44:1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the mens sacks [with] food, as much as they can carry, and put every mans money in his sacks mouth.
44:2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sacks mouth of the youngest, and his grain money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
44:3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.
44:4 [And] when they had gone out of the city, [and] were not [yet] far off, Joseph said to his steward, Arise, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say to them, Why have ye rewarded evil for good?
44:5 [Is] not this [the cup] in which my lord drinketh, and by which indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.
44:6 And he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words.
44:7 And they said to him, Why saith my lord these words? Far be it from us that thy servants should do according to this thing:
44:8 Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks mouths, we brought again to thee from the land of Canaan: how then should we steal from thy lords house silver or gold?
44:9 With whomever of thy servants it shall be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lords slaves.
44:10 And he said, Now also [let] it [be] according to your words: he with whom it shall be found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.
44:11 Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.
44:12 And he searched, [and] began at the eldest, and stopped at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamins sack.
44:13 Then they tore their clothes, and loaded every man his donkey, and returned to the city.
44:14 And Judah and his brethren came to Josephs house; for he [was] yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.
44:15 And Joseph said to them, What deed [is] this that ye have done? knew ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?
44:16 And Judah said, What shall we say to 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 lords servants, both we, and [he] also with whom the cup is found.
44:17 And he said, Far be it from me that I should do so: the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, go in peace to your father.
44:18 Then Judah came near to him, and said, O my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lords ears, and let not thy anger burn against thy servant: for thou [art] even as Pharaoh.
44:19 My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?
44:20 And 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 loveth him.
44:21 And thou saidst to thy servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes upon him.
44:22 And we said to my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for [if] he should leave his father, [his father] would die.
44:23 And thou saidst to thy servants, Except your youngest brother shall come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.
44:24 And it came to pass when we came to thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.
44:25 And our father said, Go again, buy us a little food.
44:26 And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother shall be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the mans face, except our youngest brother shall [be] with us.
44:27 And thy servant my father said to us, Ye know that my wife bore me two [sons]:
44:28 And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I have not seen him since:
44:29 And if ye take this also from me, and harm shall befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
44:30 Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad [is] not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lads life;
44:31 It 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.
44:32 For thy servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, If I bring him not to thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.
44:33 Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a slave to my lord; and let the lad return with his brethren.
44:34 For how shall I return to my father, and the lad [be] not with me? lest perhaps I see the evil that shall come on my father.