1 Joseph instructed the steward of his house, saying, "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the opening of his sack."

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

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.

3 At dawn, as the morning light came, the men and their donkeys were sent on their way.

As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

4 They had just left the city and had not gone far when Joseph said to his steward, "Get up, pursue the men. When you catch up to them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil?'

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?

5 'Is this not the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? You have done wrong in what you have done.'

Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.

6 When the steward caught up to them, he said these words to them.

And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.

7 But they replied to him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing!

And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:

8 "Look, we even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found in the mouths of our sacks. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house?

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?

9 "If any of your servants is found with it, he will die, and we will also become my lord's slaves."

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

10 The steward replied, "Let it be as you say: whoever is found with it will become my slave, and the rest of you will be innocent."

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

Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.

12 The steward searched, starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

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

13 At this, they tore their garments, loaded each his donkey, and went back to the city.

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

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

And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.

15 Joseph asked them, "What is this deed you have done? Do you not know that a man like me can certainly practice divination?"

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 Judah replied, "What can we say to my lord? How can we speak or justify ourselves? God has uncovered the guilt of your servants. Here we are, my lord's slaves, both we and the one in whose possession the cup was found."

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 But Joseph said, "Far be it from me to do this! The man in whose possession the cup was found will be my slave. As for the rest of you, go back to your father in peace."

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 stepped forward and said, "Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word in my lord's hearing, and do not be angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh."

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, 'Do you have a father or a brother?'"

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

20 And we answered my lord, 'We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him.'"

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

And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.

22 But we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves, his father will die.'"

And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

23 But you said to your servants, 'If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not see my face again.'

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

24 When we went back to your servant, my father, we told him the words of my lord.

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

25 Later, our father said, 'Go back and buy us a little more food.'

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

26 But we said, 'We cannot go down unless our youngest brother is with us. For we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.'

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 Then your servant, my father, said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons.'

And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:

28 'One of them went away from me, and I said, "Surely he has been torn to pieces," and I have not seen him since.'

And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:

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

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 So now, if I come to your servant, my father, and the boy is not with us—since his life is so closely bound up with the boy's life—

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 will happen that when he sees the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought down the gray hair of your servant, our father, in sorrow to the grave.

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 your servant took responsibility for the boy before my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father all my life.'

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, please let your servant remain here as a slave to my lord in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers.

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 can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I could not bear to see the misery that would come upon my father.

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.