
44:1-3
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.
As his brothers were preparing to return to Canaan, Joseph said to his steward,
Fill their sacks with food, and put their money in the sack's mouth.
And put the silver cup in the mouth of Benjamin's sack.
The steward did as Joseph asked.
3
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their
asses.
And the next morning, Joseph's brothers left for home.
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?
5Is not this it in which
my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done
evil in so doing.
After his brothers left the city, Joseph told his steward to catch up to them, and say,
Isn't that Joseph's magic divining cup?
6
And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.
And the steward overtook them and said the words that Joseph told him to say.
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?
Joseph's brothers responded,
We didn't take it.
9
With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also
will be my lord's bondmen.
If anyone among us has taken it, kill him, and make the rest of us slaves.
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.
13Then 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?
The brothers go to Joseph's house, fall on the ground,
and repeat the stories about Jacob, Joseph, and Benjamin.
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.
In these verses, Benjamin is
an infant -- a "little one", a "lad", a "child".
Yet just a little while later (46:8, 21) when Jacob's clan
migrates to Egypt, Benjamin is a grown man with ten sons. [1]
23And 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.
Judah repeats the boring story that has already been told twice before
(42:19-24, 29-34).