Study Desk

Then he commanded his house steward, saying, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the opening of his sack.

And 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.

"And put my cup, the silver cup, in the opening of the sack of the youngest, and his money for the grain." And he did as Joseph had told him.

And 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.

As soon as it was light, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys.

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

They had just left the city, and were not far away, when Joseph said to his house steward, "Up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good?

And 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?

'Is this not that from which my lord drinks, and which he indeed uses for divination? You have done wrong in doing this!'"

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

So he overtook them and spoke these words to them.

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

And they said to him, "Why does my lord say such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing!

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

"Behold, the money which we found in the opening of our sacks we have brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house?

Behold, 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?

"With whomever of your servants it is found, he shall die, and we also shall be my lord's slaves."

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

So he said, "Now let it indeed be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, but the rest of you shall be considered innocent."

And 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.

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

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

And he searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

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

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

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

When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there, and they fell down to the ground before him.

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

Joseph said to them, "What is this thing that you have done? Do you not know that a man who is like me can indeed practice divination?"

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

So Judah said, "What can we say to my lord? What words can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord's slaves, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been found."

And 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.

But he said, "Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father."

And 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.

Then Judah approached him and said, "Oh my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord's ears, and do not be angry with your servant; for you are equal to Pharaoh.

Then 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.

"My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father or a brother?'

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

"And we said to my lord, 'We have an old father and a little boy born in our father's old age. Now his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.'

And 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.

"Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me so that I may set my eyes on him.'

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

"But we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

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

"You said to your servants, however, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.'

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

"So it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

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

"And our father said, 'Go back, buy us a little food.'

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

"But we said, 'We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.'

And 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.

"Then your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons;

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

and the one left me, and I said, "Surely he is torn to pieces," and I have not seen him since.

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

'If you also take this one from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.'

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

"So now, when I come to your servant, my father, and the boy is not with us—since our father's life is so attached to the boy's life—

Now 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;

when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. So your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant, our father, down to Sheol in sorrow.

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.

"For your servant accepted responsibility for the boy from my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then my father can let me take the blame forever.'

For 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.

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

Now 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.

"For how shall I go up to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear that I may see the evil that would overtake my father."

For 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.