International Standard Version

New American Standard Bible 1995

1Later, Joseph commanded his palace manager, "Fill the men's sacks to full capacity with food and replace each man's money at the top of the sack.

1Then he commanded his house steward, saying, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack.

2Then place my cup—the silver one—in the top of the sack belonging to the youngest one, along with the money he brought to buy grain." So the manager did precisely what Joseph told him to do.

2"Put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his money for the grain." And he did as Joseph had told him.

3Early the next morning, the men were sent on their way, along with their donkeys.

3As soon as it was light, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys.

4They had not traveled far from the city when Joseph ordered his palace manager, "Get up, follow those men, and when you've caught up with them, ask them, 'Why did you repay evil for good?

4They had just gone out of the city, and were not far off, when Joseph said to his house steward, "Up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good?

5Don't you have the cup that my master uses to drink from and also uses to practice divination? You're wrong to have done this.'"

5'Is not this the one from which my lord drinks and which he indeed uses for divination? You have done wrong in doing this.'"

6So he went after them and made that accusation.

6So he overtook them and spoke these words to them.

7"Your Excellency," they replied, "Why do you speak like this? Far be it from your servants to act like this.

7They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing.

8Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money that we found at the top of our sacks. How, then, could we have stolen silver or gold from your master's palace?

8"Behold, the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks we have brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house?

9Go ahead and execute whichever one of your servants is discovered to have it, and we'll remain as your master's slaves."

9"With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's slaves."

10"Agreed," he responded. "Just as you've said, the one who is found to have it in his possession will become my slave, and the rest of you will be innocent."

10So he said, "Now let it also be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and the rest of you shall be innocent."

11So they quickly dismounted, unloaded their sacks onto the ground, and each one of them opened his own sack.

11Then they hurried, each man lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack.

12The palace manager searched for the cup, beginning with the oldest brother's sack and ending with the youngest brother's sack, and there it was!—in Benjamin's sack.

12He searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

13At this, they all tore their clothes, reloaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.

13Then they tore their clothes, and when each man loaded his donkey, they returned to the city.

14Joseph was waiting for them back at his palace when his brothers returned. They fell to the ground in front of him,

14When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him.

15and Joseph asked them, "Why did you do this? Don't you know that I'm an expert at divination?"

15Joseph said to them, "What is this deed that you have done? Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed practice divination?"

16"What can we say, Your Excellency?" Judah replied. "How can we explain this or justify ourselves? God has discovered the sin of your servants, and now we've become slaves to you, Your Excellency, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been discovered."

16So Judah said, "What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we are my lord's slaves, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been found."

17"Far be it from me to do this," Joseph responded. "The man in whose possession the cup was discovered will be my slave, but the rest of you may leave in peace to be with your father."

17But he said, "Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father."

18But Judah approached him and begged him, "Your Excellency, please allow your servant to speak to you privately. Please don't be angry with your servant, since you are equal to Pharaoh.

18Then Judah approached him, and said, "Oh my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord's ears, and do not be angry with your servant; for you are equal to Pharaoh.

19Your Excellency asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or brother?'

19"My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father or a brother?'

20and we answered Your Excellency, 'We have an aged father and a younger child who was born when he was old. His brother is now dead, so he's the only surviving son of his mother. His father loves him.'

20"We said to my lord, 'We have an old father and a little child of his old age. Now his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.'

21"But then you ordered your servants, 'Bring him here to me so I can see him for myself.'

21"Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him.'

22So we told Your Excellency, 'The young man cannot leave his father, because if he were to do so, his father would die.'

22"But we said to my lord, 'The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

23But then you told your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes back with you, you won't see my face again.'

23"You said to your servants, however, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.'

24Later on, after we had gone back to your servant, my father, we told him what Your Excellency had said.

24"Thus it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

25"'Go back,' our father ordered, 'and buy us a little food.'

25"Our father said, 'Go back, buy us a little food.'

26"But we told him, 'We can't go back there. If our youngest brother accompanies us, we'll go back, but we cannot see the man's face again unless our youngest brother accompanies us.'

26"But we said, 'We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.'

27"Then your servant, our father, told us, 'You know my wife bore me two sons.

27"Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons;

28One of them left me, so I concluded "I'm certain that he has been torn to pieces," and I haven't seen him since then.

28and the one went out from me, and I said, "Surely he is torn in pieces," and I have not seen him since.

29If you take this one from me, too, and then something harmful happens to him, then it will be death for me and my sad, gray hair!'

29'If you take this one also from me, and harm befalls him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.'

30"So when I go back to your servant, my father, and the young man isn't with us, since he's constantly living life focused on his son,

30"Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad's life,

31when he notices that the young man hasn't come back with us, he'll die, and your servants really will have brought death to your servant, our father, along with his sad, gray hair!

31when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.

32Also, your servant pledged his own life as a guarantee of the young man's safety. I told my father, 'If I don't bring him back to you, you can blame me forever.'

32"For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then let me bear the blame before my father forever.'

33Therefore, please allow your servant to remain as a slave to Your Excellency, instead of the young man, and let the young man go back home with his brothers.

33"Now, therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers.

34After all, how can I go back to my father if the young man doesn't accompany me? I'm afraid of what might happen to my father."

34"For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me-- for fear that I see the evil that would overtake my father?"

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org