Genesis 44
44
A Silver Cup in a Sack
1Joseph told the manager of his house what to do. âFill the menâs sacks with as much food as they can carry,â he said. âPut each manâs money in his sack. 2Then put my silver cup in the youngest oneâs sack. Put it there along with the money he paid for his grain.â So the manager did what Joseph told him to do.
3When morning came, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. 4They hadnât gone very far from the city when Joseph spoke to his manager. âGo after those men right away,â he said. âCatch up with them. Say to them, âMy master was good to you. Why have you paid him back by doing evil? 5Isnât this the cup my master drinks from? Doesnât he also use it to find things out? You have done an evil thing.âââ
6When the manager caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had said. 7But they said to him, âWhy do you say these things? We would never do anything like that! 8We even brought back to you from Canaan the money we found in our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your masterâs house? 9If you find out that any of us has the cup, he will die. And the rest of us will become your slaves.â
10âAll right, then,â he said. âAs you wish. The one found to have the cup will become my slave. But the rest of you will not be blamed.â
11Each of them quickly put his sack down on the ground and opened it. 12Then the manager started to search. He began with the oldest and ended with the youngest. The cup was found in Benjaminâs sack. 13When that happened, they were so upset they tore their clothes. Then all of them loaded their donkeys and went back to the city.
14Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in. They threw themselves down on the ground in front of him. 15Joseph said to them, âWhat have you done? Donât you know that a man like me has ways to find things out?â
16âWhat can we say to you?â Judah replied. âWhat can we say? How can we prove we havenât done anything wrong? God has shown you that we are guilty. We are now your slaves. All of us are, including the one found to have the cup.â
17But Joseph said, âI would never do anything like that! Only the man found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you may go back to your father in peace.â
18Then Judah went up to him. He said, âPlease, sir. Let me speak a word to you. Donât be angry with me, even though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19You asked us, âDo you have a father or a brother?â 20We answered, âWe have an old father. A young son was born to him when he was old. His brother is dead. Heâs the only one of his motherâs sons left. And his father loves him.â
21âThen you said to us, âBring him down to me. I want to see him for myself.â 22We said to you, âThe boy canât leave his father. If he does, his father will die.â 23But you told us, âYour youngest brother must come down here with you. If he doesnât, you wonât see my face again.â 24So we went back to my father. We told him what you had said.
25âThen our father said, âGo back. Buy a little more food.â 26But we said, âWe canât go down. Weâll only go if our youngest brother goes there with us. We canât even see the manâs face unless our youngest brother goes with us.â
27âYour servant my father said to us, âYou know that my wife had two sons by me. 28One of them went away from me. And I said, âHe must have been torn to pieces.â I havenât seen him since. 29What if you take this one from me too and he is harmed? Then you would cause me to die as a sad old man. I would go down into the grave full of pain and suffering.â
30âSo now, what will happen if the boy isnât with us when I go back to my father? His life depends on the boyâs life. 31When he sees that the boy isnât with us, heâll die. Because of us, heâll go down into the grave as a sad old man. 32I promised my father I would keep the boy safe. I said, âFather, Iâll bring him back to you. If I donât, you can put the blame on me for the rest of my life.â
33âNow then, please let me stay here. Let me be your slave in place of the boy. Let the boy return with his brothers. 34How can I go back to my father if the boy isnât with me? No! Donât let me see the pain and suffering that would come to my father.â
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Genesis 44: NIrV
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