8 October 2022 draft-bible
1 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 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, and his grain money. And he did as Joseph had said. 3 At daybreak, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. 4 When they had gone out of the city, not far off, Joseph said to his steward, Up, follow after the man. 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 by which he divines? You have done evil in so doing. 6 And he overtook them, and spoke these words to them.
7 And they said to him, Why does my lord say these sorts of things? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! 8 Behold, the money which we found in our sacks mouths we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then should we steal silver or gold out of your lord’s house? 9 With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.
10 And he said, Let it be as you have said. He with whom it is found will be my slave and the rest of you will be blameless. 11 And they hurried, and each took his sack down to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12 And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending at the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 And they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey, and returned to the city.
14 And Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground. 15 And Joseph said to them, What dees is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man such as I can indeed divine?
16 And Judah said, What will we tell my lord? What will we say? Or how will we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and he also in whose hand the cup was found.
17 And he said, Far be it from me to do so. The man in whose hand the cup was found, he will be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.
18 Then Judah came near to him, and said, O my lord, please let your servant 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, saying, Do you have 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 boy 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 will see my face no more. 24 Now, when we came to your servant our father, we told him the words of my lord. 25 And our father said, Go again: 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 me 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 gray hairs with sorrow 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 – 31 then, when he sees that the boy is no more, he will die, and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol. 32 For your servant became collateral for the boy to his father, saying, If I do not bring him to you, then I will bear the blame to my father forever. 33 Now therefore, please let your servant stay as a slave to my lord instead of the lad, and let the lad go up with his brothers. 34 For how will I go up to my father if the lad is not with me? – lest I see the evil that will come on my father.
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