This page was migrated in July 2022 from my older website, biblicalambiguities.net.
23 July 2022 - 9 September 2022 Navigate 'up' to the Genesis index: index-genesis.
This post is very much incomplete, and I will probably scrap it for parts at some point.
The text below is adapted from the ASV.
1 And he commanded the steward of his house, 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 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, with his grain money. And he did as Joseph said. 3 And as soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.
4 When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, Up, pursue the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, Why have you repaid evil for good? 5 Is this not what my lord drinks from, and with which he practices divination? You have done evil in doing this.
6 And he overtook them, and he spoke to them these words. 7 And they said to him, Why does my lord say these things? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! 8 Indeed, the money which we found in the mouths of our sacks, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then should we steal silver or gold from your lord's house? 9 Whomever of your servants you find it with, let him die, and we also will be my lord's slaves.
10 And he said, Now then, let it be as you say. The one with whom it is found will be my slaves, but you will be blameless. 11 Then they hurried, and took down each man his sack to the ground, and opened each man his sack. 12 And he searched: he began at the oldest, and ended with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. 13 Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey, and returned to the city.
14 And Judah and his brother's came to Joseph's house, and he was still there, and they fell before him to the ground. 15 And Joseph said to them, What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man such as I can indeed practice divination?
16 And Judah said, What can we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Yes, we are my lord's slaves, both we and he in whose hand the cup is found.
17 And he said, Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.
18 Then Judah came near to him, and said, Oh, my lord, let your servant, I pray you, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not your anger burn against your servant; for you are just as Pharaoh. 19 My lord asked his servants, Have you a father, or a brother? 20 And we said to 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 loves him. 21 And you said to your servants, Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes upon him. 22 And we said to my lord, The lad cannot leave his father; for if he should leave his father, his father would die. 23 And you said to your servants, Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall not see my face again. 24 Then, when we came up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 And our father said, Go back; buy us a little food. 26 And 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. 27 And your servant my father said to us, You know that my wife bore us two sons, 28 and the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I have not seen him since. 29 And if you take this one also from me, and harm befalls him, you will bring down my grey hairs with sorrow [see an ASV note] to Sheol. 30 Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life; [see ASV note] 31 then, when he sees that the lad is gone, he will die. And your servants will bring down the grey hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. 32 For your servant became collateral for the lad to my father, saying, If I do not bring him to you, then I shall bear the blame to my father forever. 33 Now therefore, let your servant, I pray you, stay instead of the lad as a slave to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brothers 34 (For how shall I go up to my father, if the lad is not with me?) lest I see the evil that shall come on my father.
ASV. The American Standard Version, as printed in 1901 by Thomas Nelson and Sons. This text serves as the basis of the text above, although I have made various alterations.
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