Genesis 44

1 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.

Joseph ordered his household supervisor, “Fill the men's sacks with as much grain as they can hold and put each man's money at the top of his sack.

2 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.

Then put my special silver cup at the top of the sack of the youngest, along with the money for his grain.” He did as Joseph told him.

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

At sunrise they were sent on their way with their donkeys.

4 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?

They had hardly left the city when Joseph told his household supervisor, “Go after those men, and when you catch up with them, ask them, ‘Why have you paid back good with evil by stealing my master's silver cup?

5 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.'”

This is the cup he personally drinks from, and which he uses for divination. What you've done is really evil!’”

6 The steward overtook them and spoke these words to them.

When he caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had said.

7 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.

“My lord, what are you saying?” they replied. “We your servants wouldn't do anything like that!

8 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?

Remember that we brought back the money we found at the top of our sacks when we returned from Canaan. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house?

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

If any one of us is found with it, he shall die, and all of us will become your slaves.”

10 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.”

“Whatever you say,” the man replied, “but only the one found with it will become my slave since the rest of you will be free of any blame.”

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

They all unloaded their sacks and put them on the ground. They each opened their own sacks.

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

The household supervisor searched the sacks, beginning with the oldest and working his way down to the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

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

The brothers tore their clothes in grief. Then they loaded their sacks back on their donkeys and headed back to the city.

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

Joseph was still at home when Judah and his brothers arrived, and they fell to the ground before him.

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

“Why did you do this?” Joseph asked. “Don't you know a man like me can find out things through divination?”

16 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.”

“My lord, what can we say?” Judah replied. “How can we explain this to you? In what way can we prove our innocence? God has exposed the guilt of your servants. My lord, we are your slaves—all of us, including the one who was found with the cup.”

17 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.”

“I wouldn't do anything like that!” Joseph replied. “Only the man who was found with the cup will become my slave. The rest of you are free to return to your father.”

18 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.

Judah came closer and said to him, “If you please, my lord, let your servant just say a word. Please don't become angry with your servant, even though you are as powerful as Pharaoh himself.

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

My lord, previously you asked us, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’

20 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.'

We told you, my lord, ‘We have an elderly father, and a younger brother, born when our father was already old. The boy's brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother's children left, and his father loves him dearly.’

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

Then you ordered us, ‘Bring him here to me so I can see him.’

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

We told you, ‘The boy can't leave his father; if he did, his father would die.’

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

But you told us, ‘If your youngest brother doesn't come with you, you won't see me again.’

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

So when we went back to your servant, our father, we explained to him everything you had told us.

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

However, later on, our father told us, ‘Go back and buy some more food.’

26 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.'

But we said, ‘There's no way we can go back unless Benjamin our youngest brother goes with us, because we won't be able to see the man if Benjamin isn't with us.’

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

Then my father said to us, ‘You realize that my wife had two sons for me.

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

One is no more, ripped to pieces no doubt, for I've never seen him since.

29 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)

If you take this one away from me too, and something bad happens to him, you'll send this old man to his grave in grief.’ (Sheol h7585)

30 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,

So if the boy isn't with us when I go back to my father, whose life depends on the life of the boy,

31 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)

as soon as he sees the boy isn't there he'll die, and we will really send this old man, our father, to his grave in grief. (Sheol h7585)

32 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.'

In fact I gave myself as the guarantee for the boy to my father. I told him, ‘If I don't bring him back to you, then I will always carry the blame!’

33 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.

So please let me stay here as my lord's slave instead of the boy. Let him go back home with his brothers.

34 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.”

For how could I ever go back to my father if the boy wasn't with me? I couldn't stand seeing the anguish that would cause my father.”