Genesis 44

1 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.NHEB — Genesis 44:1

2 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.NHEB — Genesis 44:2

3 As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent off along with their donkeys.NHEB — Genesis 44:3

4 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?NHEB — Genesis 44:4

5 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.'"NHEB — Genesis 44:5

6 And he caught up with them and spoke these words to them.NHEB — Genesis 44:6

7 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.NHEB — Genesis 44:7

8 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?NHEB — Genesis 44:8

9 With whomever of your servants it is found, he must die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves."NHEB — Genesis 44:9

10 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."NHEB — Genesis 44:10

11 Then they hurried, and each man lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack.NHEB — Genesis 44:11

12 And he searched, beginning with the oldest, and ending at the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.NHEB — Genesis 44:12

13 Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.NHEB — Genesis 44:13

14 So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him.NHEB — Genesis 44:14

15 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?"NHEB — Genesis 44:15

16 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."NHEB — Genesis 44:16

17 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."NHEB — Genesis 44:17

18 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.NHEB — Genesis 44:18

19 My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Do you have a father or a brother?'NHEB — Genesis 44:19

20 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.'NHEB — Genesis 44:20

21 Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, so that I can see him myself.'NHEB — Genesis 44:21

22 And we said to my lord, 'The boy can't leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'NHEB — Genesis 44:22

23 But you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.'NHEB — Genesis 44:23

24 And it happened when we came up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.NHEB — Genesis 44:24

25 But our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food.’NHEB — Genesis 44:25

26 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.'NHEB — Genesis 44:26

27 Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.NHEB — Genesis 44:27

28 And the one disappeared from me, and I said, "Surely he is torn in pieces." And I haven’t seen him since.NHEB — Genesis 44:28

29 If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.NHEB — Genesis 44:29

30 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,NHEB — Genesis 44:30

31 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.NHEB — Genesis 44:31

32 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.'NHEB — Genesis 44:32

33 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.NHEB — Genesis 44:33

34 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."NHEB — Genesis 44:34