Genesis 44

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BBE WEB

Joseph's policy to stay his brethren, and try their affection for Benjamin

Then he gave orders to the servant who was over his house, saying, Put as much food into the men's bags as will go into them, and put every man's money in the mouth of his bag; 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 his sack’s mouth.
And put my cup, my silver cup, in the youngest one's bag, with his money. So he did as Joseph said. Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, with his grain money.” He did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
And at dawn the men, with their asses, were sent away. As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.
And when they had gone only a little way out of the town, Joseph said to the servant who was over his house, Go after them; and when you overtake them, say to them, Why have you done evil in reward for good? When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men. When you overtake them, ask them, ‘Why have you rewarded evil for good?
Is not this the cup from which my lord takes wine and by which he gets knowledge of the future? Truly, you have done evil. Isn’t this that from which my lord drinks, and by which he indeed divines? You have done evil in so doing.’”
So he overtook them and said these words to them. He overtook them, and he spoke these words to them.
And they said to him, Why does my lord say such words as these? far be it from your servants to do such a thing: They said to him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing!
See, the money which was in the mouth of our bags we gave back to you when we came again from Canaan: how then might we take silver or gold from your lord's house? Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks’ mouths, we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan. How then should we steal silver or gold out of your lord’s house?
If it comes to light that any of your servants has done this, let him be put to death, and we will be your lord's servants. With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s bondservants.”
And he said, Let it be as you say: he in whose bag it is seen will become my servant; and you will not be responsible. He said, “Now also let it be according to your words: he with whom it is found will be my bondservant; and you will be blameless.”
Then every man quickly got his bag down and undid it. Then they hurried, and each man took his sack down to the ground, and each man opened his sack.
And he made a search, starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was in Benjamin's bag. He searched, beginning with the eldest, and ending at the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.
Then in bitter grief they put the bags on the asses again and went back to the town. Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey, and returned to the city.
So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house; and he was still there: and they went down on their faces before him. Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there. They fell on the ground before him.
And Joseph said, What is this thing which you have done? had you no thought that such a man as I would have power to see what is secret? Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Don’t you know that such a man as I can indeed divine?”
And Judah said, What are we to say to my lord? how may we put ourselves right in his eyes? God has made clear the sin of your servants: now we are in your hands, we and the man in whose bag your cup was seen. Judah said, “What will we tell my lord? What will we speak? Or how will we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my lord’s bondservants, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup is found.”
Then he said, Far be it from me to do so: but the man who had my cup will be my servant; and you may go back to your father in peace. He said, “Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup is found, he will be my bondservant; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

Judah's humble prayer to Joseph

Then Judah came near him, and said, Let your servant say a word in my lord's ears, and let not your wrath be burning against your servant: for you are in the place of Pharaoh to us. Then Judah came near to him, and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and don’t let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even as Pharaoh.
My lord said to his servants, Have you a father or a brother? My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father, or a brother?’
And we said to my lord, We have an old father and a young child, whom he had when he was old; his brother is dead and he is the only son of his mother, and is very dear to his father. We said to 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 loves him.’
And you said to your servants, Let him come down to me with you, so that I may see him. You said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’
And we said to my lord, His father will not let him go; for if he went away his father would come to his death. We said to my lord, ‘The boy can’t leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’
But you said to your servants, If your youngest brother does not come with you, you will not see my face again. You said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will see my face no more.’
And when we went back to your servant, our father, we gave him an account of my lord's words. It happened when we came up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.
And our father said, Go again and get us a little food. Our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food.’
And we said, Only if our youngest brother goes with us will we go down; for we may not see the man's face again if our youngest brother is not with us. We said, ‘We can’t 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.’
And our father said to us, You have knowledge that my wife gave me two sons; Your servant, my father, said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons:
The one went away from me, and I said, Truly he has come to a violent death; and from that time I have not seen him, and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces;” and I haven’t seen him since.
If now you take this one from me, and some evil comes to him, you will make my grey head go down in sorrow to the underworld. If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.’
If then I go back to your servant, my father, without the boy, because his life and the boy's life are one, Now therefore when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us; since his life is bound up in the boy’s life;
When he sees that the boy is not with us, he will come to his death, and our father's grey head will go down in sorrow to the underworld. it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol.
For I made myself responsible for the boy to my father, saying, If I do not give him safely back to you, let mine be the sin for ever. For your servant became collateral for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I don’t bring him to you, then I will bear the blame to my father forever.’
So now let me be my lord's servant here in place of the boy, and let him go back with his brothers. Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy, a bondservant to my lord; and let the boy go up with his brothers.
For how may I go back to my father without the boy, and see the evil which will come on my father? For how will I go up to my father, if the boy isn’t with me?—lest I see the evil that will come on my father.”
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