Genesis 44

Modern

Literal

Benjamin and the Silver Cup

¹Then Joseph instructed his steward: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each one’s silver in the mouth of his sack.

¹And he commanded the one over his house, saying, “Fill the bags of the men with food, as much as they are able to carry, and put the silver of each man in the mouth of his bag.

²Put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.”

So the steward did as Joseph had instructed.

²And my cup, the silver cup, put in the mouth of the bag of the youngest, and the silver for his grain.” And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

³At daybreak, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.

³The morning was light, and the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

⁴They had not gone far from the city when Joseph told his steward, “Pursue the men at once, and when you overtake them, ask, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?^a

⁴They had gone out of the city, they had not gone far, and Joseph said to the one over his house, “Get up, pursue after the men, and you shall overtake them, and you shall say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?

⁵Is this not the cup my master^a drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wicked!’”

⁵Is it not this from which my lord drinks, and he surely divines with it? You have done evil in that which you have done.’”

⁶When the steward overtook them, he relayed these words to them.

⁶And he overtook them, and he spoke to them these words.

⁷“Why does my lord say these things?” they asked. “Your servants could not possibly do such a thing.

⁷And they said to him, “Why does my lord speak according to these words? Far be it to your servants from doing according to this word.

⁸We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found in the mouths of our sacks. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?

⁸Behold, the silver that we found in the mouth of our bags, we returned to you from the land of Canaan. And how could we steal silver or gold from the house of your lord?

⁹If any of your servants is found to have it, he must die, and the rest will become slaves of my lord.”

⁹With whomever of your servants it is found, then he shall die, and also we will be to my lord as servants.”

¹⁰“As you say,” replied the steward. “But only the one who is found with the cup will be my slave, and the rest of you shall be free of blame.”

¹⁰And he said, “Also now, according to your words, so it is; whoever is found with it shall be to me a servant, and you shall be blameless.”

¹¹So each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it.

¹¹And they hurried, and they lowered each man his bag to the earth, and they opened each man his bag.

¹²The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest—and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

¹²And he searched—with the oldest he began, and with the youngest he finished. And the cup was found in the bag of Benjamin.

¹³Then they all tore their clothes, loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.

¹³And they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and they returned to the city.

¹⁴When Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him.

¹⁴And Judah and his brothers came to the house of Joseph, and he was still there, and they fell before him on the ground.

¹⁵“What is this deed you have done?” Joseph declared. “Do you not know that a man like me can surely divine the truth?”

¹⁵And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Did you not know that a man such as I, surely divines?”

¹⁶“What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed the iniquity of your servants. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we and the one who was found with the cup.”

¹⁶And Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? And how shall we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are to my lord as servants, both we and also he with whom the cup was found.”

¹⁷But Joseph replied, “Far be it from me to do this. The man who was found with the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may return to your father in peace.”

¹⁷And he said, “Far be it to me from doing this; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be to me a servant. And you, go up in peace to your father.”

Judah Pleads for Benjamin

¹⁸Then Judah approached Joseph and said, “Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are equal to Pharaoh himself.

¹⁸And Judah came near to him and said, “Please my lord, please let your servant speak a word in the ears of my lord, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are like Pharaoh.

¹⁹My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’

¹⁹My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Is there for you a father or a brother?’

²⁰And we answered, ‘We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age. The boy’s brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’

²⁰And we said to my lord, ‘We have to us a father, an old man, and a son of his old age, who is young. And his brother died, and he alone is left to his mother, and his father loves him.’

²¹Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so that I can see him for myself.’

²¹And you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, and let me set my eye on him.’

²²So we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.’

²²And we said to my lord, ‘The boy is not able to leave his father, and if he should leave his father, then he shall die.’

²³But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your younger brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’

²³And you said to your servants, ‘If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you shall not again see my face.’

²⁴Now when we returned to your servant my father, we relayed your words to him.

²⁴And it came to pass when we went up to your servant, my father, that we told to him the words of my lord.

²⁵Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us some food.’

²⁵And our father said, ‘Return; buy for us a little food.’

²⁶But we answered, ‘We cannot go down there unless our younger brother goes with us. So if our younger brother is not with us, we cannot see the man.’

²⁶And we said, ‘We are not able to go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down. For we are not able to see the face of the man, and our youngest brother is not with us.’

²⁷And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.

²⁷And your servant, my father, said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore to me two sons.

²⁸When one of them was gone, I said: “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since.

²⁸And the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him until now.

²⁹Now if you also take this one from me and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’

²⁹And if you take also this one from my face and harm befalls him, then you shall bring down my gray hair in evil to Sheol.’

³⁰So if the boy is not with us when I return to your servant, and if my father, whose life is wrapped up in the boy’s life,

³⁰And now, when I come to your servant, my father, and the boy is not with us, and his soul is bound up in his soul,

³¹sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.

³¹and it will come to pass when he sees that the boy is no more, then he will die. And your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant, our father, in sorrow to Sheol.

³²Indeed, your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father, saying, ‘If I do not return him to you, I will bear the guilt before you, my father, all my life.’

³²For your servant guaranteed the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame to my father all the days.’

³³Now please let your servant stay here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy. Let him return with his brothers.

³³And now, please, let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go up with his brothers.

³⁴For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the misery that would overwhelm him.”

³⁴For how shall I go up to my father, and the boy is not with me? Lest I see the evil that will find my father.”