1
And he commanded him who was over his house , saying, Fill the men 's sacks with food , as much as they can carry; and put every man 's money in the mouth of his sack.
2
And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest , and his grain-money . And he did according to the word of Joseph which he had spoken .
3
In the morning , when it was light, the men were sent away , they and their asses .
4
They were gone out of the city , [and] not [yet] far off, when Joseph said to him who was over his house , Up! follow after the men; and when thou overtakest them, thou shalt say to them, Why have ye rewarded evil for good ?
5
Is not this [it] in which my lord drinks , and in which indeed he divines? Ye have done evil [in] what ye have done.
6
And he overtook them, and he spoke to them these words .
7
And they said to him, Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from thy servants to do such a thing!
8
Behold, the money that we found in our sacks' mouths we have brought again to thee from the land of Canaan ; and how should we steal out of thy lord 's house silver or gold ?
9
With whomsoever of thy servants it is found , let him die ; and we also will be my lord 's bondmen.
10
And he said , Now also [let] it [be] according to your words : let him with whom it is found be my bondman, but ye shall be blameless.
11
And they hasted and laid down every man his sack on the ground , and opened every man his sack.
12
And he searched carefully: he began at the eldest, and ended at the youngest ; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
13
Then they rent their clothes, and loaded every man his ass , and they returned to the city .
14
And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house ; and he was still there; and they fell down before him to the ground .
15
And Joseph said to them, What deed is this which ye have done? Did ye not know that such a man as I can certainly divine?
16
And Judah said , What shall we say to my lord ? what shall we speak , and how justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of thy servants ; behold, we are my lord 's bondmen, both we, and he in whose hand the cup has been found .
17
And he said , Far be it from me to do so! The man in whose hand the cup has been found , he shall be my bondman; but as for you, go up in peace to your father .
18
Then Judah came near to him, and said , Ah! my lord , let thy servant , I pray thee, speak a word in my lord 's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant ; for thou art even as Pharaoh .
19
My lord asked his servants , saying, Have ye a father , or a brother ?
20
And we said to my lord , We have an aged father , and a child born to him in his old age, [yet] young; and his brother is dead , and he alone is left of his mother ; and his father loves him.
21
And thou saidst unto thy servants , Bring him down to me, that I may set mine eye on him.
22
And we said to my lord , The youth cannot leave his father : if he should leave his father , [his father ] would die .
23
And thou saidst to thy servants , Unless your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.
24
And it came to pass when we came up to thy servant my father , we told him the words of my lord .
25
And our father said , Go again, buy us a little food.
26
But we said , We cannot go down : if our youngest brother be with us , then will we go down ; for we cannot see the man 's face unless our youngest brother is with us .
27
And thy servant my father said to us , Ye know that my wife bore me two [sons];
28
and the one went out from me, and I said , He must certainly have been torn in pieces; and I have not seen him [again] hitherto.
29
And if ye take this one also from me, and mischief should befall him, ye will bring down my grey hairs with misery to Sheol .
30
And now, when I come to thy servant my father , and the lad is not with us , -- seeing that his life is bound up with his life,
31
it will come to pass when he sees that the lad is not [there], that he will die ; and thy servants will bring down the grey hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to Sheol .
32
For thy servant became surety for the lad to my father , saying, If I bring him not to thee, then I shall be guilty toward my father all my days .
33
And now, let thy servant stay, I pray thee, instead of the lad a bondman to my lord , and let the lad go up with his brethren ;
34
for how should I go up to my father if the lad were not with me? -- lest I see the evil that would come on my father .