| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his 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. |
| 2Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.” So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. | 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. |
| 3As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. | 3At daybreak, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. |
| 4When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid 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? |
| 5Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’ ” | 5Is this not the cup my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wicked!’ ” |
| 6So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words. | 6When the steward overtook them, he relayed these words to them. |
| 7And they said to him, “Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing. | 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 which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? | 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? |
| 9With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.” | 9If any of your servants is found to have it, he must die, and the rest will become slaves of my lord.” |
| 10And he said, “Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.” | 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.” |
| 11Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack. | 11So each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. |
| 12So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found 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. |
| 13Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city. | 13Then they all tore their clothes, loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city. |
| 14So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground. | 14When Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him. |
| 15And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice 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?” |
| 16Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.” | 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.” |
| 17But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to 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.” |
| 18Then Judah came near to him and said: “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like 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. |
| 19My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ | 19My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ |
| 20And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and 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.’ |
| 21Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ | 21Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so that I can see him for myself.’ |
| 22And we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, 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 you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’ | 23But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your younger brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ |
| 24“So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord. | 24Now when we returned to your servant my father, we relayed your words to him. |
| 25And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’ | 25Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us some food.’ |
| 26But we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with 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.’ |
| 27Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons; | 27And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. |
| 28and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since. | 28When one of them was gone, I said: “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. |
| 29But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’ | 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“Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life, | 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, |
| 31it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave. | 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. |
| 32For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father 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.’ |
| 33Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up 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. |
| 34For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon 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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