- 1
- And he commanded him who was over his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry;
and put every man's money in the mouth of his sack.
- 2
- And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain-money.
And he did according to the word of Joseph which he had spoken.
- 3
- In the morning, when it was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.
- 4
- They were gone out of the city, [and] not [yet] far off, when Joseph said to him who was over his house, Up!
follow after the men; and when thou overtakest them, thou shalt say to them, Why have ye rewarded evil for good?
- 5
- Is not this [it] in which my lord drinks, and in which indeed he divines?
Ye have done evil [in] what ye have done.
- 6
- And he overtook them, and he spoke to them these words.
- 7
- And they said to him, Why does my lord speak such words as these?
Far be it from thy servants to do such a thing!
- 8
- Behold, the money that we found in our sacks' mouths we have brought again to thee from the land of Canaan;
and how should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?
- 9
- With whomsoever of thy servants it is found, let him die;
and we also will be my lord's bondmen.
- 10
- And he said, Now also [let] it [be] according to your words: let him with whom it is found be my bondman, but ye shall be blameless.
- 11
- And they hasted and laid down every man his sack on the ground, and opened every man his sack.
- 12
- And he searched carefully: he began at the eldest, and ended at the youngest;
and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
- 13
- Then they rent their clothes, and loaded every man his ass, and they returned to the city.
- 14
- And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house;
and he was still there; and they fell down before him to the ground.
- 15
- And Joseph said to them, What deed is this which ye have done?
Did ye not know that such a man as I can certainly divine?
- 16
- And Judah said, What shall we say to my lord?
what shall we speak, and how justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of thy servants; behold, we are my lord's bondmen, both we, and he in whose hand the cup has been found.
- 17
- And he said, Far be it from me to do so!
The man in whose hand the cup has been found, he shall be my bondman; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.
- 18
- Then Judah came near to him, and said, Ah!
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.
- 19
- My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?
- 20
- And we said to my lord, We have an aged father, and a child born to him in his old age, [yet] young;
and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loves him.
- 21
- And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set mine eye on him.
- 22
- And we said to my lord, The youth cannot leave his father: if he should leave his father, [his father] would die.
- 23
- And thou saidst to thy servants, Unless your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.
- 24
- And it came to pass when we came up to thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.
- 25
- And our father said, Go again, buy us a little food.
- 26
- But we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down;
for we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.
- 27
- And thy servant my father said to us, Ye know that my wife bore me two [sons];
- 28
- and the one went out from me, and I said, He must certainly have been torn in pieces;
and I have not seen him [again] hitherto.
- 29
- And if ye take this one also from me, and mischief should befall him, ye will bring down my grey hairs with misery to Sheol.
- 30
- And now, when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us, — seeing that his life is bound up with his life,
- 31
- it will come to pass when he sees that the lad is not [there], that he will die;
and thy servants will bring down the grey hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
- 32
- For thy servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, If I bring him not to thee, then I shall be guilty toward my father all my days.
- 33
- And now, let thy servant stay, I pray thee, instead of the lad a bondman to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brethren;
- 34
- for how should I go up to my father if the lad were not with me?
— lest I see the evil that would come on my father.
|