Genesis 44:1-34
44 And he gave the steward of his house the order “Fill the men’s bags with food, as much as they can carry, and place each one’s money in the mouth of his bag.
2 And my bowl, the silver bowl, you are to place in the mouth of the youngest one’s bag, and the money for his grain.” And he did according to Joseph’s directions.
3 Daylight had come and the men had been sent off, they and their donkeys;
4 they had got outside the city, but not far, when Joseph said to the steward of his house “Up with you, follow the men up and overtake them and say to them ‘Why have you repaid a good turn with a bad one?
5 this is what my master drinks in, and he looks in it for signs—it is a bad thing you have done.’”
6 And he overtook them and said these things to them;
7 but they said to him “Why should my lord use such language? away with the thought of your servants’ doing such a thing.
8 Here we brought back to you from Canaan silver that we had found in the mouths of our bags, and how should we steal silver or gold out of your master’s house?
9 The one of your servants that it is found with shall die, and we will be slaves to my lord too.”
10 And he said “Now then, as you say: the one that it is found with shall be slave to me, and you shall go free.”
11 And they took their bags right down to the ground and each opened his bag;
12 and he searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and the bowl was found in Benjamin’s bag.
13 And they tore their clothes and loaded up their donkeys and went back to the city.
14 And Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house; and he was still there, and they threw themselves on the ground before him.
15 And Joseph said to them “What does this piece of work you have done mean? do you not know a man like me reads signs?”
16 And Judah said “What shall we say to my lords what language shall we use, and what defense shall we make? God has detected your servants’ guilt; here we are slaves to my lord, both we and the one in whose hands the bowl was found.”
17 But he said “Away with the thought of my doing this; the man in whose hands the bowl was found shall be slave to me, but as for you, go up to your father and good betide you.”
18 And Judah approached him and said “O, sir, let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not be angry at your servant; for you are the same as the Pharaoh.
19 My lord asked his servants ‘Have you a father or a brother?’
20 * and we said to my lord ‘We have an old father and a young lad born in his father’s old age; and his brother is dead, and he is the only one left of his mother, and his father loves him.’
21 And you said to your servants ‘Bring him down to me and let me set my eyes on him’;
22 and we said to my lord ‘The boy cannot leave his father; let him leave his father and he will die’;
23 and you said to your servants ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you you shall not see my face again.’
24 And when we had gone up to your servant our father and had told him my lord’s words,
25 our father said ‘Go buy us a little food again’
26 and we said ‘We cannot go down; if we have our youngest brother with us we will go down, but we should not be able to see the man’s face not having our youngest brother with us.
27 And your servant our father said to us ‘You know my wife bore two to me,
28 and one of them went out from being in my company—and I said “He must have been taken by the wild beasts,” and have never seen him up to now.
29 And you are going to take this one too out of my presence, and harm will come to him, and you will make my gray head carry misfortune down to the world of the dead.’
30 And now when I come to your servant my father and do not have the boy with me, while his life is tied up with his,
31 when he sees that the boy is missing he will die, and your servants will be making your servant our father’s gray head carry sorrow down to the world of the dead.
32 For your servant took the responsibility for the boy in taking him from his father, saying ‘If I do not bring him to you I shall be criminal against my father always.’
33 Now let your servant stay in the boy’s place as slave to my lord, and let the boy go up with his brothers;
34 for how should I go up to my father and not have the boy with me? I should see the evil that would come upon my father.”
Footnotes
^ 44:20 Or is the only one his mother has left
