New King James Version

New Living Translation

1And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, “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.

1When his brothers were ready to leave, Joseph gave these instructions to his palace manager: “Fill each of their sacks with as much grain as they can carry, and put each man’s money back into his sack.

2Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.” So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

2Then put my personal silver cup at the top of the youngest brother’s sack, along with the money for his grain.” So the manager did as Joseph instructed him.

3As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

3The brothers were up at dawn and were sent on their journey with their loaded donkeys.

4When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?

4But when they had gone only a short distance and were barely out of the city, Joseph said to his palace manager, “Chase after them and stop them. When you catch up with them, ask them, ‘Why have you repaid my kindness with such evil?

5Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’ ”

5Why have you stolen my master’s silver cup, which he uses to predict the future? What a wicked thing you have done!’”

6So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words.

6When the palace manager caught up with the men, he spoke to them as he had been instructed.

7And they said to him, “Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing.

7“What are you talking about?” the brothers responded. “We are your servants and would never do such a thing!

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

8Didn’t we return the money we found in our sacks? We brought it back all the way from the land of Canaan. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?

9With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”

9If you find his cup with any one of us, let that man die. And all the rest of us, my lord, will be your slaves.”

10And he said, “Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.”

10“That’s fair,” the man replied. “But only the one who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go free.”

11Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack.

11They all quickly took their sacks from the backs of their donkeys and opened them.

12So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

12The palace manager searched the brothers’ sacks, from the oldest to the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack!

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

13When the brothers saw this, they tore their clothing in despair. Then they loaded their donkeys again and returned to the city.

14So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground.

14Joseph was still in his palace when Judah and his brothers arrived, and they fell to the ground before him.

15And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?”

15“What have you done?” Joseph demanded. “Don’t you know that a man like me can predict the future?”

16Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.”

16Judah answered, “Oh, my lord, what can we say to you? How can we explain this? How can we prove our innocence? God is punishing us for our sins. My lord, we have all returned to be your slaves—all of us, not just our brother who had your cup in his sack.”

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

17“No,” Joseph said. “I would never do such a thing! Only the man who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go back to your father in peace.” Judah Speaks for His Brothers

18Then Judah came near to him and said: “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh.

18Then Judah stepped forward and said, “Please, my lord, let your servant say just one word to you. Please, do not be angry with me, even though you are as powerful as Pharaoh himself.

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

19“My lord, previously you asked us, your servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’

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

20And we responded, ‘Yes, my lord, we have a father who is an old man, and his youngest son is a child of his old age. His full brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him very much.’

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

21“And you said to us, ‘Bring him here so I can see him with my own eyes.’

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

22But we said to you, ‘My lord, the boy cannot leave his father, for his father would die.’

23But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’

23But you told us, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes with you, you will never see my face again.’

24“So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord.

24“So we returned to your servant, our father, and told him what you had said.

25And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’

25Later, when he said, ‘Go back again and buy us more food,’

26But we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

26we replied, ‘We can’t go unless you let our youngest brother go with us. We’ll never get to see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

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

27“Then my father said to us, ‘As you know, my wife had two sons,

28and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since.

28and one of them went away and never returned. Doubtless he was torn to pieces by some wild animal. I have never seen him since.

29But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’

29Now if you take his brother away from me, and any harm comes to him, you will send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave. ’

30“Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life,

30“And now, my lord, I cannot go back to my father without the boy. Our father’s life is bound up in the boy’s life.

31it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

31If he sees that the boy is not with us, our father will die. We, your servants, will indeed be responsible for sending that grieving, white-haired man to his grave.

32For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.’

32My lord, I guaranteed to my father that I would take care of the boy. I told him, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, I will bear the blame forever.’

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

33“So please, my lord, let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers.

34For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?”

34For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see the anguish this would cause my father!”

The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.