Genesis 44

KING JAMES BIBLE	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 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.	1 Then Joseph gave his head steward these instructions: "Fill the men's bags with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his bag.
2 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.	2 In the mouth of the youngest one's bag put also my silver goblet, together with the money for his rations." The steward carried out Joseph's instructions.
3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.	3 At daybreak the men and their donkeys were sent off.
4 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?	4 They had not gone far out of the city when Joseph said to his head steward: "Go at once after the men! When you overtake them, say to them, 'Why did you repay good with evil? Why did you steal the silver goblet from me?
5 Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing.	5 It is the very one from which my master drinks and which he uses for divination. What you have done is wrong.'"
6 And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words.	6 When the steward overtook them and repeated these words to them,
7 And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:	7 they remonstrated with him: "How can my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing!
8 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?	8 We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money that we found in the mouths of our bags. Why, then, would we steal silver or gold from your master's house?
9 With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen.	9 If any of your servants is found to have the goblet, he shall die, and as for the rest of us, we shall become my lord's slaves."
10 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.	10 But he replied, "Even though it ought to be as you propose, only the one who is found to have it shall become my slave, and the rest of you shall be exonerated."
11 Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack.	11 Then each of them eagerly lowered his bag to the ground and opened it;
12 And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.	12 and when a search was made, starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest, the goblet turned up in Benjamin's bag.
13 Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.	13 At this, they tore their clothes. Then, when each man had reloaded his donkey, they returned to the city.
14 And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.	14 As Judah and his brothers reentered Joseph's house, he was still there; so they flung themselves on the ground before him.
15 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?	15 "How could you do such a thing?" Joseph asked them. "You should have known that such a man as I could discover by divination what happened."
16 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.	16 Judah replied: "What can we say to my lord? How can we plead or how try to prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt. Here we are, then, the slaves of my lord--the rest of us no less than the one in whose possession the goblet was found."
17 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.	17 "Far be it from me to act thus!" said Joseph. "Only the one in whose possession the goblet was found shall become my slave; the rest of you may go back safe and sound to your father."
18 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.	18 Judah then stepped up to him and said: "I beg you, my lord, let your servant speak earnestly to my lord, and do not become angry with your servant, for you are the equal of Pharaoh.
19 My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?	19 My lord asked your servants, 'Have you a father, or another brother?'
20 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.	20 So we said to my lord, 'We have an aged father, and a young brother, the child of his old age. This one's full brother is dead, and since he is the only one by that mother who is left, his father dotes on him.'
21 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.	21 Then you told your servants, 'Bring him down to me that my eyes may look on him.'
22 And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.	22 We replied to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father; his father would die if he were to leave him.'
23 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.	23 But you told your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes back with you, you shall not come into my presence again.'
24 And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.	24 When we returned to your servant our father, we reported to him the words of my lord.
25 And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.	25 "Later, our father told us to come back and buy some food for the family.
26 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.	26 So we reminded him, 'We cannot go down there; only if our youngest brother is with us can we go, for we may not see the man if our youngest brother is not with us.'
27 And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:	27 Then your servant our father said to us, 'As you know, 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 saw him not since:	28 One of them, however, disappeared, and I had to conclude that he must have been torn to pieces by wild beasts; I have not seen him since.
29 And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.	29 If you now take this one away from me too, and some disaster befalls him, you will send my white head down to the nether world in grief.'
30 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;	30 "If then the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, whose very life is bound up with his, he will die as soon as he sees that the boy is missing;
31 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.	31 and your servants will thus send the white head of our father down to the nether world in grief.
32 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.	32 Besides, I, your servant, got the boy from his father by going surety for him, saying, 'If I fail to bring him back to you, father, you can hold it against me forever.'
33 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.	33 Let me, your servant, therefore, remain in place of the boy as the slave of my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers.
34 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.	34 How could I go back to my father if the boy were not with me? I could not bear to see the anguish that would overcome my father."