Genesis 44

Joseph Sets a Trap

1 Joseph told his steward, ‘Fill their sacks with as much grain as they can carry, and put each man’s silver back in his sack.’

2 ‘Then take my silver cup and put it in the youngest brother’s sack along with his silver.’ The steward did exactly what Joseph told him.

3 At dawn, the brothers loaded their donkeys and dipped out.

4 But after they left the city, Joseph told his steward, ‘Go after them and say, Why would you repay good with evil,’

5 ‘That cup belongs to my master, it is the one he uses to drink and read omens. You just disrespected him big time!’

The Brothers Are Caught

6 When the steward caught up with them, he repeated Joseph’s words.

7 They said, ‘Why would we do something like that, We would never steal from your master!’

8 ‘We even brought back the silver we found in our sacks last time. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house,’

9 ‘If you find that cup on one of us, let him die, and the rest of us will become your slaves.’

10 The steward said, ‘Alright, but only the one who has the cup will be my slave. The rest of you all can go free.’

The Cup Is Found

11 Each of them quickly lowered their sacks to the ground and opened them.

12 The steward searched from the oldest to the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

13 When they saw this, they tore their clothes in despair, loaded their donkeys, and went back to the city.

The Brothers Plead with Joseph

14 Judah and his brothers went to Joseph’s house, where he was waiting. They threw themselves on the ground before him.

15 Joseph said, ‘What is this you have done, Do you not know a man like me can find things out by divination?’

16 Judah said, ‘What can we say, my lord, How can we prove our innocence, God has exposed our guilt. We are all your slaves now, even Benjamin.’

17 But Joseph said, ‘Nah, I am not punishing all of you. Only the one who had the cup will be my slave. The rest of you all can go back to your dad in peace.’

Judah’s Plea for Benjamin

18 Judah stepped up and said, ‘My lord, let me talk to you. Do not get mad, but I must speak on this.’

19 ‘You asked us if we had a father or another brother.’

20 ‘We told you, Yes, we got an old man and a younger brother. He is the only one left from his mom, and our dad loves him to death.’

21 ‘Then you said, Bring him here so I can see him.’

22 ‘We told you, Our dad will not let him go. If something happens to him, it will kill our dad.’

23 ‘But you said, If you do not bring your youngest brother, do not come back.’

24 ‘When we got home, we told our dad everything you said.’

25 ‘Later, he told us to come back and buy more food.’

26 ‘We said, We cannot go without Benjamin. The man will not see us if we do not bring him.’

27 ‘Our dad said, You all know my wife gave me two sons.’

28 ‘One is already gone, he was torn to pieces, and now you want to take this one too, If anything happens to him, I will die from grief.’

29 ‘If we go back without Benjamin, our dad’s heart will break, and he will not survive.’

30 ‘I promised my dad I would bring Benjamin back, or I would take the blame forever.’

31 ‘Please, let me stay here as your slave instead of the boy. Let him go back with his brothers.’

32 ‘How can I go back to my dad without the boy, I cannot watch my dad suffer like that.’