Genesis 44

Joseph told the manager of his house what to do. “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry,” he said. “Put each man’s money in his sack.

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.

Then put my silver cup in the youngest one’s sack. Put it there along with the money he paid for his grain.” So the manager did what Joseph told him to do.

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.

When morning came, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.

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

They hadn’t gone very far from the city when Joseph spoke to his manager. “Go after those men right away,” he said. “Catch up with them. Say to them, ‘My master was good to you. Why have you paid him back by doing evil?

And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?

Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from? Doesn’t he also use it to find things out? You have done an evil thing.’ ”

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

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

And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.

But they said to him, “Why do you say these things? We would never do anything like that!

And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:

We even brought back to you from Canaan the money we found in our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?

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

If you find out that any of us has the cup, he will die. And the rest of us will become your slaves.”

With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.

“All right, then,” he said. “As you wish. The one found to have the cup will become my slave. But the rest of you will not be blamed.”

And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.

Each of them quickly put his sack down on the ground and opened it.

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

Then the manager started to search. He began with the oldest and ended with the youngest. 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.

When that happened, they were so upset they tore their clothes. Then all of them loaded their donkeys and went back to the city.

Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.

Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in. They threw themselves down on the ground in front of him.

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

Joseph said to them, “What have you done? Don’t you know that a man like me has ways to find things out?”

And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?

“What can we say to you?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove we haven’t done anything wrong? God has shown you that we are guilty. We are now your slaves. All of us are, including the one found to have the cup.”

And Judah said, What shall we say unto 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.

But Joseph said, “I would never do anything like that! Only the man found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you may go back to your father in peace.”

And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.

Then Judah went up to him. He said, “Please, sir. Let me speak a word to you. Don’t be angry with me, even though you are equal to Pharaoh himself.

Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.

You asked us, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’

My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?

We answered, ‘We have an old father. A young son was born to him when he was old. His brother is dead. He’s the only one of his mother’s sons left. And his father loves him.’

And we said unto 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.

“Then you said to us, ‘Bring him down to me. I want to see him for myself.’

And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.

We said to you, ‘The boy can’t leave his father. If he does, his father will die.’

And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

But you told us, ‘Your youngest brother must come down here with you. If he doesn’t, you won’t see my face again.’

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

So we went back to my father. We told him what you had said.

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

“Then our father said, ‘Go back. Buy a little more food.’

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

But we said, ‘We can’t go down. We’ll only go if our youngest brother goes there with us. We can’t even see the man’s face unless our youngest brother goes with us.’

And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us.

“Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife had two sons by me.

And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:

One of them went away from me. And I said, “He must have been torn to pieces.” I haven’t seen him since.

And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:

What if you take this one from me too and he is harmed? Then you would cause me to die as a sad old man. I would go down into the grave full of pain and suffering.’

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

“So now, what will happen if the boy isn’t with us when I go back to my father? His life depends on the boy’s life.

Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life;

When he sees that the boy isn’t with us, he’ll die. Because of us, he’ll go down into the grave as a sad old man.

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.

I promised my father I would keep the boy safe. I said, ‘Father, I’ll bring him back to you. If I don’t, you can put the blame on me for the rest of my life.’

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

“Now then, please let me stay here. Let me be your slave in place of the boy. Let the boy return with his brothers.

Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.

How can I go back to my father if the boy isn’t with me? No! Don’t let me see the pain and suffering that would come to my father.”

For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.