook them and spoke these words to them.

7 But one of them replied to him, “Sir, why do you say such things? We are your servants, and we would never do anything like that!

They said to him, “Why does my master speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they would do such a thing.

8 We even brought back to you from Canaan land the silver that we found inside the tops of our sacks! So (we certainly would not steal silver or gold from your master’s house!/Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?) [RHQ]

Look, the money that we found in our sacks' openings, we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan. How then could we steal out of your master's house silver or gold?

9 If you discover that any of us has that cup, you can execute him, and the rest of us will become your slaves.”

With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my master's slaves.”

10 The man replied, “Okay, I will do what you say. But the one who has the cup will not be executed. Instead, he will become my slave, and the rest of you may return home.”

The steward said, “Now also let it be according to your words. He with whom the cup is found will be my slave, and you others will be innocent.”

11 Each of the men quickly lowered his sack down from the donkey to the ground and opened it.

Then each man hurried and brought his sack down to the ground, and each man opened his sack.

12 Then the servant started to search for the cup in each sack. He started with the oldest brother’s sack and ended with the youngest one’s sack. And he found the cup in Benjamin’s sack and showed it to them.

The steward searched. He began with the oldest and finished with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

13 The brothers tore their clothes [because they were so dismayed]. They loaded the sacks on the donkeys again and returned to the city.

Then they tore their clothes. Each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.

14 When Judah and his [older and younger] brothers entered Joseph’s house, Joseph was still there. The servant told Joseph what had happened. Then the brothers threw themselves down on the ground in front of Joseph.

Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house. He was still there, and they bowed before him to the ground.

15 He said to them, “Why did you do this? Do you not know that a man like me can find out things that nobody knows?” [RHQ]

Joseph said to them, “What is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me practices divination?”

16 Judah replied, “Sir, what can we say? How can we prove that we (are innocent/did not steal the cup)? God has (paid us back/punished us) for the sins [we committed many years ago]. So now we will become your slaves—both we and the one in whose sack the cup was found.”

Judah said, “What can we say to my master? What can we speak? Or how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Look, we are my master's slaves, both we and he also in whose hand the cup was found.”

17 But Joseph replied, “No, I could never do anything like that. Only the man in whose sack the cup was found will become my slave. The rest of you can return to your father peacefully.”

Joseph said, “Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup was found, that person will be my slave, but as for you others, go up in peace to your father.”

18 Then Judah came near to Joseph and said, “Sir, please let me say something to you. You are equal to the king himself, so you could command that I be executed; but do not be angry with me for speaking to you.

Then Judah came near to him and said, “My master, please let your servant speak a word in my master's ears, and do let your anger burn against your servant, for you are just like Pharaoh.

19 You asked us, ‘Is your father still living, and do you have another brother?’

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

20 We answered, ‘Our father is alive, but he is an old man. He has a young son who was born after our father became an old man. That son had an [older] brother, who is now dead. So the youngest son is the only one of his mother’s sons who is still alive, and his father loves him very much.’

We said to my master, 'We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one. But his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.'

21 Then you said to us, ‘The next time you come here, bring your younger brother down to me, so that I can see him.’

Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me that I may see him.'

22 We said to you, ‘No, we cannot do that, because the boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves his father, his father will die from sorrow.’

After that, we said to my master, 'The boy cannot leave his father. For if he should leave his father his father would die.'

23 But you told us, ‘If your youngest brother does not come back with you, I will not let you see me again!’

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

24 When we returned to our father, we told him what you said.

Then it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my master.

25 [Months later] our father said, ‘Go back to Egypt and buy some more grain!’

Our father said, 'Go again, buy us some food.'

26 But we said, ‘We cannot go back by ourselves. We will go only if our youngest brother is with us. We will not be able to see the man who sells grain if our youngest brother is not with us.’

Then we said, 'We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then will we go down, for we will not be able to see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.'

27 Our father replied, ‘You know that my wife [Rachel] gave birth to two sons for me.

Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons.

28 One of them disappeared, and I said, “A wild animal has surely torn him to pieces.” And I have not seen him since then.

One of them went out from me and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces, and I have not seen him since.”

29 I am an old gray-haired man. If you take this other one from me, too, and something harms him, you would cause me to die because of my sorrow.’ (Sheol h7585)

Now if you also take this one from me, and harm comes to him, you will bring down my gray hair with sorrow to Sheol.' (Sheol h7585)

30 “So please listen. My father will remain alive only if his youngest son remains alive.

Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the boy's life,

31 If he sees that the boy is not with us when we return to him, he will die. We will cause our gray-haired father to die because of his sorrow. (Sheol h7585)

it will come about, when he sees the boy is not with us, he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. (Sheol h7585)

32 I guaranteed/promised to my father that the boy would return safely. I told him, ‘You can require me to do what I am promising. If I do not bring him back to you, you can say forever that (I am to blame/it is my fault) [for not bringing him back to you].’

For your servant became a guarantee for the boy to my father and said, 'If I do not bring him to you, then I will bear the guilt to my father forever.'

33 “So, please let me remain here as your slave instead of my youngest brother, and let the boy return home with his other older brothers.

Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy as slave to my master, and let the boy go up with his brothers.

34 (I cannot return to my father if the boy is not with me!/How can I return to my father if the boy is not with me?) [RHQ] I do not want to see how miserable/sad my father would become!”

For how can I go up to my father if the boy is not with me? I am afraid to see the evil that would come on my father.”