New Living Translation

King James 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.

1And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.

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 sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

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, they and their asses.

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?

4And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded 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 not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.

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

6And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.

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

7And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this 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, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?

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.”

9With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.

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.”

10And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.

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

11Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man 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, and began at the eldest, and left at 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 rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, 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.

14And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.

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

15And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?

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 unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is 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

17And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto 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 came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.

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

19My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye 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 unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.

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

21And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.

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

22And we said unto my lord, The lad 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.’

23And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.

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

24And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

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

25And our father said, Go again, and 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.’

26And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us.

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

27And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare 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.

28And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not 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. ’

29And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

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.

30Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad'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.

31It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

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 thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.

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, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.

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 shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on 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.

King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.