Genesis 44 - Prayer Tents



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Genesis 44
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Joseph’s Silver Cup

44When his brothers were ready to leave, Joseph gave these instructions to his palace manager: "Fill each of their sacks with as much grain as they can carry, and put each man's money back into his sack.H6680H1004H559H4390H582H572H400H834H3201H5375H7760H376H3701H572H6310 2Then put my personal silver cup at the top of the youngest brother's sack, along with the money for his grain." So the manager did as Joseph instructed him.H7760H1375H3701H1375H572H6310H6996H7668H3701H6213H1697H3130H1696 3The brothers were up at dawn and were sent on their journey with their loaded donkeys.H1242H215H582H7971H2543 4But when they had gone only a short distance and were barely out of the city, Joseph said to his palace manager, "Chase after them and stop them. When you catch up with them, ask them, 'Why have you repaid my kindness with such evil?H3318H5892H7368H3130H559H1004H6965H7291H310H582H5381H559H7999H7451H2896 5Why have you stolen my master's silver cup, which he uses to predict the future? What a wicked thing you have done!'"H113H8354H5172H5172H7489H6213 6When the palace manager caught up with the men, he spoke to them as he had been instructed.H5381H1696H428H1697 7"What are you talking about?" the brothers responded. "We are your servants and would never do such a thing!H559H1696H113H1697H2486H5650H6213H1697 8Didn't we return the money we found in our sacks? We brought it back all the way from the land of Canaan. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house?H3701H4672H572H6310H7725H776H3667H1589H113H1004H3701H2091 9If you find his cup with any one of us, let that man die. And all the rest of us, my lord, will be your slaves."H5650H4672H4191H113H5650 10"That's fair," the man replied. "But only the one who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go free."H559H1697H3651H4672H5650H5355 11They all quickly took their sacks from the backs of their donkeys and opened them.H4116H3381H376H572H776H6605H376H572 12The palace manager searched the brothers' sacks, from the oldest to the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack!H2664H2490H1419H3615H6996H1375H4672H1144H572 13When the brothers saw this, they tore their clothing in despair. Then they loaded their donkeys again and returned to the city.H7167H8071H6006H376H2543H7725H5892 14Joseph was still in his palace when Judah and his brothers arrived, and they fell to the ground before him.H3063H251H935H3130H1004H5307H6440H776 15"What have you done?" Joseph demanded. "Don't you know that a man like me can predict the future?"H3130H559H4639H6213H3045H376H5172H5172 16Judah answered, "Oh, my lord, what can we say to you? How can we explain this? How can we prove our innocence? God is punishing us for our sins. My lord, we have all returned to be your slaves—all of us, not just our brother who had your cup in his sack."H3063H559H559H113H1696H6663H430H4672H5771H5650H113H5650H1571H834H3027H1375H4672 17"No," Joseph said. "I would never do such a thing! Only the man who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go back to your father in peace."H559H2486H6213H2063H376H3027H1375H4672H5650H5927H7965H1

Judah Speaks for His Brothers

18Then Judah stepped forward and said, "Please, my lord, let your servant say just one word to you. Please, do not be angry with me, even though you are as powerful as Pharaoh himself.H3063H5066H559H994H113H5650H1696H1697H113H241H639H2734H5650H6547 19"My lord, previously you asked us, your servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother?'H113H7592H5650H559H3426H1H251 20And we responded, 'Yes, my lord, we have a father who is an old man, and his youngest son is a child of his old age. His full brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him very much.'H559H113H3426H1H2205H3206H2208H6996H251H4191H3498H517H1H157 21"And you said to us, 'Bring him here so I can see him with my own eyes.'H559H5650H3381H7760H5869 22But we said to you, 'My lord, the boy cannot leave his father, for his father would die.'H559H113H5288H3201H5800H1H5800H1H4191 23But you told us, 'Unless your youngest brother comes with you, you will never see my face again.'H559H5650H3808H6996H251H3381H7200H3254H6440H7200H3254 24"So we returned to your servant, our father, and told him what you had said.H5927H5650H1H5046H1697H113 25Later, when he said, 'Go back again and buy us more food,'H1H559H7725H7666H4592H400 26we replied, 'We can't go unless you let our youngest brother go with us. We'll never get to see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.'H559H3201H3381H6996H251H3426H3381H3201H7200H376H6440H369H6996H251 27"Then my father said to us, 'As you know, my wife had two sons,H5650H1H559H3045H802H3205H8147 28and one of them went away and never returned. Doubtless he was torn to pieces by some wild animal. I have never seen him since.H259H3318H559H2963H2963H7200H2008 29Now if you take his brother away from me, and any harm comes to him, you will send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave.'H3947H5973H6440H611H7136H3381H7872H7451H7585 30"And now, my lord, I cannot go back to my father without the boy. Our father's life is bound up in the boy's life.H935H5650H1H5288H5315H7194H5315 31If he sees that the boy is not with us, our father will die. We, your servants, will indeed be responsible for sending that grieving, white-haired man to his grave.H7200H5288H4191H5650H3381H7872H5650H1H3015H7585 32My lord, I guaranteed to my father that I would take care of the boy. I told him, 'If I don't bring him back to you, I will bear the blame forever.'H5650H6148H5288H5973H1H559H935H2398H1H3117 33"So please, my lord, let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers.H5650H3427H5288H5650H113H5288H5927H251 34For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn't bear to see the anguish this would cause my father!"H349H5927H1H5288H7200H7451H4672H1


New Living Translation (NLT). Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. More details.
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