Genesis 44

1 When his brothers were ready to return home, Joseph said to the man who was in charge of things in his house, “Fill the sacks of those men with as much grain as they can carry [on their donkeys]. And put in the top of each man’s sack the silver that he paid for the grain.

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 silver cup in the top of the youngest brother’s sack, along with the silver that he paid for the grain.” So the servant did what Joseph told him to do.

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 The next morning at dawn the men started on the way home with their donkeys.

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

4 When they had not gone far from the city, Joseph said to the servant in charge of things in his house, “Pursue those men immediately. When you catch up to them, say to them, ‘We did good things for you! Why have you paid us back by doing something bad to us?

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 [You have stolen the cup] that my master drinks from [RHQ]! It is the cup that he uses to find out things that nobody knows! What you did was very wicked!’”

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 The servant [left immediately and] when he caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had told him to say.

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

7 But one of them replied to him, “Sir, why do you say such things? We are your servants, and we would never 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 We even brought back to you from Canaan land the silver that we found inside the tops of our sacks! So (we certainly would not steal silver or gold from your master’s house!/Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?) [RHQ]

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 you discover that any of us has that cup, you can execute him, and the rest 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 The man replied, “Okay, I will do what you say. But the one who has the cup will not be executed. Instead, he will become my slave, and the rest of you may return home.”

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 Each of the men quickly lowered his sack down from the donkey to the ground and opened it.

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

12 Then the servant started to search for the cup in each sack. He started with the oldest brother’s sack and ended with the youngest one’s sack. And he found the cup in Benjamin’s sack and showed it to them.

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 [because they were so dismayed]. They loaded the sacks on the donkeys again and returned to the city.

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

14 When Judah and his [older and younger] brothers entered Joseph’s house, Joseph was still there. The servant told Joseph what had happened. Then the brothers threw themselves down on the ground in front of Joseph.

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

15 He said to them, “Why did you do this? Do you not know that a man like me can find out things that nobody knows?” [RHQ]

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 Judah replied, “Sir, what can we say? How can we prove that we (are innocent/did not steal the cup)? God has (paid us back/punished us) for the sins [we committed many years ago]. So now we will become your slaves—both we and the one in whose sack the cup was found.”

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 But Joseph replied, “No, I could never do anything like that. Only the man in whose sack the cup was found will become my slave. The rest of you can return to your father peacefully.”

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 Then Judah came near to Joseph and said, “Sir, please let me say something to you. You are equal to the king himself, so you could command that I be executed; but do not be angry with me for speaking to you.

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 You asked us, ‘Is your father still living, and do you have another brother?’

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

20 We answered, ‘Our father is alive, but he is an old man. He has a young son who was born after our father became an old man. That son had an [older] brother, who is now dead. So the youngest son is the only one of his mother’s sons who is still alive, and his father loves him very much.’

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 said to us, ‘The next time you come here, bring your younger brother down to me, so that I can see him.’

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

22 We said to you, ‘No, we cannot do that, because the boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves his father, his father will die from sorrow.’

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 does not come back with you, I will not let you 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 When we returned to our father, we told him what you said.

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

25 [Months later] our father said, ‘Go back to Egypt and buy some more grain!’

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

26 But we said, ‘We cannot go back by ourselves. We will go only if our youngest brother is with us. We will not be able to see the man who sells grain if our youngest brother is not 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 Our father replied, ‘You know that my wife [Rachel] gave birth to two sons for me.

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

28 One of them disappeared, and I said, “A wild animal has surely torn him to pieces.” And I have not seen him since then.

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

29 I am an old gray-haired man. If you take this other one from me, too, and something harms him, you would cause me to die because of my sorrow.’ (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 please listen. My father will remain alive only if his youngest son remains alive.

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 If he sees that the boy is not with us when we return to him, he will die. We will cause our gray-haired father to die because of his sorrow. (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 I guaranteed/promised to my father that the boy would return safely. I told him, ‘You can require me to do what I am promising. If I do not bring him back to you, you can say forever that (I am to blame/it is my fault) [for not bringing him back to you].’

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 remain here as your slave instead of my youngest brother, and let the boy return home with his other older 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 (I cannot return to my father if the boy is not with me!/How can I return to my father if the boy is not with me?) [RHQ] I do not want to see how miserable/sad my father would become!”

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."