| NET Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1He instructed the servant who was over his household, "Fill the sacks of the men with as much food as they can carry and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack. | 1Then Joseph commanded his steward: "Fill the men's bags with as much food as they can carry, and put each one's money at the top of his bag. |
| 2Then put my cup--the silver cup--in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the money for his grain." He did as Joseph instructed. | 2Put my cup, the silver one, at the top of the youngest one's bag, along with his grain money." So he did as Joseph told him. |
| 3When morning came, the men and their donkeys were sent off. | 3At morning light, the men were sent off with their donkeys. |
| 4They had not gone very far from the city when Joseph said to the servant who was over his household, "Pursue the men at once! When you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil? | 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? |
| 5Doesn't my master drink from this cup and use it for divination? You have done wrong!'" | 5Isn't this the cup that my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wrong!'" |
| 6When the man overtook them, he spoke these words to them. | 6When he overtook them, he said these words to them. |
| 7They answered him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! | 7They said to him, "Why does my lord say these things? Your servants could not possibly do such a thing. |
| 8Look, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. Why then would we steal silver or gold from your master's house? | 8We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money we found at the top of our bags. How could we steal gold and silver from your master's house? |
| 9If one of us has it, he will die, and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves!" | 9If any of us is found to have it, he must die, and we also will become my lord's slaves." |
| 10He replied, "You have suggested your own punishment! The one who has it will become my slave, but the rest of you will go free." | 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." |
| 11So each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. | 11So each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. |
| 12Then the man searched. He began with the oldest and finished with the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack! | 12The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. |
| 13They all tore their clothes! Then each man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city. | 13Then they tore their clothes, and each one loaded his donkey and returned to the city. |
| 14So Judah and his brothers came back to Joseph's house. He was still there, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. | 14When Judah and his brothers reached Joseph's house, he was still there. They fell to the ground before him." |
| 15Joseph said to them, "What did you think you were doing? Don't you know that a man like me can find out things like this by divination?" | 15What is this you have done?" Joseph said to them. "Didn't you know that a man like me could uncover the truth by divination?"" |
| 16Judah replied, "What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? God has exposed the sin of your servants! We are now my lord's slaves, we and the one in whose possession the cup was found." | 16What 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." |
| 17But Joseph said, "Far be it from me to do this! The man in whose hand the cup was found will become my slave, but the rest of you may go back to your father in peace." | 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." |
| 18Then Judah approached him and said, "My lord, please allow your servant to speak a word with you. Please do not get angry with your servant, for you are just like Pharaoh. | 18But Judah approached him and said, "Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh. |
| 19My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother?' | 19My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother? |
| 20We said to my lord, 'We have an aged father, and there is a young boy who was born when our father was old. The boy's brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him.' | 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.' |
| 21"Then you told your servants, 'Bring him down to me so I can see him.' | 21Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him to me so that I can see him.' |
| 22We said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves his father, his father will die.' | 22But we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.' |
| 23But you said to your servants, 'If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not see my face again.' | 23Then you said to your servants, 'If your younger brother does not come down with you, you will not see me again.'" |
| 24When we returned to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. | 24This is what happened when we went back to your servant my father: We reported your words to him. |
| 25"Then our father said, 'Go back and buy us a little food.' | 25But our father said, 'Go again, and buy us some food.' |
| 26But we replied, 'We cannot go down there. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go, for we won't be permitted to see the man's face if our youngest brother is not with us.' | 26We told him, 'We cannot go down unless our younger brother goes with us. So if our younger brother isn't with us, we cannot see the man.' |
| 27"Then your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife gave me two sons. | 27Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. |
| 28The first disappeared and I said, "He has surely been torn to pieces." I have not seen him since. | 28One left--I said that he must have been torn to pieces--and I have never seen him again. |
| 29If you take this one from me too and an accident happens to him, then you will bring down my gray hair in tragedy to the grave.' | 29If you also take this one from me and anything happens to him, you will bring my gray hairs down to Sheol in sorrow.'" |
| 30"So now, when I return to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us--his very life is bound up in his son's life. | 30So 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-- |
| 31When he sees the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father in sorrow to the grave. | 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. |
| 32Indeed, your servant pledged security for the boy with my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I will bear the blame before my father all my life.' | 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.' |
| 33"So now, please let your servant remain as my lord's slave instead of the boy. As for the boy, let him go back with his brothers. | 33Now please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave, in place of the boy. Let him go back with his brothers. |
| 34For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn't bear to see my father's pain." | 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." |
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