Genesis 44

1He commanded the man in charge of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack.”

2Put my silver cup in the mouth of the youngest's sack, and the money for his grain. He did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

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

4They had gone out of the city but not far when Joseph said to the one over his house, "Arise, pursue the men; when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good?'"

5Isn't this what my lord drinks from, by which he indeed divines? You have done evil in what you did.

6He caught up with them and said these things to them.

7They said to him, "Why does my lord speak words like these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing!"

8See, the silver we found in our sacks' mouths we brought back to you from the land of Canaan—how then could we steal silver or gold from your master's house?

9Whichever of your servants it is found with shall die, and we ourselves will also become slaves to my lord.

10He said, "Even now, as you say, so be it: whoever it is found with will become my servant, and you will be blameless."

11They hurried and each lowered his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack.

12He searched, starting with the oldest and finishing with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

13They tore their clothes, each man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.

14Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house while he was still there, and they fell before him to the ground.

15Joseph said to them, "What is this deed that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me can certainly divine?"

16Judah said, "What shall we answer my lord? What shall we say? How shall we vindicate ourselves? God has exposed the guilt of your servants. Here we are, my lord's servants—both we and he in whose hand the cup is found."

17He said, "Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose hand the cup is found—he shall be my servant, but you, go up in peace to your father."

18Judah approached him and said, "Oh my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord's ears, and do not let your anger burn against your servant—for you are like Pharaoh."

19My lord asked his servants, saying, "Do you have a father, or a brother?"

20We said to my lord, "We have an aged father and a child of his old age, a little one; his brother is dead, and he alone remains from his mother, while his father loves him."

21You said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, that I may fix my eyes upon him.'

22We said to my lord, "The boy cannot leave his father, for if he leaves his father, he will die."

23You said to your servants, "Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will see my face no more."

24It came about when we came up to your servant my father that we declared to him my lord's words.

25Our father said, "Go back and buy us a little food."

26We said, "We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down, for we cannot see the man's face since our youngest brother is not with us."

27My father, your servant, said to us, "You know that my wife bore me two."

28One went out from me, and I said, "Surely he was torn to pieces," and I have not seen him until now.

29If you take this one from me too, and calamity befalls him, you will bring my gray hairs down in distress to Sheol.

30Now, when I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us, his life is bound to the boy's life.

31It will happen, when he sees that the boy is gone, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father to Sheol in sorrow.

32For your servant became guarantor for the boy to my father, saying, "If I do not bring him to you, then I will have sinned against my father all the days."

33So now, please let your servant stay in place of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go up with his brothers.

34For how shall I go up to my father if the boy is not with me, lest I see the evil that will befall my father?