Genesis 44
44Later, Joseph commanded his palace manager, "Fill the men's sacks to full capacity with food and replace each man's money at the top of the sack.H6680H1004H559H4390H582H572H400H834H3201H5375H7760H376H3701H572H63102Then place my cup - the silver one - in the top of the sack belonging to the youngest one, along with the money he brought to buy grain." So the manager did precisely what Joseph told him to do.1H7760H1375H3701H1375H572H6310H6996H7668H3701H6213H1697H3130H16963Early the next morning, the men were sent on their way, along with their donkeys.H1242H215H582H7971H25434They had not traveled far from the city when Joseph ordered his palace manager, "Get up, follow those men, and when you've caught up with them, ask them, 'Why did you repay evil for good -H3318H5892H7368H3130H559H1004H6965H7291H310H582H5381H559H7999H7451H28965Don't you have the cup that my master uses to drink from and also uses to practice divination - You're wrong to have done this.'"H113H8354H5172H5172H7489H62136So he went after them and made that accusation.5H5381H1696H428H16977"Your Excellency," they replied, "Why do you speak like this - Far be it from your servants to act like this.H559H1696H113H1697H2486H5650H6213H16978Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money that we found at the top of our sacks. How, then, could we have stolen silver or gold from your master's palace -H3701H4672H572H6310H7725H776H3667H1589H113H1004H3701H20919Go ahead and execute whichever one of your servants is discovered to have it, and we'll remain as your master's slaves."H5650H4672H4191H113H565010"Agreed," he responded. "Just as you've said, the one who is found to have it in his possession will become my slave, and the rest of you will be innocent."H559H1697H3651H4672H5650H535511So they quickly dismounted, unloaded their sacks to the ground, and each man opened his own sack.H4116H3381H376H572H776H6605H376H57212The palace manager searched for the cup, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and it was discovered in Benjamin's sack.H2664H2490H1419H3615H6996H1375H4672H1144H57213At this, they all tore their clothes, reloaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.H7167H8071H6006H376H2543H7725H589214Joseph was waiting for them back at his palace when his brothers returned. They fell to the ground in front of him,H3063H251H935H3130H1004H5307H6440H77615and Joseph asked them, "Why did you do this - Don't you know that I'm an expert at practicing divination?"H3130H559H4639H6213H3045H376H5172H517216"What can we say, your Excellency," Judah replied. "How can we explain this or justify ourselves - God has discovered the sin of your servants, and now we've become slaves to you, your Excellency, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been discovered."H3063H559H559H113H1696H6663H430H4672H5771H5650H113H5650H1571H834H3027H1375H467217"Far be it from me to do this," Joseph responded. "The man in whose possession the cup was discovered will be my slave, but the rest of you may leave in peace to be with your father."H559H2486H6213H2063H376H3027H1375H4672H5650H5927H7965H118But Judah approached him and begged him, "Your Excellency, please allow your servant to speak to you privately. Please don't be angry with your servant, since you are equal to Pharaoh.H3063H5066H559H994H113H5650H1696H1697H113H241H639H2734H5650H654719Your Excellency asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or brother?'H113H7592H5650H559H3426H1H25120and we answered your Excellency, 'We have an aged father and a younger child who was born when he was old. His brother is now dead, so he's the only survivor living from his mother. His father loves him.'H559H113H3426H1H2205H3206H2208H6996H251H4191H3498H517H1H15721"But then you ordered your servants, 'Bring him here to me so I can see him for myself.'H559H5650H3381H7760H586922"So we told your Excellency, 'The young man cannot leave his father, because if he were to do so, his father would die.'H559H113H5288H3201H5800H1H5800H1H419123But then you told your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes back with you, you won't see my face again.'H559H5650H3808H6996H251H3381H7200H3254H6440H7200H325424"Later on, after we had gone back to your servant, my father, we told him what your Excellency had said.H5927H5650H1H5046H1697H11325"'Go back,' our father ordered, 'and buy us a little food.'H1H559H7725H7666H4592H40026"But we told him, 'We can't go back there. If our youngest brother accompanies us, we'll go back, but we cannot see the man's face again unless our youngest brother accompanies us.'H559H3201H3381H6996H251H3426H3381H3201H7200H376H6440H369H6996H25127"Then your servant, our father, said to us, 'You know my wife bore me two sons.H5650H1H559H3045H802H3205H814728One of them left me, so I concluded "I'm certain that he has been torn to pieces," and I haven't seen him since then.H259H3318H559H2963H2963H7200H200829If you take this one from me, too, and then something harmful happens to him, you will be sending me and my gray hair to death in sorrow.'H3947H5973H6440H611H7136H3381H7872H7451H758530"So when I go back to your servant, my father, and the young man isn't with us, since he's constantly living life focused on his son,H935H5650H1H5288H5315H7194H531531when he notices that the young man hasn't come back with us, he'll die, and your servants really will have brought the gray hair of your servant, our father, to death in sorrow.H7200H5288H4191H5650H3381H7872H5650H1H3015H758532Furthermore, your servant pledged his own life as a guarantee of the young man's safety. I told my father, 'If I don't bring him back to you, then let me be responsible to my father forever.'H5650H6148H5288H5973H1H559H935H2398H1H311733"Therefore, please allow your servant to remain as a slave to your Excellency, instead of the young man, and let the young man go back home with his brothers.H5650H3427H5288H5650H113H5288H5927H25134After all, how can I go back to my father if the young man doesn't accompany me - I'm afraid of what might happen to my father."H349H5927H1H5288H7200H7451H4672H1
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