NIV 2011
A Silver Cup in a Sack
44 Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack. 2 Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said.
3 As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. 4 They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? 5 Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.’”
6 When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. 7 But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! 8 We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? 9 If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.”
10 “Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.”
11 Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. 12 Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.
14 Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. 15 Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?”
16 “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.”
17 But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.”
18 Then Judah went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 20 And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’
21 “Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’ 22 And we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’ 23 But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 24 When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.
25 “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’ 26 But we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. 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 of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. 29 If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’
30 “So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, 31 sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. 32 Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’
33 “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.
WYC 1382
A Silver Cup in a Sack
44 Forsooth Joseph commanded the dispenser of his house, and said, Fill thou their sacks with wheat, as much as they may take, and put thou the money of each in the height of the sack; 2 forsooth put thou in the sack’s mouth of the youngest my silver cup, and the price of the wheat which he gave; and it was done so.
3 And when the morrowtide (a)rose, they were delivered with their asses. 4 And now they had gone out of the city, and had gone forth a little; then Joseph said, when the dispenser of his house was called, Rise thou, pursue the men, and say thou when they be taken, Why have ye yielded evil for good? 5 The cup, which ye have stolen, is that in which my lord drinketh, and in which he is wont to divine; ye have done a full wicked thing.
6 He did as Joseph commanded, and when they were (over)taken, he spake by order these things; 7 the which answered, Why speaketh our lord so, (saying) that thy servants have done so great a trespass? 8 We brought again to thee from the land of Canaan the money that we found in the height of our sacks, and how is it following that we have stolen from thy lord’s house gold or silver? 9 At whomever of thy servants this that thou seekest is found, die he, and we shall be servants of my lord.
10 Which said to them, Be it done by your sentence; at whom it is found, be he my servant; forsooth ye shall be guiltless.
11 And so they did down hastily their sacks on the earth, and all they opened them, 12 the which he sought (through); and he began at the most till to the least, and he found the cup in Benjamin’s sack. 13 And when they had rent their clothes, and had charged again their asses, they turned again into the city.
14 And Judah entered with his brethren to Joseph; for Joseph had not gone yet from the place; and all they fell together on the earth before him. 15 To whom he said, Why would ye do so? whether ye wot not, that none is like me in the knowing of divining?
16 To whom Judah said, What shall we answer to my lord, or what shall we speak, either what may we justly against-say? God hath found the wickedness of thy servants; lo! all we be the servants of my lord, both we and he at whom the cup is found.
17 Joseph answered, Far be it from me, that I do so; he be my servant that stole the cup; forsooth go ye free to your father.
18 Soothly Judah nighed near, and said trustily (and plaintively said), My lord, I pray thee, (let) thy servant speak a word in thine ears, and be thou not wroth to thy servant; for after Pharaoh thou art my lord. 19 Thou askedest first thy servants, Have ye a father, or a brother? 20 And we answered to my lord, An eld father is to us, and a little child that was born in his eld (age), whose brother of the same womb is dead, and his mother hath him alone; forsooth his father loveth him tenderly.
21 And thou saidest to thy servants, Bring ye him (down) to me, and I shall set mine eyes on him. 22 We made (the) suggestion to thee, my lord, the child may not forsake his father; for if he shall leave his father, his father shall die. 23 And thou saidest to thy servants, If your youngest brother shall not come (down) with you, ye shall no more see my face. 24 Therefore when we had gone up to thy servant, our father, we told to him all things which my lord spake to us;
25 and our father said, Turn ye again, and buy ye to you a little of wheat; 26 to whom we said, We may not go; (only) if our least brother shall go down with us, we shall go forth together; else, if he is absent, we dare not see the lord’s face.
27 To which things our father answered, Ye know that my wife childed two sons to me; 28 one went out (from me), and ye said, A beast [hath] devoured him, and hitherto he appeareth not; 29 if ye take also this son, and anything befall to him in the way, ye shall lead forth mine hoar hairs with mourning to hells.
30 Therefore if I enter again to thy servant, our father, and the child fail, since his life hangeth of the life of the child, 31 and he see that the child is not with us, he shall die, and thy servants shall lead forth his hoar hairs with sorrow to hells. 32 Be I properly thy servant, which received this child on my faith, and I promised, and said, If I shall not bring again him (to thee), I shall be guilty of sin against my father in all time;
33 and so I shall dwell thy servant for the child into the service of my lord, and the child go up with his brethren; 34 for I may not go again to my father, if the child be absent, lest I stand a witness of the wretchedness that shall oppress my father.
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