Genesis 44

The Brothers Are Brought Back

11Then he commanded his house steward, 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 cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his money for the grain.” And he did 2as Joseph had told him. 33As soon as it was light, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys. 4They had just gone out of 4the city, and were not far off, when Joseph said to his house steward, “Up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? 5Is not this the one from which my lord drinks and which he indeed uses for 5divination? You have done wrong in doing this.’”

6So he overtook them and spoke these words to them. 7They said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing. 8Behold, 6the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks we have brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? 97With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s 8slaves.” 10So he said, “Now let it also be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and the rest of you shall be innocent.” 11Then they hurried, each man lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12He searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and 9the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13Then they 10tore their clothes, and when each man loaded his donkey, they returned to 11the city.

14When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there, and 12they fell to the ground before him. 15Joseph said to them, “What is this deed that you have done? Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed practice 13divination?” 16So Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s 14slaves, both we and the one in whose 15possession the cup has been found.” 17But he said, “Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose 16possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

18Then Judah approached him, and said, “Oh my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord’s ears, and 1718do not be angry with your servant; for 19you are equal to Pharaoh. 1920My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ 20We said to my lord, ‘We have an old father and 21a little child of his old age. Now 22his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.’ 21Then you said to your servants, ‘23Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him.’ 22But we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, 24his father would die.’ 23You said to your servants, however, ‘25Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 24Thus it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 2526Our father said, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’ 26But we 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 unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that 27my wife bore me two sons; 28and the one went out from me, and 28I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces,” and I have not seen him since. 29If you take this one also from 29me, and harm befalls him, you will 30bring my gray hair down to Sheol in 31sorrow.’ 30Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since 3233his life is bound up in the lad’s life, 31when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will 34bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. 32For your servant 35became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then 36let me bear the blame before my father forever.’ 33Now, therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. 34For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me--for fear that I see the evil that would 37overtake my father?”