Benjamin and the Silver Cup

1And he commanded the one over his house, saying, “Fill the bags of the men with food, as much as they are able to carry, and put the silver of each man in the mouth of his bag. 2And my cup, the silver cup, put in the mouth of the bag of the youngest, and the silver for his grain.”

And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

3The morning was light, and the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. 4They had gone out of the city, they had not gone far, and Joseph said to the one over his house, “Get up, pursue after the men, and you shall overtake them, and you shall say to them, ‘Why have you⁺ repaid evil for good?† 5Is it not this from which my lord drinks, and he surely divines with it? You⁺ have done evil in that which you⁺ have done.’”

6And he overtook them, and he spoke to them these words.

7And they said to him, “Why does my lord speak according to these words? Far be it to your servants from doing according to this word. 8Behold, the silver that we found in the mouth of our bags, we returned to you from the land of Canaan. And how could we steal silver or gold from the house of your lord? 9With whomever of your servants it is found, then he shall die, and also we will be to my lord as servants.”

10And he said, “Also now, according to your⁺ words, so it is; whoever is found with it shall be to me a servant, and you⁺ shall be blameless.” 11And they hurried, and they lowered

each man his bag to the earth, and they opened each man his bag. 12And he searched—with the oldest he began, and with the youngest he finished. And the cup was found in the bag of Benjamin. 13And they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and they returned to the city.

14And Judah and his brothers came to the house of Joseph, and he was still there, and they fell before him on the ground.

15And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you⁺ have done? Did you⁺ not know that a man such as I, surely divines?”

16And Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? And how shall we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are to my lord as servants, both we and also he with whom the cup was found.”

17And he said, “Far be it to me from doing this; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be to me a servant. And you⁺, go up in peace to your⁺ father.”

Judah Pleads for Benjamin

18And Judah came near to him and said, “Please my lord, please let your servant speak a word in the ears of my lord, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are like Pharaoh. 19My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Is there for you⁺ a father or a brother?’

20And we said to my lord, ‘We have to us a father, an old man, and a son of his old age, who is young. And his brother died, and he alone is left to his mother, and his father loves him.’

21And you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, and let me set my eye on him.’

22And we said to my lord, ‘The boy is not able to leave his father, and if he should leave his father, then he shall die.’

23And you said to your servants, ‘If your⁺ youngest brother does not come down with you⁺, you⁺ shall not again see my face.’

24And it came to pass when we went up to your servant, my father, that we told to him the words of my lord.

25And our father said, ‘Return; buy for us a little food.’

26And we said, ‘We are not able to go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down. For we are not able to see the face of the man, and our youngest brother is not with us.’

27And your servant, my father, said to us, ‘You⁺ know that my wife bore to me two sons. 28And the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him until now. 29And if you⁺ take also this one from my face and harm befalls him, then you⁺ shall bring down my gray hair in evil to Sheol.’

30And now, when I come to your servant, my father, and the boy is not with us, and his soul is bound up in his soul, 31and it will come to pass when he sees that the boy is no more, then he will die. And your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant, our father, in sorrow to Sheol. 32For your servant guaranteed the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame to my father all the days.’

33And now, please, let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go up with his brothers. 34For how shall I go up to my father, and the boy is not with me? Lest I see the evil that will find my father.”