Genesis 44:1 - Prayer Tents

44Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack.H6680H1004H559H4390H582H572H400H834H3201H5375H7760H376H3701H572H6310 2Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain." And he did as Joseph said.H7760H1375H3701H1375H572H6310H6996H7668H3701H6213H1697H3130H1696 3As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.H1242H215H582H7971H2543 4They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, "Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil?H3318H5892H7368H3130H559H1004H6965H7291H310H582H5381H559H7999H7451H2896 5Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.' "H113H8354H5172H5172H7489H6213 6When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them.H5381H1696H428H1697 7But they said to him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that!H559H1696H113H1697H2486H5650H6213H1697 8We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house?H3701H4672H572H6310H7725H776H3667H1589H113H1004H3701H2091 9If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves."H5650H4672H4191H113H5650 10"Very well, then," he said, "let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame."H559H1697H3651H4672H5650H5355 11Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it.H4116H3381H376H572H776H6605H376H572 12Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.H2664H2490H1419H3615H6996H1375H4672H1144H572 13At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.H7167H8071H6006H376H2543H7725H5892 14Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him.H3063H251H935H3130H1004H5307H6440H776 15Joseph said to them, "What is this you have done? Don't you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?"H3130H559H4639H6213H3045H376H5172H5172 16"What can we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt. We are now my lord's slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup."H3063H559H559H113H1696H6663H430H4672H5771H5650H113H5650H1571H834H3027H1375H4672 17But 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."H559H2486H6213H2063H376H3027H1375H4672H5650H5927H7965H1 18Then 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.H3063H5066H559H994H113H5650H1696H1697H113H241H639H2734H5650H6547 19My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother?'H113H7592H5650H559H3426H1H251 20And we answered, 'We have an aged father, and there 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.'H559H113H3426H1H2205H3206H2208H6996H251H4191H3498H517H1H157 21"Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.'H559H5650H3381H7760H5869 22And we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.'H559H113H5288H3201H5800H1H5800H1H4191 23But you told your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.'H559H5650H3808H6996H251H3381H7200H3254H6440H7200H3254 24When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.H5927H5650H1H5046H1697H113 25"Then our father said, 'Go back and buy a little more food.'H1H559H7725H7666H4592H400 26But 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.'H559H3201H3381H6996H251H3426H3381H3201H7200H376H6440H369H6996H251 27"Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons.H5650H1H559H3045H802H3205H8147 28One of them went away from me, and I said, "He has surely been torn to pieces." And I have not seen him since.H259H3318H559H2963H2963H7200H2008 29If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.'H3947H5973H6440H611H7136H3381H7872H7451H7585 30"So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy's life,H935H5650H1H5288H5315H7194H5315 31sees that the boy isn't there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow.H7200H5288H4191H5650H3381H7872H5650H1H3015H7585 32Your servant guaranteed the boy's safety to my father. I said, 'If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!'H5650H6148H5288H5973H1H559H935H2398H1H3117 33"Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers.H5650H3427H5288H5650H113H5288H5927H251 34How 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."H349H5927H1H5288H7200H7451H4672H1