Genesis 44:1 - Prayer Tents



Share: Select All button

Previous ChapterNext ChapterReduce Font SizeIncrease Font Size
Genesis 44
The Message Help
44Joseph ordered his house steward: "Fill the men's bags with food—all they can carry—and replace each one's money at the top of the bag.H6680H1004H559H4390H582H572H400H834H3201H5375H7760H376H3701H572H6310 2Then put my chalice, my silver chalice, in the top of the bag of the youngest, along with the money for his food." He did as Joseph ordered.H7760H1375H3701H1375H572H6310H6996H7668H3701H6213H1697H3130H1696 3At break of day the men were sent off with their donkeys.H1242H215H582H7971H2543 4They were barely out of the city when Joseph said to his house steward, "Run after them. When you catch up with them, say, 'Why did you pay me back evil for good?H3318H5892H7368H3130H559H1004H6965H7291H310H582H5381H559H7999H7451H2896 5This is the chalice my master drinks from; he also uses it for divination. This is outrageous!'"H113H8354H5172H5172H7489H6213 6He caught up with them and repeated all this word for word.H5381H1696H428H1697 7They said, "What is my master talking about? We would never do anything like that!H559H1696H113H1697H2486H5650H6213H1697 8Why, the money we found in our bags earlier, we brought back all the way from Canaan—do you think we'd turn right around and steal it back from your master?H3701H4672H572H6310H7725H776H3667H1589H113H1004H3701H2091 9If that chalice is found on any of us, he'll die; and the rest of us will be your master's slaves."H5650H4672H4191H113H5650 10The steward said, "Very well then, but we won't go that far. Whoever is found with the chalice will be my slave; the rest of you can go free."H559H1697H3651H4672H5650H5355 11They outdid each other in putting their bags on the ground and opening them up for inspection.H4116H3381H376H572H776H6605H376H572 12The steward searched their bags, going from oldest to youngest. The chalice showed up in Benjamin's bag.H2664H2490H1419H3615H6996H1375H4672H1144H572 13They ripped their clothes in despair, loaded up their donkeys, and went back to the city.H7167H8071H6006H376H2543H7725H5892 14Joseph was still at home when Judah and his brothers got back. They threw themselves down on the ground in front of him.H3063H251H935H3130H1004H5307H6440H776 15Joseph accused them: "How can you have done this? You have to know that a man in my position would have discovered this."H3130H559H4639H6213H3045H376H5172H5172 16Judah as spokesman for the brothers said, "What can we say, master? What is there to say? How can we prove our innocence? God is behind this, exposing how bad we are. We stand guilty before you and ready to be your slaves—we're all in this together, the rest of us as guilty as the one with the chalice."H3063H559H559H113H1696H6663H430H4672H5771H5650H113H5650H1571H834H3027H1375H4672 17"I'd never do that to you," said Joseph. "Only the one involved with the chalice will be my slave. The rest of you are free to go back to your father."H559H2486H6213H2063H376H3027H1375H4672H5650H5927H7965H1 18Judah came forward. He said, "Please, master; can I say just one thing to you? Don't get angry. Don't think I'm presumptuous—you're the same as Pharaoh as far as I'm concerned.H3063H5066H559H994H113H5650H1696H1697H113H241H639H2734H5650H6547 19You, master, asked us, 'Do you have a father and a brother?'H113H7592H5650H559H3426H1H251 20And we answered honestly, 'We have a father who is old and a younger brother who was born to him in his old age. His brother is dead and he is the only son left from that mother. And his father loves him more than anything.'H559H113H3426H1H2205H3206H2208H6996H251H4191H3498H517H1H157 21"Then you told us, 'Bring him down here so I can see him.'H559H5650H3381H7760H5869 22We told you, master, that it was impossible: 'The boy can't leave his father; if he leaves, his father will die.'H559H113H5288H3201H5800H1H5800H1H4191 23"And then you said, 'If your youngest brother doesn't come with you, you won't be allowed to see me.'H559H5650H3808H6996H251H3381H7200H3254H6440H7200H3254 24"When we returned to our father, we told him everything you said to us.H5927H5650H1H5046H1697H113 25So when our father said, 'Go back and buy some more food,'H1H559H7725H7666H4592H400 26we told him flatly, 'We can't. The only way we can go back is if our youngest brother is with us. We aren't allowed to even see the man if our youngest brother doesn't come with us.'H559H3201H3381H6996H251H3426H3381H3201H7200H376H6440H369H6996H251 27"Your servant, my father, told us, 'You know very well that my wife gave me two sons.H5650H1H559H3045H802H3205H8147 28One turned up missing. I concluded that he'd been ripped to pieces. I've never seen him since.H259H3318H559H2963H2963H7200H2008 29If you now go and take this one and something bad happens to him, you'll put my old gray, grieving head in the grave for sure.'H3947H5973H6440H611H7136H3381H7872H7451H7585 30"And now, can't you see that if I show up before your servant, my father, without the boy, this son with whom his life is so bound up,H935H5650H1H5288H5315H7194H5315 31the moment he realizes the boy is gone, he'll die on the spot. He'll die of grief and we, your servants who are standing here before you, will have killed him.H7200H5288H4191H5650H3381H7872H5650H1H3015H7585 32And that's not all. I got my father to release the boy to show him to you by promising, 'If I don't bring him back, I'll stand condemned before you, Father, all my life.'H5650H6148H5288H5973H1H559H935H2398H1H3117 33"So let me stay here as your slave, not this boy. Let the boy go back with his brothers.H5650H3427H5288H5650H113H5288H5927H251 34How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? Oh, don't make me go back and watch my father die in grief!"H349H5927H1H5288H7200H7451H4672H1


The Message (MSG). All Scripture quotations are taken from THE MESSAGE, copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. More details.
Old Testament
  • 25. Lamentations (5)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 29. Joel (3)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 31. Obadiah (1)
  • 1
  • 34. Nahum (3)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 35. Habakkuk (3)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 36. Zephaniah (3)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 37. Haggai (2)
  • 1
  • 2

New Testament
  • 50. Philippians (4)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 51. Colossians (4)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 52. 1 Thessalonians (5)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 53. 2 Thessalonians (3)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 55. 2 Timothy (4)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 56. Titus (3)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 57. Philemon (1)
  • 1
  • 61. 2 Peter (3)
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 63. 2 John (1)
  • 1
  • 64. 3 John (1)
  • 1
  • 65. Jude (1)
  • 1
Please login to see history of your searches
Table of Contents
Hide Subtitles
Hide Footnotes
Spacing: 0 1 2 3
Verse Numbers Toggle
Strong Numbers Toggle
Info Language ArrowReturn to top