Genesis 44
44
Joseph Sets a Trap
1Then Joseph gave a command to the servant in charge of his house. He said, “Fill the men’s sacks with as much grain as they can carry, and put each man’s money into his sack with the grain. 2Put my silver cup in the sack of the youngest brother, along with his money for the grain.” The servant did what Joseph told him.
3At dawn the brothers were sent away with their donkeys. 4They were not far from the city when Joseph said to the servant in charge of his house, “Go after the men. When you catch up with them, say, ‘Why have you paid back evil for good? 5The cup you have stolen is the one my master uses for drinking and for explaining dreams. You have done a very wicked thing!’ ”
6So the servant caught up with the brothers and said to them what Joseph had told him to say.
7But the brothers said to the servant, “Why do you say these things? We would not do anything like that! 8We brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money we found in our sacks. So surely we would not steal silver or gold from your master’s house. 9If you find that silver cup in the sack of one of us, then let him die, and we will be your slaves.”
10The servant said, “We will do as you say, but only the man who has taken the cup will become my slave. The rest of you may go free.”
11Then every brother quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. 12The servant searched the sacks, going from the oldest brother to the youngest, and found the cup in Benjamin’s sack. 13The brothers tore their clothes to show they were afraid. Then they put their sacks back on the donkeys and returned to the city.
14When Judah and his brothers went back to Joseph’s house, Joseph was still there, so the brothers bowed facedown on the ground before him. 15Joseph said to them, “What have you done? Didn’t you know that a man like me can learn things by signs and dreams?”
16Judah said, “Master, what can we say? And how can we show we are not guilty? God has uncovered our guilt, so all of us will be your slaves, not just Benjamin.”
17But Joseph said, “I will not make you all slaves! Only the man who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go back safely to your father.”
18Then Judah went to Joseph and said, “Master, please let me speak plainly to you, and please don’t be angry with me. I know that you are as powerful as the king of Egypt himself. 19When we were here before, you asked us, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 20And we answered you, ‘We have an old father. And we have a younger brother, who was born when our father was old. This youngest son’s brother is dead, so he is the only one of his mother’s children left alive, and our father loves him very much.’ 21Then you said to us, ‘Bring that brother to me. I want to see him.’ 22And we said to you, ‘That young boy cannot leave his father, because if he leaves him, his father would die.’ 23But you said to us, ‘If you don’t bring your youngest brother, you will not be allowed to see me again.’ 24So we went back to our father and told him what you had said.
25“Later, our father said, ‘Go again and buy us a little more food.’ 26We said to our father, ‘We cannot go without our youngest brother. Without our youngest brother, we will not be allowed to see the governor.’ 27Then my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife Rachel gave me two sons. 28When one son left me, I thought, “Surely he has been torn apart by a wild animal,” and I haven’t seen him since. 29Now you want to take this son away from me also. But something terrible might happen to him, and I would be miserable until the day I die.’ 30Now what will happen if we go home to our father without our youngest brother? He is so important in our father’s life that 31when our father sees the young boy is not with us, he will die. And it will be our fault. We will cause the great sorrow that kills our father.
32“I gave my father a guarantee that the young boy would be safe. I said to my father, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, you can blame me all my life.’ 33So now, please allow me to stay here and be your slave, and let the young boy go back home with his brothers. 34I cannot go back to my father if the boy is not with me. I couldn’t stand to see my father that sad.”
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Genesis 44: NCV
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The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Genesis 44
44
Joseph Tests His Brothers
1Joseph ordered his chief servant, “Fill the men’s sacks with grain, with as much as they can hold, and put each one’s money back in the mouth of his bag. 2As for the youngest one, place my silver goblet in the mouth of his sack, along with the money he paid for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said.
3At dawn, the men loaded their donkeys and set off for home. 4They hadn’t gone far outside of the city when Joseph said to his chief servant, “Now, go at once and pursue the men! And when you catch up to them, say to them, ‘Why did you repay good with evil? 5Why have you stolen the silver goblet # 44:5 As translated from the Septuagint and Vulgate and implied in the Hebrew. from which my master drinks, and the one he uses to discover secrets hidden from men? # 44:5 Or “for divination.” Some historians tell that water was poured into a certain vessel, and then pieces of gold, silver, or precious stones were added, and then, by the shape of the designs that appeared at the surface of the water, the diviner could interpret events. Joseph did not say that he used the goblet for divination but wanted his brothers to think he did. You have done an evil thing!’ ”
6When the chief servant caught up with them, he repeated his master’s words to them. 7They answered him, “Why does my lord accuse us of such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything of the kind! 8Didn’t we return from Canaan with the money we found in our grain sacks? Why then would we steal silver or gold from the house of your lord? 9Look for yourself. If any of your servants is found to have it, then he will die, and the rest of us will become your master’s slaves!”
10“Very well then,” Joseph’s servant replied, “as you have said. But I will show you leniency. The one who has it will be my slave, but the rest of you will go free.”
11Each one quickly lowered his bag to the ground and opened it. 12Then the chief servant searched each bag, beginning with oldest and ending with the youngest—and he found the silver goblet in Benjamin’s bag! # 44:12 They had not stolen Joseph’s silver goblet, but they had stolen Joseph’s dignity and threw him into a pit. They were responsible for all of Joseph’s afflictions. God was seeking to reveal their hearts through how they endured this false accusation. Joseph’s silver goblet, hidden in Benjamin’s bag, was a picture of the years of suffering Joseph went through as a slave sold for “silver.” Joseph was testing their loyalty. Would they stand with Benjamin and love him, or would they sacrifice Benjamin as they had Joseph? Would they be loyal brothers now? Joseph gave them a chance to do away with Benjamin as they had done away with him. 13Aghast, the brothers ripped their clothes in despair. They all loaded their donkeys again and returned to the city.
14Joseph was waiting in his house when Judah and his brothers arrived. When they saw Joseph, they all fell to the ground before him. # 44:14 For the third time, Joseph’s brothers bowed before him. What a sight for Joseph to see them all return. He had to know if they had really changed. Joseph was truly doing them a kindness. He was giving them a chance to pass a test they once had failed! Their guilt could be removed not only by the mercy of Joseph but also by proving their “repentance by a changed life” (Matt. 3:8). 15Joseph said to them, “What have you done? Don’t you know that divination would have given insight to a man like me?”
16Judah replied, “What can we say, my lord? How can we plead our case? How can we prove our innocence? God has revealed the guilt of your servants, # 44:16 Their long-suppressed feelings of guilt surfaced. God was awakening their consciences to what they had done to Joseph. and here we are—our lord’s slaves, both we and the one in whose sack the silver goblet was found.”
17“No,” Joseph commanded. “Only the one who stole my silver goblet will be my slave; the rest of you will go on home in peace to your father.”
Judah Pleads for Benjamin
18Then Judah stepped forward and offered, “My lord, please, may I have a word with you? You are the equal of Pharaoh. Please don’t be angry with me, your servant. 19My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or another brother?’ 20We answered my lord, ‘We have an aged father and our youngest brother, who is a child of his old age. The child’s full brother is dead, so now he is the only child left of his mother, and his father loves him very much.’ 21Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him here to me so that I might see him myself.’ 22We said to my lord, ‘But he cannot leave his father; if he were to leave him, his father would die.’ 23Then you said to your servants, ‘You will not see my face again if I do not see your youngest brother.’ 24When we arrived home to your servant, my father, we told him every word you had spoken to us.
25“Sometime later, our father said to us, ‘Go back and buy some more food for us.’ 26We answered, ‘We can only return to Egypt if we take our youngest brother with us. We won’t see the man’s face again, if he doesn’t see our youngest brother.’ 27Then, your servant, my father, said to us, ‘You know that my wife Rachel only gave me two sons. 28One is gone from me—torn by a beast! I haven’t seen him since. 29If you take this one also from me, and something happens to him, you will send my gray hairs in grief down to the grave.’ ”
30-31Judah continued, “My lord, if I went to your servant, my father, without the boy, and he saw that the boy was not with us, he would die! His very life is wrapped up with the life of the boy. # 44:30–31 As father and son, the souls of Jacob and Benjamin were bound together in the bundle of life. Now he is so old that the grief of his loss would kill him. 32Furthermore, I, your servant, have guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I told him, ‘If I don’t return the boy back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, for the rest of my life!’
33-34“So, please let me take the place of the boy, and I will remain here as a slave to you, my lord. Please let the boy go back with his brothers. # 44:33–34 As Judah spoke for his brothers, he did not attempt to justify himself or pass the blame off onto Benjamin. Unlike in the past, they did not turn on Benjamin as they had turned on Joseph. Judah stood as a savior for his brother. He had changed greatly from the one who conspired to sell his brother into slavery (see Gen. 37:26–27) and now offered himself to be a slave as a substitute for his brother Benjamin. Jewish historians note that for many long years after this event, the tribe of Benjamin walked in faithful love toward the tribe of Judah even when the other ten tribes deserted them. How could I return to my father without the boy? I don’t want to witness the woe and grief that would overtake my father.”
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