| 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. |
