1 He commanded the man 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 mouth of his sack. 2 Put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the youngest man’s sack, along with the money for his grain.” He did as Joseph had said. 3 At dawn the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. 4 They had left the city but had not gone far when Joseph said to the man in charge of his house, “Get up and pursue the men. When you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? 5 Is this not the cup my lord drinks from and indeed uses for divination? You have done evil in doing this.’ ” 6 He overtook them and spoke these words to them. 7 They said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! 8 We brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money we found in the mouths of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? 9 If it is found with any of your servants, let him die, and the rest of us will also become my lord’s slaves.” 10 He said, “Very well, let it be as you say. The one with whom it is found will be my slave, and you will be innocent.” 11 They hurried, each lowering his sack to the ground and opening it. 12 He searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 Then they tore their clothes, each loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city. 14 Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, where he still was, and fell to the ground before him. 15 Joseph said to them, “What is this that you have done? Did you not know that a man like me can indeed practice divination?” 16 Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants. Here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and the one with whom the cup was found.” 17 But he said, “Far be it from me to do this. The man with whom the cup was found will be my slave. As for you, go up in peace to your father.”

18 Then Judah approached him and said, “Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears. Do not let your anger burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 20 We said to my lord, ‘We have an elderly father and a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.’ 21 Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, so that I may set my eyes on him.’ 22 We said to my lord, ‘The young man cannot leave his father, for if he leaves him, his father will die.’ 23 But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 24 When we went up to your servant my father, we told him my lord’s words. 25 Our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’ 26 We said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, we will go down, for we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 27 Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 One went away from me, and I said, “Surely he has been torn to pieces!” I have not seen him since. 29 If you take this one too from me and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hair in misery to Sheol.’ 30 Now if I come to your servant my father and the young man is not with us, since my father’s life is bound up with the young man’s life, 31 he will die when he sees that the young man is not there. Your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father in sorrow to Sheol. 32 For your servant became the young man’s guarantor before my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before my father all my days.’ 33 Now, please let your servant remain in place of the young man as my lord’s slave, and let the young man go up with his brothers. 34 For how can I go up to my father if the young man is not with me? I could not bear to see the misery that would come upon my father.”