Genesis 44

¹And Joseph commanded the steward of his house, saying: Fill their sacks with corn, as much as they can hold: and put the money of every one in the top of his sack.

²And in the mouth of the younger's sack put my silver cup, and the price which he gave for the wheat. And it was so done.

³And when the morning arose, they were sent away with their asses.

⁴And when they were now departed out of the city, and had gone forward a little way: Joseph sending for the steward of his house, said: Arise, and pursue after the men: and when thou hast overtaken them, say to them: Why have you returned evil for good?

⁵The cup which you have stolen, is that in which my lord drinketh, and in which he is wont to divine: you have done a very evil thing.

⁶He did as he had commanded him. And having overtaken them, he spoke to them the same words.

⁷And they answered: Why doth our lord speak so, as though thy servants had committed so heinous a fact?

⁸The money, that we found in the top of our sacks, we brought back to thee from the land of Chanaan: how then should it be that we should steal out of thy lord's house, gold or silver?

⁹With whomsoever of thy servants shall be found that which thou seekest, let him die, and we will be the bondmen of my lord.

¹⁰And he said to them: Let it be according to your sentence: with whomsoever it shall be found, let him be my servant, and you shall be blameless.

¹¹Then they speedily took down their sacks to the ground, and every man opened his sack.

¹²Which when he had searched, beginning at the eldest, and ending at the youngest, he found the cup in Benjamin's sack.

¹³Then they rent their garments, and loading their asses again, returned into the town.

¹⁴And Juda at the head of his brethren went in to Joseph (for he was not yet gone out of the place) and they all together fell down before him on the ground.

¹⁵And he said to them: Why would you do so? know you not that there is no one like me in the science of divining.

¹⁶And Juda said to him: What shall we answer my lord? or what shall we say, or be able justly to allege? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are all bondmen to my lord, both we, and he with whom the cup was found.

¹⁷Joseph answered: God forbid that I should do so: he that stole the cup, he shall be my bondman: and go you away free to your father.

¹⁸Then Juda coming nearer, said boldly: I beseech thee, my lord, let thy servant speak a word in thy ears, and be not angry with thy servant: for after Pharao thou art.

¹⁹My lord. Thou didst ask thy servants the first time: Have you a father or a brother.

²⁰And we answered thee, my lord: We have a father an old man, and a young boy, that was born in his old age; whose brother by the mother is dead; and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him tenderly.

²¹And thou saidst to thy servants: Bring him hither to me, and I will set my eyes on him.

²²We suggested to my lord: The boy cannot leave his father: for if he leave him, he will die.

²³And thou saidst to thy servants: Except your youngest brother come with you, you shall see my face no more.

²⁴Therefore when we were gone up to thy servant our father, we told him all that my lord had said.

²⁵And our father said: Go again, and buy us a little wheat.

²⁶And we said to him: We cannot go: if our youngest brother go down with us, we will set out together: otherwise, without him we dare not see the man's face.

²⁷Whereunto he answered: You know that my wife bore me two.

²⁸One went out, and you said: A beast devoured him; and hitherto he appeareth not.

²⁹If you take this also, and any thing befall him in the way, you will bring down my grey hairs with sorrow unto hell.

³⁰Therefore, if I shall go to thy servant, our father, and the boy be wanting, (whereas his life dependeth upon the life of him,)

³¹And he shall see that he is not with us, he will die, and thy servants shall bring down his grey hairs with sorrow unto hell.

³²Let me be thy proper servant, who took him into my trust, and promised, saying: If I bring him not again, I will be guilty of sin against my father for ever.

³³Therefore I, thy servant, will stay instead of the boy in the service of my lord, and let the boy go up with his brethren.

³⁴For I cannot return to my father without the boy, lest I be a witness of the calamity that will oppress my father.

Genesis 44

¹And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man’s money in his sack’s mouth.

²And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

³As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

⁴And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?

⁵Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.

⁶And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.

⁷And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:

⁸Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks’ mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord’s house silver or gold?

⁹With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord’s bondmen.

¹⁰And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.

¹¹Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.

¹²And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

¹³Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.

¹⁴And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph’s house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.

¹⁵And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?

¹⁶And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.

¹⁷And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.

¹⁸Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.

¹⁹My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?

²⁰And we said unto 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 loveth him.

²¹And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.

²²And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

²³And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.

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

²⁵And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.

²⁶And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man’s face, except our youngest brother be with us.

²⁷And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:

²⁸And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:

²⁹And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

³⁰Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad’s life;

³¹It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

³²For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.

³³Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.

³⁴For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.