Genesis 44

1 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.

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.

2 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.

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.

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

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

4 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?

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?

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

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.'"

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

And he caught up with them and spoke these words to them.

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

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.

8 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?

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?

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

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

10 “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.”

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."

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

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

12 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?"

16 “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.”

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."

17 “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.”

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."

18 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.

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.

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

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

20 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.’

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.'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And it happened when we came up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

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

But our father said, 'Go again, buy us a little food.'

26 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.’

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.'

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

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

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

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

29 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)

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)

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

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,

31 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)

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)

32 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!’

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.'

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

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.

34 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.”

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."