Genesis 44 ISV NIV Parallel

◄ Genesis 44 ►

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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.

1Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver 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.

2Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain." And he did as Joseph said.

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

3As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way 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 not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, "Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil?

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.'"

5Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.'"

6So he went after them and made that accusation.

6When he caught up with them, he repeated 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.

7But they said to him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that!

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?

8We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master'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."

9If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become 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."

10"Very well, then," he said, "let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame."

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

11Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it.

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.

12Then the steward proceeded to search, 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.

13At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and 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,

14Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves 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 you have done? Don't you know that a man like me can find things out by 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."

16"What can we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt. We are now my lord's slaves--we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup."

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 Joseph said, "Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace."

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 went up to him and said: "Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself.

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

19My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have 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.'

20And we answered, 'We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother's sons left, 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 so I can see him for myself.'

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

22And we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.'

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

23But you told your servants, '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.

24When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.

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

25"Then our father said, 'Go back and buy a little more 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.'

26But we said, 'We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. 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.

28One of them went away from me, and I said, "He has surely been torn to 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!'

29If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.'

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"So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy'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!

31sees that the boy isn't there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave 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.'

32Your servant guaranteed the boy's safety to my father. I said, 'If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!'

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 then, please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return 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."

34How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father."

New International Version (NIV)

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