|
Chapter 44 |
| 1 | And 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.
|
| 2 | And 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.
|
| 3 | As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their
asses. |
| 4 |
And 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?
|
| 5 | Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he
divineth? ye have done evil in so doing. |
|
6 | And he overtook them, and he
spake unto them these same words. |
| 7 | And they said unto him,
Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do
according to this thing: |
| 8 | Behold, 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? |
| 9 | With
whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be
my lord's bondmen. |
| 10 | And 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. |
| 11
| Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the
ground, and opened every man his sack. |
| 12 | And he searched, and began at
the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's
sack. |
| 13 |
Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and
returned to the city. |
| 14 | And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's
house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground. |
| 15 |
And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that
such a man as I can certainly divine? |
| 16 | And 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 | And 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. |
| 18
| Then 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 asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? |
| 20 |
And 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 thou saidst unto thy servants,
Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. |
| 22 | And we
said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his
father, his father would die. |
|
23 | And thou saidst unto thy servants,
Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no
more. |
| 24 |
And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my
father, we told him the words of my lord. |
|
25 | And our father said, Go
again, and buy us a little food. |
| 26 | And 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 | And thy
servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:
|
| 28 | And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces;
and I saw him not since: |
|
29 | And if ye take this also from me, and
mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the
grave. |
| 30
| Now 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; |
| 31 |
It 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. |
|
32 | For 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 | Now 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. |
| 34 | For 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. |
