Genesis 44
1
And he commandeth him who [is] over his house,
saying, `Fill the bags of the men [with] food, as they are able to bear, and
put the money of each in the mouth of his bag; 2 and my cup, the silver cup,
thou dost put in the mouth of the bag of the young one, and his corn-money;'
and he doth according to the word of Joseph which he hath spoken. 3 The morning
is bright, and the men have been sent away, they and their asses--4 they have
gone out of the city--they have not gone far off--and Joseph hath said to him
who [is] over his house, `Rise, pursue after the men; and thou hast overtaken
them, and thou hast said unto them, Why have ye recompensed evil for good? 5 Is
not this that with which my lord drinketh? and he observeth diligently with it; ye have done evil [in] that
which ye have done.' 6 And he overtaketh them, and speaketh unto them these words, 7 and they say unto him,
`Why doth my lord speak according to these words? far be it from thy servants
to do according to this word; 8 lo, the money which we found in the mouth of
our bags we brought back unto thee from the land of Canaan, and how do we steal
from the house of thy lord silver or gold? 9 with whomsoever of thy servants it
is found, he hath died, and we also are to my lord for servants.' 10 And he saith, `Now, also, according to your words, so it [is]; he
with whom it is found becometh my servant, and ye are
acquitted;' 11 and they hasten and take down each his bag to the earth, and
each openeth his bag; 12 and he searcheth--at
the eldest he hath begun, and at the youngest he hath completed--and the cup is
found in the bag of Benjamin; 13 and they rend their garments, and each ladeth his ass, and they turn back to the city. 14 And
Judah--his brethren also--cometh in unto the house of Joseph, and he is yet
there, and they fall before him to the earth; 15 and Joseph saith
to them, `What [is] this deed that ye have done? have ye not known that a man
like me doth diligently observe?' 16 And Judah saith,
`What do we say to my lord? what do we speak? and what--do we justify
ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants; lo, we [are]
servants to my lord, both we, and he in whose hand the cup hath been found;' 17
and he saith, `Far be it from me to do this; the man
in whose hand the cup hath been found, he becometh my
servant; and ye, go ye up in peace unto your father.' 18 And Judah cometh nigh
unto him, and saith, `O, my lord, let thy servant
speak, I pray thee, a word in the ears of my lord, and let not thine anger burn
against thy servant--for thou art as Pharaoh. 19 My lord hath asked his
servants, saying, Have ye a father or brother? 20 and we say unto my lord, We
have a father, an aged one, and a child of old age, a little one; and his
brother died, and he is left alone of his mother, and his father hath loved
him. 21 `And thou sayest unto thy servants, Bring him
down unto me, and I set mine eye upon him; 22 and we say unto my lord, The
youth is not able to leave his father, when he hath left his father, then he
hath died; 23 and thou sayest unto thy servants, If
your young brother come not down with you, ye add not to see my face. 24 `And
it cometh to pass, that we have come up unto thy servant my father, that we
declare to him the words of my lord; 25 and our father saith,
Turn back, buy for us a little food, 26 and we say, We are not able to go down;
if our young brother is with us, then we have gone down; for we are not able to
see the man's face, and our young brother not with us. 27 `And thy servant my
father saith unto us, Ye--ye
have known that two did my wife bare to me, 28 and the one goeth
out from me, and I say, Surely he is torn--torn! and
I have not seen him since; 29 when ye have taken also this from my presence,
and mischief hath met him, then ye have brought down my grey hairs with evil to
sheol. 30 `And now, at my coming in unto thy servant
my father, and the youth not with us (and his soul is bound up in his soul), 31
then it hath come to pass when he seeth that the
youth is not, that he hath died, and thy servants have brought down the grey
hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to sheol;
32 for thy servant obtained the youth by surety from my father, saying, If I
bring him not in unto thee--then I have sinned against my father all the days.
33 `And now, let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of the youth a servant
to my lord, and the youth goeth up with his brethren,
34 for how do I go up unto my father, and the youth not with me? lest I look on
the evil which doth find my father.'