44:1 Then he instructed his caretaker:
Fill
the packs of the men with food
as
much as they can hold
and
put their money back
in
the pocket of each of their packs.
44:2 Then put my silver cup
in
the pocket of the pack
of
the youngest boy with his money.
He
did as instructed by Joseph.
44:3 Bright and early the next morning
the
men left with their donkeys.
44:4 Once they were outside the city
and
hadn’t traveled for long
Joseph
said to his caretaker:
Get
up and go after the men.
When
you have caught up to them
Then
say to them all:
Why
have you rewarded
kindness
with wickedness?
44:5 Is this not the cup
from
which my master drinks
and
uses for his devotional rituals?
This
is a wicked thing you have done.
44:6 When he caught up with them
he
spoke these words to them.
44:7 Then they said to him:
Why
did your master say such things?
Why
would his servants
do
something like this?
44:8 What about the money
we
found inside our pack pockets
that
we brought back to you
all
the way from
Why
would we then steal
from
the house of your master
either
silver or gold?
44:9 If any of your servants
is
found to have it
he
will die and we will become
your
slaves dear sir.
44:10 Then he said:
Okay,
just as what you say
so
it will be.
Whomever
is found with it
will
become my servant
and
the rest will be blameless.
44:11 Each immediately removed his pack
and
put it on the ground
and
then opened it.
44:12 Then he began searching
from
the oldest
to
the youngest.
The
cup was found
in
Benjamin’s pack.
44:13 So they ripped their clothing
then
each loaded up his donkey
and
journeyed back to the town.
44:14 When Judah and his brothers
arrived
at Joseph’s house
he
was still there.
They
bowed to the ground before him.
44:15 Then Joseph said to them:
What
is this thing you have done?
Did
you not think a man like me
would
surely know these things?
44:16 Then Judah said:
What
can we say to you sir?
What
could we speak?
And
how could we justify ourselves?
God
has revealed your servants’ crime.
Yes,
we are your servants
and
he was found with the cup.
44:17 Yet Joseph said:
It
is not for me to do this.
But
the man found with the cup
will
become my servant.
And
you, go in peace to your father.
44:18 Then Judah approached him saying:
Dear
sir, please let your servant
say
something into my sir’s ears.
Please
don’t be angry at your servant
for
you are equal to Pharaoh.
44:19 Sir, you asked your servants
if
we had a father or a brother.
44:20 And sir we told you
that
we have an elderly father
and
a child born in his older years.
His
brother passed away
and
he is the only one
of
his mother’s sons left
and
his father loves him.
44:21 Then you told your servants
to
bring him over to you
so
you could see him yourself.
44:22 But we said to our dear sir
that
the boy can’t leave his father
for
if he leaves his father
the
father would die.
44:23 Then you told your servants
that
if your youngest brother won’t come
we
could never see you again.
44:24 Once we went over
to
your servant my father
we
told him what you said, sir.
44:25 Then our father said:
Go
back and buy us some food.
44:26 So we told him
we
won’t be able to go there.
If
our youngest brother is with us
then
we will be able to go there.
We
won’t be able to see him
if
our youngest brother isn’t with us.
44:27 Your servant my father told us
you
know his wife bore two sons.
44:28 And one had left him
and
surely was ripped apart
and
thus he hasn’t seem him since.
44:29 And if you take
this
one from him
and
some harm comes to him
he
said it will take his gray hair
down
to the grave in sorrow
44:30 Therefore when I return
to
your servant my father
and
the boy is not with us
his
heart bound to his boy’s life
44:31 he will see
the
boy isn’t with us
and
that he has passed away.
Then
your servants will take
the
grey hairs of your servant
our
father into the grave in sorrow.
44:32 Your servant assured the safety
of
the boy to my father.
I
told him that if I don’t
bring
him back to him
I
will bear the blame forever.
44:33 Now please let your servant
remain
instead of the boy
a
servant of your excellence
and
let the boy leave
with
his brothers.
44:34 How could I possibly go
back
to my father without the boy?
Don’t
let me see the sorrow
that
would come over my father.
