The cup
And Joseph gave the steward of his house an order. “Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph told him. At first light the men were sent off with their donkeys. They hadn't gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you paid back good with bad? Isn't this the cup my master drinks from, and uses for divination? You've done a wicked thing.’” So he caught up with them and said this to them. And they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Your servants would never do anything like that. Look — we brought back to you from Canaan the silver we found in the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house? If any of your servants is found with it, let him die, and the rest of us will be my lord's slaves.” “Alright,” he said. “Let it be as you say. Whoever is found with it will be my slave, and the rest of you will be free of blame.” Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. And the steward searched, starting with the oldest and finishing with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. And they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and went back to the city.
And Joseph gave the steward of his house an order. “Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack.
Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph told him.
At first light the men were sent off with their donkeys.
They hadn't gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you paid back good with bad?
Isn't this the cup my master drinks from, and uses for divination? You've done a wicked thing.’”
So he caught up with them and said this to them.
And they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Your servants would never do anything like that.
Look — we brought back to you from Canaan the silver we found in the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house?
If any of your servants is found with it, let him die, and the rest of us will be my lord's slaves.”
“Alright,” he said. “Let it be as you say. Whoever is found with it will be my slave, and the rest of you will be free of blame.”
Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it.
And the steward searched, starting with the oldest and finishing with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
And they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and went back to the city.
Back to the house
And Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there. And they threw themselves to the ground in front of him. And Joseph said to them, “What's this you've done? Don't you know a man like me can find things out by divination?” And Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? God has uncovered your servants' guilt. We're my lord's slaves now — us, and the one who was found with the cup.” But Joseph said, “I'd never do that. Only the man who was found with the cup will be my slave. The rest of you go back to your father in peace.”
And Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, and he was still there. And they threw themselves to the ground in front of him.
And Joseph said to them, “What's this you've done? Don't you know a man like me can find things out by divination?”
And Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? God has uncovered your servants' guilt. We're my lord's slaves now — us, and the one who was found with the cup.”
But Joseph said, “I'd never do that. Only the man who was found with the cup will be my slave. The rest of you go back to your father in peace.”
Judah speaks
Then Judah came up to him and said, “Please, my lord, let your servant say a word to you, and don't be angry with your servant, though you're the equal of Pharaoh himself. My lord asked his servants, ‘Have you got a father or a brother?’ And we said to my lord, ‘We've got an aged father, and there's a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he's the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him.’ And you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’ And we said to my lord, ‘The boy can't leave his father. If he leaves him, his father will die.’ And you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you won't see my face again.’ When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said. And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a bit more food.’ And we said, ‘We can't go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We can't see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know my wife had two sons for me. One of them went away from me, and I said, “He's surely been torn to pieces.” And I haven't seen him since. If you take this one from me as well and anything happens to him, you'll bring my grey head down to the grave in misery.’ So now, if I go back to your servant my father and the boy isn't with us — and his life is bound up with the boy's life — when he sees the boy isn't there, he'll die. And your servants will have brought our father's grey head down to the grave in sorrow. Your servant guaranteed the boy's safety to my father. I said, ‘If I don't bring him back to you, I'll bear the blame in front of my father for the rest of my life.’ So please, let your servant stay here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy go back with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy isn't with me? I couldn't bear to see the misery that would come on my father.”
Then Judah came up to him and said, “Please, my lord, let your servant say a word to you, and don't be angry with your servant, though you're the equal of Pharaoh himself.
My lord asked his servants, ‘Have you got a father or a brother?’
And we said to my lord, ‘We've got an aged father, and there's a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he's the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him.’
And you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’
And we said to my lord, ‘The boy can't leave his father. If he leaves him, his father will die.’
And you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you won't see my face again.’
When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.
And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a bit more food.’
And we said, ‘We can't go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We can't see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.’
And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know my wife had two sons for me.
One of them went away from me, and I said, “He's surely been torn to pieces.” And I haven't seen him since.
If you take this one from me as well and anything happens to him, you'll bring my grey head down to the grave in misery.’
So now, if I go back to your servant my father and the boy isn't with us — and his life is bound up with the boy's life —
when he sees the boy isn't there, he'll die. And your servants will have brought our father's grey head down to the grave in sorrow.
Your servant guaranteed the boy's safety to my father. I said, ‘If I don't bring him back to you, I'll bear the blame in front of my father for the rest of my life.’
So please, let your servant stay here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy go back with his brothers.
How can I go back to my father if the boy isn't with me? I couldn't bear to see the misery that would come on my father.”