44Joseph commanded the servant in charge of his house, "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's money in the top of his sack.H6680H1004H559H4390H582H572H400H834H3201H5375H7760H376H3701H572H6310 2Put my silver cup in the top of the youngest brother's sack, together with the money for his grain." He did as he was told.H7760H1375H3701H1375H572H6310H6996H7668H3701H6213H1697H3130H1696 3Early in the morning the brothers were sent on their way with their donkeys.H1242H215H582H7971H2543 4When they had gone only a short distance from the city, Joseph said to the servant in charge of his house, "Hurry after those men. When you catch up with them, ask them, 'Why have you paid back evil for good?H3318H5892H7368H3130H559H1004H6965H7291H310H582H5381H559H7999H7451H2896 5Why did you steal my master's silver cup? It is the one he drinks from, the one he uses for divination. You have committed a serious crime!' "H113H8354H5172H5172H7489H6213 6When the servant caught up with them, he repeated these words.H5381H1696H428H1697 7They answered him, "What do you mean, sir, by talking like this? We swear that we have done no such thing.H559H1696H113H1697H2486H5650H6213H1697 8You know that we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money we found in the top of our sacks. Why then should we steal silver or gold from your master's house?H3701H4672H572H6310H7725H776H3667H1589H113H1004H3701H2091 9Sir, if any one of us is found to have it, he will be put to death, and the rest of us will become your slaves."H5650H4672H4191H113H5650 10He said, "I agree; but only the one who has taken the cup will become my slave, and the rest of you can go free."H559H1697H3651H4672H5650H5355 11So they quickly lowered their sacks to the ground, and each man opened his sack.H4116H3381H376H572H776H6605H376H572 12Joseph's servant searched carefully, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.H2664H2490H1419H3615H6996H1375H4672H1144H572 13The brothers tore their clothes in sorrow, loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.H7167H8071H6006H376H2543H7725H5892 14When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there. They bowed down before him,H3063H251H935H3130H1004H5307H6440H776 15and Joseph said, "What have you done? Didn't you know that a man in my position could find you out by practicing divination?"H3130H559H4639H6213H3045H376H5172H5172 16"What can we say to you, sir?" Judah answered. "How can we argue? How can we clear ourselves? God has uncovered our guilt. All of us are now your slaves and not just the one with whom the cup was found."H3063H559H559H113H1696H6663H430H4672H5771H5650H113H5650H1571H834H3027H1375H4672 17Joseph said, "Oh, no! I would never do that! Only the one who had the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go back safe and sound to your father."H559H2486H6213H2063H376H3027H1375H4672H5650H5927H7965H1 18Judah went up to Joseph and said, "Please, sir, allow me to speak with you freely. Don't be angry with me; you are like the king himself.H3063H5066H559H994H113H5650H1696H1697H113H241H639H2734H5650H6547 19Sir, you asked us, 'Do you have a father or another brother?'H113H7592H5650H559H3426H1H251 20We answered, 'We have a father who is old and a younger brother, born to him in his old age. The boy's brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother's children still alive; his father loves him very much.'H559H113H3426H1H2205H3206H2208H6996H251H4191H3498H517H1H157 21Sir, you told us to bring him here, so that you could see him,H559H5650H3381H7760H5869 22and we answered that the boy could not leave his father; if he did, his father would die.H559H113H5288H3201H5800H1H5800H1H4191 23Then you said, 'You will not be admitted to my presence again unless your youngest brother comes with you.'H559H5650H3808H6996H251H3381H7200H3254H6440H7200H3254 24"When we went back to our father, we told him what you had said.H5927H5650H1H5046H1697H113 25Then he told us to return and buy a little food.H1H559H7725H7666H4592H400 26We answered, 'We cannot go; we will not be admitted to the man's presence unless our youngest brother is with us. We can go only if our youngest brother goes also.'H559H3201H3381H6996H251H3426H3381H3201H7200H376H6440H369H6996H251 27Our father said to us, 'You know that my wife Rachel bore me only two sons.H5650H1H559H3045H802H3205H8147 28One of them has already left me. He must have been torn to pieces by wild animals, because I have not seen him since he left.H259H3318H559H2963H2963H7200H2008 29If you take this one from me now and something happens to him, the sorrow you would cause me would kill me, as old as I am.'H3947H5973H6440H611H7136H3381H7872H7451H7585 30"And now, sir," Judah continued, "if I go back to my father without the boy,H935H5650H1H5288H5315H7194H5315 31as soon as he sees that the boy is not with me, he will die. His life is wrapped up with the life of the boy, and he is so old that the sorrow we would cause him would kill him.H7200H5288H4191H5650H3381H7872H5650H1H3015H7585 32What is more, I pledged my life to my father for the boy. I told him that if I did not bring the boy back to him, I would bear the blame all my life.H5650H6148H5288H5973H1H559H935H2398H1H3117 33And now, sir, I will stay here as your slave in place of the boy; let him go back with his brothers.H5650H3427H5288H5650H113H5288H5927H251 34How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I cannot bear to see this disaster come upon my father."H349H5927H1H5288H7200H7451H4672H1
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