Genesis 44

1 And he commanded him who was over his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry; and put every man's money in the mouth of his sack.

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 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain-money. And he did according to the word of Joseph which he had spoken.

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 In the morning, when it was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

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

4 They were gone out of the city, [and] not [yet] far off, when Joseph said to him who was over his house, Up! follow after the men; and when thou overtakest them, thou shalt say to them, Why have ye rewarded 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 not this [it] in which my lord drinks, and in which indeed he divines? Ye have done evil [in] what ye have done.

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

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

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

7 And they said to him, Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from thy servants to do such a thing!

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

8 Behold, the money that we found in our sacks' mouths we have brought again to thee from the land of Canaan; and how should we steal out of thy lord'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 whomsoever of thy servants it is found, let him die; and we also will be my lord's bondmen.

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

10 And he said, Now also [let] it [be] according to your words: let him with whom it is found be my bondman, but ye shall be blameless.

“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 And they hasted and laid down every man his sack on the ground, and opened every man his sack.

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

12 And he searched carefully: he began at the eldest, and ended at 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 rent their clothes, and loaded every man his ass, and they 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 And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; and he was still there; and they fell down 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 And Joseph said to them, What deed is this which ye have done? Did ye not know that such a man as I can certainly divine?

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

16 And Judah said, What shall we say to my lord? what shall we speak, and how justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of thy servants; behold, we are my lord's bondmen, both we, and he in whose hand the cup has been 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 And he said, Far be it from me to do so! The man in whose hand the cup has been found, he shall be my bondman; but as for you, 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, Ah! 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.

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

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

20 And we said to my lord, We have an aged father, and a child born to him in his old age, [yet] young; and 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 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set mine eye on him.

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

22 And we said to my lord, The youth cannot leave his father: 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 And thou saidst to thy servants, Unless your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.

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

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

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

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

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

26 But we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down; for we cannot 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 And thy servant my father said to us, Ye 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 and the one went out from me, and I said, He must certainly have been torn in pieces; and I have not seen him [again] hitherto.

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

29 And if ye take this one also from me, and mischief should befall him, ye will bring down my grey hairs with misery 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 And now, when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us, — seeing that his life is bound up with his 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 to pass when he sees that the lad is not [there], that he will die; and thy servants will bring down the grey hairs of thy 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 thy servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, If I bring him not to thee, then I shall be guilty toward my father all my days.

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 And now, let thy servant stay, I pray thee, instead of the lad a bondman to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brethren;

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 should I go up to my father if the lad were not with me? — lest I 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.”