Christian Standard Bible

King James Bible

1Joseph commanded his steward, "Fill the men's bags with as much food as they can carry, and put each one's silver at the top of his bag.

1And 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.

2Put my cup, the silver one, at the top of the youngest one's bag, along with the silver for his grain." So he did as Joseph told him.

2And 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.

3At morning light, the men were sent off with their donkeys.

3As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

4They had not gone very far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, "Get up. Pursue the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good?

4And 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?

5Isn't this the cup that my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wrong!'"

5Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.

6When he overtook them, he said these words to them.

6And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.

7They said to him, "Why does my lord say these things? Your servants could not possibly do such a thing.

7And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:

8We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found at the top of our bags. How could we steal silver or gold from your master's house?

8Behold, 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?

9If it is found with one of us, your servants, he must die, and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves."

9With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.

10The steward replied, "What you have said is right, but only the one who is found to have it will be my slave, and the rest of you will be blameless."

10And 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.

11So each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it.

11Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.

12The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

12And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

13Then they tore their clothes, and each one loaded his donkey and returned to the city.

13Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.

14When Judah and his brothers reached Joseph's house, he was still there. They fell to the ground before him.

14And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.

15"What is this you have done?" Joseph said to them. "Didn't you know that a man like me could uncover the truth by divination?"

15And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?

16"What can we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed your servants' iniquity. We are now my lord's slaves--both we and the one in whose possession the cup was found."

16And 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.

17Then Joseph said, "I swear that I will not do this. The man in whose possession the cup was found will be my slave. The rest of you can go in peace to your father."

17And 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.

18But Judah approached him and said, "My lord, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh.

18Then 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.

19My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother?'

19My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?

20and we answered my lord, 'We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age. The boy's brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him.'

20And 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.

21Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him to me so that I can see him.'

21And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.

22But we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.'

22And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

23Then you said to your servants, 'If your younger brother does not come down with you, you will not see me again.'

23And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.

24"This is what happened when we went back to your servant my father: We reported to him the words of my lord.

24And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

25But our father said, 'Go again, and buy us a little food.'

25And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.

26We told him, 'We cannot go down unless our younger brother goes with us. If our younger brother isn't with us, we cannot see the man.'

26And 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.

27Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons.

27And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:

28One is gone from me--I said he must have been torn to pieces--and I have never seen him again.

28And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:

29If you also take this one from me and anything happens to him, you will bring my gray hairs down to Sheol in sorrow.'

29And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

30"So if I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us--his life is wrapped up with the boy's life--

30Now 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;

31when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hairs of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.

31It 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.

32Your servant became accountable to my father for the boy, saying, 'If I do not return him to you, I will always bear the guilt for sinning against you, my father.'

32For 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.

33Now please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave, in place of the boy. Let him go back with his brothers.

33Now 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.

34For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the grief that would overwhelm my father."

34For 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.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.