Genesis 44
TSK
And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.
And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

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And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?
Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.

divineth. or, maketh trial.

Genesis 44:15 And Joseph said to them, What deed is this that you have done? know …

Genesis 30:27 And Laban said to him, I pray you, if I have found favor in your eyes, tarry…

Leviticus 19:26 You shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall you use …

1 Kings 20:33 Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from …

2 Kings 21:6 And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and …

In the East, there was an ancient tradition, that there was a Cup which possessed the strange property of representing in it the whole world, and all the thing were then doing. The cup is called {Jami Jemsheed,} the cup of Jemsheed, a very ancient king of Persia; and they say that it was discovered, filled with the elixir of immortality, when digging to lay the foundations of Persepolis. The Persian poets are full of allusions to this cup, which they style {Jem jehan nima,} the cup shewing the universe; and to it they ascribe all the prosperity of their ancient monarchs. Many of the Mahometan princes and governors affect still to have information by means of a cup. Now, though it cannot be admitted that Joseph practised divination, yet, according to the superstition of those times, supernatural influence might be attributed to HIS CUP.

And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.

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And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:
Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?
With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.
And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless.
Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.

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And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.
And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.
And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?
And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.

Judah.

Genesis 44:32 For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, …

Genesis 43:8,9 And Judah said to Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we …

What shall we say.

Deuteronomy 25:1 If there be a controversy between men, and they come to judgment, …

Ezra 9:10,15 And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for we have forsaken …

Job 40:4 Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer you? I will lay my hand on my mouth.

Proverbs 17:15 He that justifies the wicked, and he that comdemns the just, even …

Isaiah 5:3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray …

Daniel 9:7 O LORD, righteousness belongs to you, but to us confusion of faces, …

Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said …

God hath.

Genesis 37:18-28 And when they saw him afar off, even before he came near to them, …

Genesis 42:21,22 And they said one to another, We are truly guilty concerning our …

Numbers 32:23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the LORD: …

Joshua 7:1,18 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: …

Judges 1:7 And Adonibezek said, Three score and ten kings, having their thumbs …

Proverbs 28:17 A man that does violence to the blood of any person shall flee to …

Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what …

Luke 12:2 For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither …

iniquity.

Genesis 43:9 I will be surety for him; of my hand shall you require him: if I …

Isaiah 27:9 By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this …

Daniel 9:7 O LORD, righteousness belongs to you, but to us confusion of faces, …

behold.

Genesis 44:9 With whomsoever of your servants it be found, both let him die, and …

Genesis 37:7,9 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, see, my sheaf …

And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.
Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.

Oh my Lord. 'No paraphrase,' says Dr. A. Clarke, `can heighten the effect of Judah's address to Joseph. To add, would be to diminish its excellence; to attempt to {explain}, would be to obscure its beauties; to clothe the ideas in other language than that of Judah, and his translators in our Bible, would ruin its energy, and destroy its influence. It is perhaps one of the most tender, affecting pieces of natural oratory ever spoken or penned: and we need not wonder to find that, when Joseph heard it, he could not refrain himself, but wept aloud. His soul must have been insensible beyond what is common to human nature, had he not immediately yielded to a speech so delicately tender, and so powerfully impressive.'

let thy.

Genesis 18:30,32 And he said to him, Oh let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak: …

2 Samuel 14:12 Then the woman said, Let your handmaid, I pray you, speak one word …

Job 33:31 Mark well, O Job, listen to me: hold your peace, and I will speak.

Acts 2:29 Men and brothers, let me freely speak to you of the patriarch David, …

anger.

Exodus 32:22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: you know the …

Esther 1:12 But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king's commandment by …

Psalm 79:5 How long, LORD? will you be angry for ever? shall your jealousy burn like fire?

as Pharaoh.

Genesis 41:40,44 You shall be over my house, and according to your word shall all …

Proverbs 19:12 The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favor is as …

Daniel 3:15,19-23 Now if you be ready that at what time you hear the sound of the cornet, …

Daniel 5:19 And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, …

John 5:22 For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son:

My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?
And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.
And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.
And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.
And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.
And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.
And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.
And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us.
And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:
And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:
And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life;
It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.
For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.
Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.

therefore. What must Benjamin have felt when he heard his brother conclude his speech by a proposal which could never have been thought of if it had not been actually made! Perhaps the annals of the whole world do not produce an instance of so heroic and disinterested affection in any mere man.

I pray thee.

Exodus 32:32 Yet now, if you will forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I …

Romans 5:7-10 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for …

Romans 9:3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers, …

instead.

Hebrews 7:22 By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

1 John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life …

For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.
Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge by R. A. Torrey [ca. 1880]
Expanded version courtesy INT Bible ©2013, Used by permission

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