50 S Genesis 44:10
10 “Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it
will become my s lave; the rest of you will be free from blame.”
11 Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the g
round and o
pened it.
12 Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and end
ing with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 At this,
they tore t heir c lothes. Then they all loaded t heir donkeys and returned to
the city.
14 Joseph was s till in the h
ouse when Judah and his brothers came in, and
they threw themselves to the ground before him. 15 Joseph 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 to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can
we p
rove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ g
uilt. We are now
my lord’s slaves — we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.”
17 But 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.”
18 Then 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. 19 My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a fa
ther or a brother?’ 20 And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and t here 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 “Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him
for myself.’ 22 And we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he
leaves him, his father will die.’ 23 But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youn
gest brother c omes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 24 When
we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.
25 “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’ 26 But 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 “Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two
sons. 28 One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn
to pieces.” And I have not seen him s ince. 29 If you take this one from me too
and harm c omes to him, you will b
ring my gray head down to the g
rave in
misery.’
30 “So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my fa
ther, and if my father, whose life is closely b
ound up with the boy’s life, 31 sees
that the boy isn’t t here, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of
our father down to the g
rave in sorrow. 32 Your servant guaranteed the boy’s
safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not b
ring him back to you, I will bear the
blame before you, my father, all my life!’
33 “Now then, p
lease let your servant remain here as my l ord’s s lave in p
lace
of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 How 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.”
Joseph Makes Himself Known
45
Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants,
and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was
no one with Joseph when he made himself k
nown to his brothers. 2 And he
wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household h
eard
about it.
3 Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father s till living?” But
his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his
presence.
4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come c lose to me.” When they had
done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt!
5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for sell
ing me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me a
head of you.