English Standard Version

International Standard Version

1Then he commanded the steward of his house, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack,

1Later, Joseph commanded his palace manager, "Fill the men's sacks to full capacity with food and replace each man's money at the top of the sack.

2and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph told him.

2Then place my cup—the silver one—in the top of the sack belonging to the youngest one, along with the money he brought to buy grain." So the manager did precisely what Joseph told him to do.

3As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys.

3Early the next morning, the men were sent on their way, along with their donkeys.

4They had gone only a short distance from the city. Now Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?

4They had not traveled far from the city when Joseph ordered his palace manager, "Get up, follow those men, and when you've caught up with them, ask them, 'Why did you repay evil for good?

5Is it not from this that my lord drinks, and by this that he practices divination? You have done evil in doing this.’”

5Don't you have the cup that my master uses to drink from and also uses to practice divination? You're wrong to have done this.'"

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

6So he went after them and made that accusation.

7They said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing!

7"Your Excellency," they replied, "Why do you speak like this? Far be it from your servants to act like this.

8Behold, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house?

8Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money that we found at the top of our sacks. How, then, could we have stolen silver or gold from your master's palace?

9Whichever of your servants is found with it shall die, and we also will be my lord’s servants.”

9Go ahead and execute whichever one of your servants is discovered to have it, and we'll remain as your master's slaves."

10He said, “Let it be as you say: he who is found with it shall be my servant, and the rest of you shall be innocent.”

10"Agreed," he responded. "Just as you've said, the one who is found to have it in his possession will become my slave, and the rest of you will be innocent."

11Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack.

11So they quickly dismounted, unloaded their sacks onto the ground, and each one of them opened his own sack.

12And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

12The palace manager searched for the cup, beginning with the oldest brother's sack and ending with the youngest brother's sack, and there it was!—in Benjamin's sack.

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

13At this, they all tore their clothes, reloaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.

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

14Joseph was waiting for them back at his palace when his brothers returned. They fell to the ground in front of him,

15Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me can indeed practice divination?”

15and Joseph asked them, "Why did you do this? Don't you know that I'm an expert at divination?"

16And Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s servants, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found.”

16"What can we say, Your Excellency?" Judah replied. "How can we explain this or justify ourselves? God has discovered the sin of your servants, and now we've become slaves to you, Your Excellency, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been discovered."

17But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the man in whose hand the cup was found shall be my servant. But as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

17"Far be it from me to do this," Joseph responded. "The man in whose possession the cup was discovered will be my slave, but the rest of you may leave in peace to be with your father."

18Then Judah went up to him and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not your anger burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself.

18But Judah approached him and begged him, "Your Excellency, please allow your servant to speak to you privately. Please don't be angry with your servant, since you are equal to Pharaoh.

19My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father, or a brother?’

19Your Excellency asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or brother?'

20And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a young brother, the child of his old age. His brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’

20and we answered Your Excellency, 'We have an aged father and a younger child who was born when he was old. His brother is now dead, so he's the only surviving son of his mother. His father loves him.'

21Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’

21"But then you ordered your servants, 'Bring him here to me so I can see him for myself.'

22We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’

22So we told Your Excellency, 'The young man cannot leave his father, because if he were to do so, his father would die.'

23Then you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not see my face again.’

23But then you told your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes back with you, you won't see my face again.'

24“When we went back to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

24Later on, after we had gone back to your servant, my father, we told him what Your Excellency had said.

25And when our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food,’

25"'Go back,' our father ordered, 'and buy us a little food.'

26we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes with us, then we will go down. For we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

26"But we told him, 'We can't go back there. If our youngest brother accompanies us, we'll go back, but we cannot see the man's face again unless our youngest brother accompanies us.'

27Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.

27"Then your servant, our father, told us, 'You know my wife bore me two sons.

28One left me, and I said, “Surely he has been torn to pieces,” and I have never seen him since.

28One of them left me, so I concluded "I'm certain that he has been torn to pieces," and I haven't seen him since then.

29If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to Sheol.’

29If you take this one from me, too, and then something harmful happens to him, then it will be death for me and my sad, gray hair!'

30“Now therefore, as soon as I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy’s life,

30"So when I go back to your servant, my father, and the young man isn't with us, since he's constantly living life focused on his son,

31as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.

31when he notices that the young man hasn't come back with us, he'll die, and your servants really will have brought death to your servant, our father, along with his sad, gray hair!

32For your servant became a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.’

32Also, your servant pledged his own life as a guarantee of the young man's safety. I told my father, 'If I don't bring him back to you, you can blame me forever.'

33Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers.

33Therefore, please allow your servant to remain as a slave to Your Excellency, instead of the young man, and let the young man go back home with his brothers.

34For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father.”

34After all, how can I go back to my father if the young man doesn't accompany me? I'm afraid of what might happen to my father."

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.

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