The Missing Cup

441 Then he commanded his house steward e , 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 . 2 "Put my cup , the silver cup , in the mouth of the sack of the youngest , and his money for the grain ." And he did as Joseph had told him. 3 As soon as it was light , the men were sent away , they with their donkeys . 4 They had just gone out of the city , and were not far off, when Joseph said to his house steward e , "Up, follow e the men ; and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good ? 5 'Is not this the one from which my lord drinks and which he indeed uses for divination ? You have done wrong in doing this .' " 6 So he overtook them and spoke these words to them. 7 They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words as these ? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing . 8 "Behold , the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks we have brought back to you from the land of Canaan . How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house ? 9 " With whomever of your servants it is found , let him die , and we also will be my lord's slaves ." 10 So he said , "Now let it also be according to your words ; he with whom it is found shall be my slave , and the rest of you shall be innocent ." 11 Then they hurried , each man lowered his sack to the ground , and each man opened his sack . 12 He searched , beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest , and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack . 13 Then they tore their clothes , and when each man loaded his donkey , they returned to the city . 14 When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house , he was still there , and they fell to the ground before him. 15 Joseph said to them, "What is this deed that you have done ? Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed practice divination ?" 16 So Judah said , "What can we say to my lord ? What can we speak ? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants ; behold , we are my lord's slaves , both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been found ." 17 But he said , "Far be it from me to do this . The man in whose possession the cup has been found , he shall be my slave ; but as for you, go up in peace to your father ."

Judah Pleads for Benjamin

18 Then Judah approached him, and said , "Oh my lord , may your servant please speak a word in my lord's ears , and do not be angry e with your servant ; for you are equal to Pharaoh . 19 " My lord asked his servants , saying , 'Have you a father or a brother ?' 20 "We said to my lord , 'We have an old father and a little child of his old age . Now his brother is dead , so he alone is left of his mother , and his father loves him.' 21 "Then you said to your servants , ' Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him.' 22 "But we said to my lord , 'The lad cannot e leave his father , for if he should leave his father , his father would die .' 23 "You said to your servants , however, ' Unless e your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again .' 24 "Thus it came about when we went up to your servant my father , we told him the words of my lord . 25 " Our father said , 'Go back , buy us a little food .' 26 "But we said , 'We cannot e go down . If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down ; for we cannot e 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 and the one went out from me, and I said , "Surely he is torn in pieces ," and I have not seen him since e . 29 'If you take this one also from me, and harm befalls 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 , 31 when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die . Thus your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow . 32 "For your servant became surety for the lad to my father , saying , 'If I do not bring him back to you, then let me bear the blame before my father forever e .' 33 "Now , therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my lord , and let the lad go up with his brothers . 34 "For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me-for fear that I see the evil that would overtake my father ?"