Genesis 44:8-33

8Behold, 1the 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? 92With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s 3slaves.” 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 4the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13Then they 5tore their clothes, and when each man loaded his donkey, they returned to 6the city.

14When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there, and 7they 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 8divination?” 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 9slaves, both we and the one in whose 10possession the cup has been found.” 17But he said, “Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose 11possession 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 1213do not be angry with your servant; for 14you are equal to Pharaoh. 1915My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ 20We said to my lord, ‘We have an old father and 16a little child of his old age. Now 17his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.’ 21Then you said to your servants, ‘18Bring 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, 19his father would die.’ 23You said to your servants, however, ‘20Unless 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. 2521Our 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 22my wife bore me two sons; 28and the one went out from me, and 23I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces,” and I have not seen him since. 29If you take this one also from 24me, and harm befalls him, you will 25bring my gray hair down to Sheol in 26sorrow.’ 30Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since 2728his 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 29bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. 32For your servant 30became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then 31let 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.