GENESIS 44 - English NLT

Joseph’s Silver Cup

Verse 1:
When his brothers were ready to leave, Joseph gave these instructions to his palace manager: “Fill each of their sacks with as much grain as they can carry, and put each man’s money back into his sack.

Verse 2:
Then put my personal silver cup at the top of the youngest brother’s sack, along with the money for his grain.” So the manager did as Joseph instructed him.

Verse 3:
The brothers were up at dawn and were sent on their journey with their loaded donkeys.

Verse 4:
But when they had gone only a short distance and were barely out of the city, Joseph said to his palace manager, “Chase after them and stop them. When you catch up with them, ask them, ‘Why have you repaid my kindness with such evil?

Verse 5:
Why have you stolen my master’s silver cup, which he uses to predict the future? What a wicked thing you have done!’”

Verse 6:
When the palace manager caught up with the men, he spoke to them as he had been instructed.

Verse 7:
“What are you talking about?” the brothers responded. “We are your servants and would never do such a thing!

Verse 8:
Didn’t we return the money we found in our sacks? We brought it back all the way from the land of Canaan. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?

Verse 9:
If you find his cup with any one of us, let that man die. And all the rest of us, my lord, will be your slaves.”

Verse 10:
“That’s fair,” the man replied. “But only the one who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go free.”

Verse 11:
They all quickly took their sacks from the backs of their donkeys and opened them.

Verse 12:
The palace manager searched the brothers’ sacks, from the oldest to the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack!

Verse 13:
When the brothers saw this, they tore their clothing in despair. Then they loaded their donkeys again and returned to the city.

Verse 14:
Joseph was still in his palace when Judah and his brothers arrived, and they fell to the ground before him.

Verse 15:
“What have you done?” Joseph demanded. “Don’t you know that a man like me can predict the future?”

Verse 16:
Judah answered, “Oh, my lord, what can we say to you? How can we explain this? How can we prove our innocence? God is punishing us for our sins. My lord, we have all returned to be your slaves—all of us, not just our brother who had your cup in his sack.”

Verse 17:
“No,” Joseph said. “I would never do such a thing! Only the man who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go back to your father in peace.”

Judah Speaks for His Brothers

Verse 18:
Then Judah stepped forward and said, “Please, my lord, let your servant say just one word to you. Please, do not be angry with me, even though you are as powerful as Pharaoh himself.

Verse 19:
“My lord, previously you asked us, your servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’

Verse 20:
And we responded, ‘Yes, my lord, we have a father who is an old man, and his youngest son is a child of his old age. His full brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him very much.’

Verse 21:
“And you said to us, ‘Bring him here so I can see him with my own eyes.’

Verse 22:
But we said to you, ‘My lord, the boy cannot leave his father, for his father would die.’

Verse 23:
But you told us, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes with you, you will never see my face again.’

Verse 24:
“So we returned to your servant, our father, and told him what you had said.

Verse 25:
Later, when he said, ‘Go back again and buy us more food,’

Verse 26:
we replied, ‘We can’t go unless you let our youngest brother go with us. We’ll never get to see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

Verse 27:
“Then my father said to us, ‘As you know, my wife had two sons,

Verse 28:
and one of them went away and never returned. Doubtless he was torn to pieces by some wild animal. I have never seen him since.

Verse 29:
Now if you take his brother away from me, and any harm comes to him, you will send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave.’

Verse 30:
“And now, my lord, I cannot go back to my father without the boy. Our father’s life is bound up in the boy’s life.

Verse 31:
If he sees that the boy is not with us, our father will die. We, your servants, will indeed be responsible for sending that grieving, white-haired man to his grave.

Verse 32:
My lord, I guaranteed to my father that I would take care of the boy. I told him, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, I will bear the blame forever.’

Verse 33:
“So please, my lord, let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers.

Verse 34:
For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see the anguish this would cause my father!”





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