Genesis 44 ISV BSB Parallel

◄ Genesis 44 ►

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Berean Study Bible

1Later, Joseph commanded his palace manager, "Fill the men's sacks to full capacity with food and replace each man's money at the top of the sack.

1Then Joseph instructed his steward: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each one’s silver in the mouth of his sack.

2Then place my cup—the silver one—in the top of the sack belonging to the youngest one, along with the money he brought to buy grain." So the manager did precisely what Joseph told him to do.

2Put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” So the steward did as Joseph had instructed.

3Early the next morning, the men were sent on their way, along with their donkeys.

3At daybreak, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.

4They had not traveled far from the city when Joseph ordered his palace manager, "Get up, follow those men, and when you've caught up with them, ask them, 'Why did you repay evil for good?

4They had not gone far from the city when Joseph told his steward, “Pursue the men at once, and when you overtake them, ask, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?

5Don't you have the cup that my master uses to drink from and also uses to practice divination? You're wrong to have done this.'"

5Is this not the cup my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wicked!’ ”

6So he went after them and made that accusation.

6When the steward overtook them, he relayed these words to them.

7"Your Excellency," they replied, "Why do you speak like this? Far be it from your servants to act like this.

7“Why does my lord say these things?” they asked. “Your servants could not possibly do such a thing.

8Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money that we found at the top of our sacks. How, then, could we have stolen silver or gold from your master's palace?

8We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found in the mouths of our sacks. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?

9Go ahead and execute whichever one of your servants is discovered to have it, and we'll remain as your master's slaves."

9If any of your servants is found to have it, he must die, and the rest will become slaves of my lord.”

10"Agreed," he responded. "Just as you've said, the one who is found to have it in his possession will become my slave, and the rest of you will be innocent."

10“As you say,” replied the steward. “But only the one who is found with the cup will be my slave, and the rest of you shall be free of blame.”

11So they quickly dismounted, unloaded their sacks onto the ground, and each one of them opened his own sack.

11So each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it.

12The palace manager searched for the cup, beginning with the oldest brother's sack and ending with the youngest brother's sack, and there it was!—in Benjamin's sack.

12The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest—and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

13At this, they all tore their clothes, reloaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.

13Then they all tore their clothes, loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.

14Joseph was waiting for them back at his palace when his brothers returned. They fell to the ground in front of him,

14When Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him.

15and Joseph asked them, "Why did you do this? Don't you know that I'm an expert at divination?"

15“What is this deed you have done?” Joseph declared. “Do you not know that a man like me can surely divine the truth?”

16"What can we say, Your Excellency?" Judah replied. "How can we explain this or justify ourselves? God has discovered the sin of your servants, and now we've become slaves to you, Your Excellency, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been discovered."

16“What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed the iniquity of your servants. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we and the one who was found with the cup.”

17"Far be it from me to do this," Joseph responded. "The man in whose possession the cup was discovered will be my slave, but the rest of you may leave in peace to be with your father."

17But Joseph replied, “Far be it from me to do this. The man who was found with the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may return to your father in peace.”

18But Judah approached him and begged him, "Your Excellency, please allow your servant to speak to you privately. Please don't be angry with your servant, since you are equal to Pharaoh.

18Then Judah approached Joseph and said, “Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are equal to Pharaoh himself.

19Your Excellency asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or brother?'

19My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’

20and we answered Your Excellency, 'We have an aged father and a younger child who was born when he was old. His brother is now dead, so he's the only surviving son of his mother. His father loves him.'

20And we answered, ‘We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age. The boy’s brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’

21"But then you ordered your servants, 'Bring him here to me so I can see him for myself.'

21Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so that I can see him for myself.’

22So we told Your Excellency, 'The young man cannot leave his father, because if he were to do so, his father would die.'

22So we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.’

23But then you told your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes back with you, you won't see my face again.'

23But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your younger brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’

24Later on, after we had gone back to your servant, my father, we told him what Your Excellency had said.

24Now when we returned to your servant my father, we relayed your words to him.

25"'Go back,' our father ordered, 'and buy us a little food.'

25Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us some food.’

26"But we told him, 'We can't go back there. If our youngest brother accompanies us, we'll go back, but we cannot see the man's face again unless our youngest brother accompanies us.'

26But we answered, ‘We cannot go down there unless our younger brother goes with us. So if our younger brother is not with us, we cannot see the man.’

27"Then your servant, our father, told us, 'You know my wife bore me two sons.

27And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.

28One of them left me, so I concluded "I'm certain that he has been torn to pieces," and I haven't seen him since then.

28When one of them was gone, I said: “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since.

29If you take this one from me, too, and then something harmful happens to him, then it will be death for me and my sad, gray hair!'

29Now if you also take this one from me and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’

30"So when I go back to your servant, my father, and the young man isn't with us, since he's constantly living life focused on his son,

30So if the boy is not with us when I return to your servant, and if my father, whose life is wrapped up in the boy’s life,

31when he notices that the young man hasn't come back with us, he'll die, and your servants really will have brought death to your servant, our father, along with his sad, gray hair!

31sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.

32Also, your servant pledged his own life as a guarantee of the young man's safety. I told my father, 'If I don't bring him back to you, you can blame me forever.'

32Indeed, your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father, saying, ‘If I do not return him to you, I will bear the guilt before you, my father, all my life.’

33Therefore, please allow your servant to remain as a slave to Your Excellency, instead of the young man, and let the young man go back home with his brothers.

33Now please let your servant stay here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy. Let him return with his brothers.

34After all, how can I go back to my father if the young man doesn't accompany me? I'm afraid of what might happen to my father."

34For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the misery that would overwhelm him.”

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