The First Book of Moses: Genesis

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- Chapter 44 -

When his brothers were ready to return home, Joseph said to the man who was in charge of things in his house, “Fill the sacks of those men with as much grain as they can carry on their donkeys. And put in the top of each man’s sack the silver that he paid for the grain.

Then put my silver cup in the top of the youngest brother’s sack, along with the silver that he paid for the grain.” So the servant did what Joseph told him to do.

The next morning at dawn the men were allowed to leave for home with their donkeys.

When they had not gone far from the city, Joseph said to the servant in charge of things in his house, “Pursue those men immediately. When you catch up to them, say to them, ’We did good things for you! Why have you paid us back by doing something bad to us?

You have stolen the cup that my master drinks from! It is the cup that he uses to find out things that nobody knows! What you did was very wicked!’”

When the servant caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had told him to say.

But one of them replied to him, “Sir, why do you say such things? We are your servants, and we would never do anything like that!

We even brought back to you from Canaan the silver that we found inside the tops of our sacks! So we certainly would not steal silver or gold from your master’s house!

If you discover that any of us has that cup, you can execute him, and the rest of us will become your slaves.”

The man replied, “I will do what you say. But the one who has the cup will not be executed. Instead, he will become my slave, and the rest of you may return home.”

Each of the men quickly lowered his sack down from the donkey to the ground and opened it.

Then the servant started to search for the cup in each sack. He started with the oldest brother’s sack and ended with the youngest one’s sack. He found the cup in Benjamin’s sack and showed it to them.

The brothers tore their clothes because they were so dismayed. They loaded the sacks on the donkeys again and returned to the city.

When Judah and his older and younger brothers entered Joseph’s house, Joseph was still there. The servant told Joseph what had happened. Then the brothers threw themselves down on the ground in front of Joseph.

He said to them, “Why did you do this? Do you not know that a man like me can find out things that nobody knows?”

Judah replied, “Sir, what can we say? How can we prove that we are innocent? God has paid us back for the sins we committed many years ago. So now we will become your slaves, both we and the one in whose sack the cup was found.”

But Joseph replied, “No, I could never do anything like that. Only the man in whose sack the cup was found will become my slave. The rest of you can return to your father peacefully.”

Judah Pleads for Benjamin

Then Judah came near to Joseph and said, “Sir, please let me say something to you. You are equal to the king himself, so you could command that I be executed; but do not be angry with me for speaking to you.

You asked us, ‘Is your father still living, and do you have another brother?’

We answered, ‘Our father is alive, but he is an old man. He has a young son who was born after our father became an old man. That son had an older brother, who is now dead. So the youngest son is the only one of his mother’s sons who is still alive, and his father loves him very much.’

Then you said to us, ‘The next time you come here, bring your younger brother down to me, so that I can see him.’

We said to you, ‘No, we cannot do that, because the boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves his father, his father will die because of sorrow.’

But you told us, ‘If your youngest brother does not come down with you, I will not let you see me again!’

When we returned to our father, we told him what you said.

Months later our father said, ‘Go back to Egypt and buy some more grain!’

But we said, ‘We cannot go back by ourselves. We will go only if our youngest brother is with us. We will not be able to see the man who sells grain if our youngest brother is not with us.’

Our father replied, ’You know that my wife Rachel gave birth to two sons for me.

One of them disappeared, and I said, “A wild animal has surely torn him to pieces.” And I have not seen him since then.

If you take this other one from me, too, and something harms him, you would cause me, an old gray-haired man, to die because of my sorrow.’

So please listen. My father will remain alive only if his youngest son remains alive.

If he sees that the boy is not with us when we return to him, he will die. We will cause our gray-haired father to die because of his sorrow.

I guaranteed that the boy would return safely. I told him, ‘You can require me to do what I am promising. If I do not bring him back to you, you can say forever that I am to blame for not bringing him back to you.’

So, please let me remain here as your slave instead of my youngest brother, and let the boy return home with his other older brothers.

I cannot return to my father if the boy is not with me! I do not want to see how miserable my father would become!”

He commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in his sack’s mouth.

Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, with his grain money.” He did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men. When you overtake them, ask them, ‘Why have you rewarded evil for good?

Isn’t this that from which my lord drinks, and by which he indeed divines? You have done evil in so doing.’”

He overtook them, and he spoke these words to them.

They said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing!

Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks’ mouths, we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan. How then should we steal silver or gold out of your lord’s house?

With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”

He said, “Now also let it be according to your words. He with whom it is found will be my slave; and you will be blameless.”

Then they hurried, and each man took his sack down to the ground, and each man opened his sack.

He searched, beginning with the oldest, and ending at the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey, and returned to the city.

Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there. They fell on the ground before him.

Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Don’t you know that such a man as I can indeed do divination?”

Judah said, “What will we tell my lord? What will we speak? How will we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and he also in whose hand the cup is found.”

He said, “Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup is found, he will be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

Judah Pleads for Benjamin

Then Judah came near to him, and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and don’t let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even as Pharaoh.

My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father, or a brother?’

We said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loves him.’

You said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’

We said to my lord, ‘The boy can’t leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’

You said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will see my face no more.’

When we came up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

Our father said, ‘Go again and buy us a little food.’

We said, ‘We can’t go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down: for we may not see the man’s face, unless our youngest brother is with us.’

Your servant, my father, said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.

One went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces;” and I haven’t seen him since.

If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.’(a)

Now therefore when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us; since his life is bound up in the boy’s life;

it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol.(b)

For your servant became collateral for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I don’t bring him to you, then I will bear the blame to my father forever.’

Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy, my lord’s slave; and let the boy go up with his brothers.

For how will I go up to my father, if the boy isn’t with me?—lest I see the evil that will come on my father.”

Footnotes

(a)44:29 Sheol is the place of the dead.

(b)44:31 Sheol is the place of the dead.