44:1 Then Joseph gave a command to the ·servant in charge of [L one over] his house. He said, “Fill the men’s sacks with as much ·grain [L food] as they can carry, and put each man’s ·money [silver] into his sack with the grain.
44:2 Put my silver ·cup [goblet] in the sack of the ·youngest [smallest] brother, along with his ·money [silver] for the grain.” ·The servant [L He] did what Joseph told him.
44:3 At dawn the ·brothers [L men] were sent away with their donkeys.
44:4 They were not far from the city when Joseph said to the ·servant in charge of [L one over] his house, “·Go after [L Get up and pursue] the men. When you catch up with them, say, ‘Why have you paid back evil for good?
44:5 ·The cup you have stolen is the one [L Is this not what…?] my ·master [lord] uses for drinking and for ·explaining dreams [divination; C perhaps by pouring oil in water as a means of telling the future (called lecanomancy)]. ·You [L Is not what you…?] have done a very wicked thing!’ ”
44:6 So ·the servant [L he] caught up with ·the brothers [L them] and said to them ·what Joseph had told him to say [L these words].
44:7 But the brothers said to the servant, “Why do ·you [my master/lord] say these things? ·We would not [L Far be it from your servants to] do anything like that!
44:8 We brought back to you from the land of Canaan the ·money [silver] we found in our sacks. ·So surely we would not [L Why would we…?] steal silver or gold from your ·master’s [lord’s] house.
44:9 If ·you find that silver cup in the sack of one of [L it is found with one of] us, then let him die, and we will be your ·slaves [servants].”
44:10 ·The servant [L He] said, “·We will do [It will be] as you say, but only the man who has taken the cup will become my ·slave [servant]. The rest of you ·may go free [will be innocent].”
44:11 Then every brother quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened ·it [L their sack].
44:12 ·The servant [L He] searched the sacks, ·going from [starting with] the oldest brother to [L and ending with] the ·youngest [smallest], and found the ·cup [goblet] in Benjamin’s sack.
44:13 The brothers tore their clothes [C a sign of mourning; they were afraid for Benjamin’s life]. Then they ·put their sacks back on [L loaded] the donkeys and returned to the city.
44:14 When Judah and his brothers ·went back to [arrived at] Joseph’s house, Joseph was still there, so ·the brothers bowed facedown [L they fell] on the ground before him.
44:15 Joseph said to them, “What have you done? Didn’t you know that a man like me can ·learn things by signs and dreams [L practice divination]?”
44:16 Judah said, “·Master [My lord], what can we say? What can we tell you? And how can we ·show we are not guilty [justify ourselves]? God has ·uncovered [L found out] our guilt, so all of us will be ·your slaves [L slaves/servants of my master/lord], not just ·Benjamin [L the one in whose hand the cup/goblet was found].”
44:17 But Joseph said, “·I will not make you all slaves [L Far be it from me that I should do that]! Only the man ·who stole the cup [L in whose hand the cup/goblet was found] will be my ·slave [servant]. The rest of you may go back ·safely [or in peace] to your father.”
44:18 Then Judah ·went to Joseph [L approached him] and said, “·Master [My lord], please let ·me [L your servant] speak ·plainly to you [L a word in your ears], and please don’t be angry with ·me [L your servant]. ·I know that you are as powerful as the king of Egypt [L You are like Pharaoh] himself.
44:19 ·When we were here before, you asked us [L My master/lord asked his servants], ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’
44:20 And we answered ·you [L my master/lord], ‘We have an old father. And we have a younger brother, ·who was born when our father was old [L of his old age]. ·This youngest son’s [L His] brother is dead, so he is the only one of his mother’s children left alive, and ·our [L his] father loves him very much.’
44:21 Then you said to ·us [L your servants], ‘Bring ·that brother [L him] to me. I want to ·see [L set my eyes on] him.’
44:22 And we said to ·you [L my master/lord], ‘That young boy cannot leave his father, because if he leaves him, his father would die.’
44:23 But you said to ·us [your servants], ‘If you don’t bring your youngest brother [L with you], you will not be allowed to see ·me [L my face] again.’
44:24 So we went back to [L your servant] our father and told him ·what you had said [L the words of my master/lord].
44:25 “Later, our father said, ‘·Go again [Return] and buy us a little more food.’
44:26 We said to our father, ‘We cannot go without our ·youngest [smallest] brother. Without our ·youngest [smallest] brother, we will not be allowed to see the ·governor [L face of the man].’
44:27 Then [L your servant] my father said to us, ‘You know that my ·wife Rachel gave [L wife bore] me two sons.
44:28 When one son left me, I thought, “Surely he has been torn apart by a wild animal,” and I haven’t seen him since.
44:29 Now you want to take this son away from ·me [L my face/presence] also. But something ·terrible [tragic; disastrous] might happen to him, and ·I would be miserable until the day I die [L you would bring my gray head down to Sheol in sorrow].’
44:30 Now what will happen if we go home to [L your servant] our father without our ·youngest [smallest] brother? ·He is so important in our father’s life [L And his life/soul is so bound up in his life/soul] that
44:31 when our father sees the young boy is not with us, he will die. ·And it will be our fault. We will cause the great sorrow that kills our father [L Your servants will have brought the gray head of your servant to Sheol in grief].
44:32 “·I gave my father a guarantee that the young boy would be safe [L For your servant provided surety for the young boy for his father]. I said to my father, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, ·you can blame me [L I will be condemned before my father] all my life.’
44:33 So now, please allow ·me [L your servant] to stay here and be your ·slave [L servant in place of the young boy], and let the young boy go back home with his brothers.
44:34 I cannot go back to my father if the boy is not with me. I couldn’t stand to see my father ·that sad [suffer].”
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