Genesis 44

1 Joseph gave an order to the man in charge of his house: "Fill the men's packs with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his pack. 2 And put my goblet, the silver goblet, in the mouth of the youngest one's pack, together with the silver for his rations." The man did as Joseph had told him. 3 At first light the men were sent on their way, they and their donkeys. 4 They had left the city and had not gone far when Joseph said to the man in charge of his house, "Get up, go after the men. Catch up with them and say to them, 'Why have you paid back bad for good? 5 Isn't this what my master drinks from, and what he surely uses to divine? What you have done is bad.'" 6 When Joseph's steward caught up with them, he said these words to them. 7 They said to him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! 8 Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found in the mouths of our packs. And how would we steal silver or gold from your master's house?

9 If it is found with any one of your servants, he shall die, and we too will become my lord's slaves." 10 He said, "Very well, let it be as you say. The one it is found with shall be my slave, and you shall be free of blame." 11 They hurried, and each man lowered his pack to the ground, and each man opened his pack. 12 The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and finishing with the youngest, and the goblet was found in Benjamin's pack. 13 They tore their cloaks. Then each man loaded his donkey, and they went back to the city. 14 Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and Joseph was still there. They threw themselves down on the ground before him. 15 Joseph said to them, "What is this thing you have done? Didn't you know that a man like me surely practices divination?" 16 Judah said, "What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? How can we prove ourselves in the right? God has found out your servants' wrongdoing. Here we are, my lord's slaves, both we and the one in whose hand the goblet was found."

17 Joseph said, "Far be it from me to do this! The man in whose hand the goblet was found will be my slave. And you, go up in peace to your father."

18 Then Judah came near to Joseph and said, "Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord's ears, and do not be angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh. 19 My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother?' 20 And we said to my lord, 'We have an old father, and a young child born to him in his old age. That child's brother is dead, and he alone is left to his mother, and his father loves him.' 21 Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me, and let me set my eyes on him.' 22 We said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave his father, his father would die.' 23 But you said to your servants, 'If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not see my face again.' 24 When we went up to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said. 25 Then our father said, 'Go back and buy us a little food.'

26 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 if our youngest brother is not with us.' 27 Then your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two. 28 One of them went away from me, and I said, "Surely he has been torn to pieces." And I have not seen him since. 29 If you take this one from me too, and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in misery.' 30 So now, when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us—and their two lives are bound together— 31 then when my father sees that the boy is not there, he will die. And your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in grief. 32 For your servant pledged himself to my father for the boy, saying, 'If I do not bring him to you, then I will have sinned against my father for all time.' 33 So now, please let your servant stay on as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy go up with his brothers.

34 For how can I go up to my father if the boy is not with me? I am afraid I would see the misery that would come upon my father."