1 A nd he commanded the steward of his house, 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.

And he commanded him who was over his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry; and put every man's money in the mouth of his sack.

2 A lso put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.” So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain-money. And he did according to the word of Joseph which he had spoken.

3 A s soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

In the morning, when it was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

4 W hen they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?

They were gone out of the city, not far off, when Joseph said to him who was over his house, Up! follow after the men; and when thou overtakest them, thou shalt say to them, Why have ye rewarded evil for good?

5 I s not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’”

Is not this in which my lord drinks, and in which indeed he divines? Ye have done evil what ye have done.

6 S o he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words.

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

7 A nd they said to him, “Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing.

And they said to him, Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from thy servants to do such a thing!

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

Behold, the money that we found in our sacks' mouths we have brought again to thee from the land of Canaan; and how should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?

9 W ith whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”

With whomsoever of thy servants it is found, let him die; and we also will be my lord's bondmen.

10 A nd he said, “Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.”

And he said, Now also it according to your words: let him with whom it is found be my bondman, but ye shall be blameless.

11 T hen each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack.

And they hasted and laid down every man his sack on the ground, and opened every man his sack.

12 S o he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

And he searched carefully: he began at the eldest, and ended at the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

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

Then they rent their clothes, and loaded every man his ass, and they returned to the city.

14 S o Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground.

And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; and he was still there; and they fell down before him to the ground.

15 A nd Joseph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?”

And Joseph said to them, What deed is this which ye have done? Did ye not know that such a man as I can certainly divine?

16 T hen Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.”

And Judah said, What shall we say to my lord? what shall we speak, and how justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of thy servants; behold, we are my lord's bondmen, both we, and he in whose hand the cup has been found.

17 B ut he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.” Judah Intercedes for Benjamin

And he said, Far be it from me to do so! The man in whose hand the cup has been found, he shall be my bondman; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.

18 T hen Judah came near to him and said: “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh.

Then Judah came near to him, and said, Ah! 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 M y lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’

My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?

20 A nd we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’

And we said to my lord, We have an aged father, and a child born to him in his old age, young; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loves him.

21 T hen you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’

And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set mine eye on him.

22 A nd we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’

And we said to my lord, The youth cannot leave his father: if he should leave his father, would die.

23 B ut you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’

And thou saidst to thy servants, Unless your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.

24 “ So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord.

And it came to pass when we came up to thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

25 A nd our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’

And our father said, Go again, buy us a little food.

26 B ut we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

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

27 T hen your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons;

And thy servant my father said to us, Ye know that my wife bore me two;

28 a nd the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since.

and the one went out from me, and I said, He must certainly have been torn in pieces; and I have not seen him hitherto.

29 B ut if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’

And if ye take this one also from me, and mischief should befall him, ye will bring down my grey hairs with misery to Sheol.

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,

And now, when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us,—seeing that his life is bound up with his life,

31 i t will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

it will come to pass when he sees that the lad is not, that he will die; and thy servants will bring down the grey hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.

32 F or your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.’

For thy servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, If I bring him not to thee, then I shall be guilty toward my father all my days.

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

And now, let thy servant stay, I pray thee, instead of the lad a bondman to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brethren;

34 F or how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?”

for how should I go up to my father if the lad were not with me?—lest I see the evil that would come on my father.