Gen 44:1Then 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.
Gen 44:2"Put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his money for the grain." And he did as Joseph had told him.
Gen 44:3As soon as it was light, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys.
Gen 44:4They had just gone out of the 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?
Gen 44:5'Is not this the one from which my lord drinks and which he indeed uses for divination? You have done wrong in doing this.'"
Gen 44:6¶ So he overtook them and spoke these words to them.
Gen 44:7They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing.
Gen 44:8"Behold, the 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?
Gen 44:9"With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's slaves."
Gen 44:10So 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."
Gen 44:11Then they hurried, each man lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack.
Gen 44:12He searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
Gen 44:13Then they tore their clothes, and when each man loaded his donkey, they returned to the city.
Gen 44:14¶ When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him.
Gen 44:15Joseph said to them, "What is this deed that you have done? Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed practice divination?"
Gen 44:16So 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 slaves, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been found."
Gen 44:17But he said, "Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father."
Gen 44:18¶ Then Judah approached him, and said, "Oh my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord's ears, and do not be angry with your servant; for you are equal to Pharaoh.
Gen 44:19"My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father or a brother?'
Gen 44:20"We said to my lord, 'We have an old father and a little child of his old age. Now his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.'
Gen 44:21"Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him.'
Gen 44:22"But we said to my lord, 'The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'
Gen 44:23"You said to your servants, however, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.'
Gen 44:24"Thus it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.
Gen 44:25"Our father said, 'Go back, buy us a little food.'
Gen 44:26"But 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.'
Gen 44:27"Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons;
Gen 44:28and the one went out from me, and I said, "Surely he is torn in pieces," and I have not seen him since.
Gen 44:29'If you take this one also from me, and harm befalls him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.'
Gen 44:30"Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad's life,
Gen 44:31when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.
Gen 44:32"For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then let me bear the blame before my father forever.'
Gen 44:33"Now, therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.
Gen 44:34"For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me--for fear that I see the evil that would overtake my father?"