New Living Translation

English Standard Version

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 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,

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.

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.

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

3As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away 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 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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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.”

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

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.”

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.”

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

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

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

12And he searched, beginning with the eldest 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 tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they 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 came to Joseph’s house, he was still there. They fell before him to the ground.

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

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?”

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.”

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.”

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 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.”

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 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.

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

19My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you 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 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.’

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.’

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

27Then 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.

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

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

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.

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,

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.

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.

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.’

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.’

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 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.

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 if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father.”

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.

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.