5772. Verses 13-17 And they rent their clothes; and each one loaded his ass, and they returned to the city. And Judah and his brothers entered Joseph's house, and he, he was still there; and they fell before him to the earth. And Joseph said to them, What deed is this that you have done? Did you not know that a man such as I certainly practises divination? And Judah said, What shall we say to my lord, what shall we speak? And how shall we be acquitted? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we are my lord's slaves, even ourselves, even he in whose hand the cup was found. And [Joseph] said, Far be it from me to do this; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he will be my slave, and you, go up in peace to your father.

'And they rent their clothes' means mourning. 'And each one loaded his ass, and they returned to the city' means that truths were brought back up from sensory impressions to known facts. 'And Judah and his brothers entered' means the good of the Church and the accompanying truths. 'Joseph's house' means a communication with the internal. 'And he, he was still there' means foresight. 'And they fell before him to the earth' means an expression of humility. 'And Joseph said to them' means their perception at this point. 'What deed is this that you have done?' means that to lay claim to what is not one's own is a gross evil. 'Did you not know that a man such as I certainly practises divination?' means that that evil cannot be hidden from him who sees things that are to come and lie concealed. 'And Judah said' means a perception imparted to the good of the Church in the natural. 'What shall we say to my lord, what shall we speak?' means a wavering. 'And how shall we be acquitted?' means that we are guilty. 'God has found out the iniquity of your servants' means a confession. 'Behold, we are my lord's slaves' means that they are to be deprived for ever of their own freedom. 'Even ourselves' means both the adjuncts . . . 'Even he in whose hand the cup was found' means, and also the one with whom interior truth from the Divine celestial exists. 'And [Joseph] said, Far be it from me to do this' means that this must on no account be done. 'The man in whose hand the cup was found' means the one with whom interior truth received from the Divine exists. 'He will be my slave' means that he will be in subjection forever. 'And you, go up in peace to your father' means that the adjuncts, among whom that interior truth does not exist, are to return to their previous state.