| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 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. | 1Then Joseph instructed his steward: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each one’s silver in the mouth of his sack. |
| 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. | 2Put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” So the steward did as Joseph had instructed. |
| 3The brothers were up at dawn and were sent on their journey with their loaded donkeys. | 3At daybreak, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. |
| 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? | 4They had not gone far from the city when Joseph told his steward, “Pursue the men at once, and when you overtake them, ask, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? |
| 5Why have you stolen my master’s silver cup, which he uses to predict the future? What a wicked thing you have done!’” | 5Is this not the cup my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wicked!’ ” |
| 6When the palace manager caught up with the men, he spoke to them as he had been instructed. | 6When the steward overtook them, he relayed these words to them. |
| 7“What are you talking about?” the brothers responded. “We are your servants and would never do such a thing! | 7“Why does my lord say these things?” they asked. “Your servants could not possibly do such a thing. |
| 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? | 8We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found in the mouths of our sacks. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? |
| 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.” | 9If any of your servants is found to have it, he must die, and the rest will become slaves of my lord.” |
| 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.” | 10“As you say,” replied the steward. “But only the one who is found with the cup will be my slave, and the rest of you shall be free of blame.” |
| 11They all quickly took their sacks from the backs of their donkeys and opened them. | 11So each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. |
| 12The palace manager searched the brothers’ sacks, from the oldest to the youngest. And 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. |
| 13When the brothers saw this, they tore their clothing in despair. Then they loaded their donkeys again and returned to the city. | 13Then they all tore their clothes, loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city. |
| 14Joseph was still in his palace when Judah and his brothers arrived, and they fell to the ground before him. | 14When Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him. |
| 15“What have you done?” Joseph demanded. “Don’t you know that a man like me can predict the future?” | 15“What is this deed you have done?” Joseph declared. “Do you not know that a man like me can surely divine the truth?” |
| 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.” | 16“What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed the iniquity of your servants. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we and the one who was found with the cup.” |
| 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 | 17But Joseph replied, “Far be it from me to do this. The man who was found with the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may return to your father in peace.” |
| 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. | 18Then Judah approached Joseph and said, “Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are equal to Pharaoh himself. |
| 19“My lord, previously you asked us, your servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ | 19My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ |
| 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.’ | 20And we answered, ‘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“And you said to us, ‘Bring him here so I can see him with my own eyes.’ | 21Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so that I can see him for myself.’ |
| 22But we said to you, ‘My lord, the boy cannot leave his father, for his father would die.’ | 22So we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.’ |
| 23But you told us, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes with you, you will never see my face again.’ | 23But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your younger brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ |
| 24“So we returned to your servant, our father, and told him what you had said. | 24Now when we returned to your servant my father, we relayed your words to him. |
| 25Later, when he said, ‘Go back again and buy us more food,’ | 25Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us some food.’ |
| 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.’ | 26But we answered, ‘We cannot go down there unless our younger brother goes with us. So if our younger brother is not with us, we cannot see the man.’ |
| 27“Then my father said to us, ‘As you know, my wife had two sons, | 27And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. |
| 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. | 28When one of them was gone, I said: “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. |
| 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. ’ | 29Now if you also take this one from me and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’ |
| 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. | 30So if the boy is not with us when I return to your servant, and if my father, whose life is wrapped up in the boy’s life, |
| 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. | 31sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. |
| 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.’ | 32Indeed, your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father, saying, ‘If I do not return him to you, I will bear the guilt before you, my father, all my life.’ |
| 33“So please, my lord, let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. | 33Now please let your servant stay here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy. Let him return with his brothers. |
| 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!” | 34For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the misery that would overwhelm him.” |
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