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.

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 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.

And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money: and he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

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

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

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?

[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 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.'”

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

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

And he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words.

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.

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 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?

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

With whom [soever] of thy servants it shall be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bond-men.

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.”

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

Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.

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

And he searched, [and] began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

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

Then they rent their clothes, and loaded every man his ass, and returned 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.

And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house, (for he [was] yet there: ) and they fell before him on the ground.

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

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 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.”

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 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.”

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 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.

Then Judah came near to him, and said, Oh 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 master asked his servants, saying, 'Do you have a father or a brother?'

My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye 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.'

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

And thou saidst to thy servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes upon 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.'

And we said to my lord, The lad cannot leave his father; for [if] he should leave his father, [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.'

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

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

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

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

And our father said, Go again; buy us a little 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.'

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

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

28 One of them went out from me and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces, 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 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)

And if ye take this also from me, and mischief shall befall him, ye will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. (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,

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 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)

It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad [is] not [with us], that he will die: and thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father, with sorrow to the grave. (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.'

For thy servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, If I bring him not to thee, then I will bear the blame to my father for ever.

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.

Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad, a bond-man to my lord; and let the lad return with his brethren.

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 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.