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.
