Parallel Bible results for "genesis 44"

Genesis 44

Common English Bible CEB

1 Joseph gave commands to his household manager: "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they'll hold, and put each man's silver at the top of his sack.

2 Put my cup, the silver cup, on top of the youngest brother's sack, together with the silver for his grain." So he did just as Joseph told him to do.

3 At dawn, the men and their donkeys were sent off.

4 They had left the city but hadn't gone far when Joseph said to his household manager, "Get ready, go after the men and catch up with them! Ask them, ‘Why have you repaid hospitality with ingratitude?

5 Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and uses to discover God's plans? What you've done is despicable.'"

6 When he caught up to them, he repeated these words.

7 They replied, "Why does my master talk to us like this? Your servants would never do such a thing.

8 The silver that we found at the top of our sacks, we've just brought back to you from the land of Canaan. We didn't steal silver or gold from your master's house.

9 Whoever of your servants is found with it will be put to death, and we'll be my master's slaves."

10 He said, "Fine. We'll do just as you've said. Whoever is found with it will be my slave, and the rest of you will go free."

11 Everyone quickly lowered their sacks down to the ground and each opened his sack.

12 He searched the oldest first and the youngest last, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

13 At this, they tore their clothing. Then everyone loaded their donkeys, and they returned to the city.

14 When Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph's house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground in front of him.

15 Joseph said to them, "What's this you've done? Didn't you know someone like me can discover God's plans?"

16 Judah replied, "What can we say to my master? What words can we use? How can we prove we are innocent? God has found your servants guilty. We are now your slaves, all of us, including the one found with the cup."

17 Joseph said, "I'd never do such a thing. Only the man found with the cup will be my slave. As for the rest of you, you are free to go back to your father."

18 Judah approached him and said, “Please, my master, allow your servant to say something to my master without getting angry with your servant since you are like Pharaoh himself.

19 My master asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or brother?'

20 And we said to my master, ‘Yes, we have an elderly father and a young brother, born when he was old. His brother is dead and he's his mother's only child. But his father loves him.'

21 You told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him.'

22 And we said to my master, ‘The young man can't leave his father. If he leaves, his father will die.'

23 You said to your servants, ‘If your youngest brother doesn't come down with you, you'll never see my face again.'

24 "When we went back to my father your servant, we told him what you said.

25 Our father told us, ‘Go back and buy for us a little food.'

26 But we said, ‘We can't go down. We will go down only if our youngest brother is with us. We won't be able to gain an audience with the man without our youngest brother with us.'

27 Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife gave birth to two sons for me.

28 One disappeared and I said, 'He must have been torn up by a wild animal,' and I haven't seen him since.

29 And if you take this one from me too, something terrible will happen to him, and you will send me—old as I am—to my grave in despair.'

30 When I now go back to your servant my father without the young man—whose life is so bound up with his—

31 and when he sees that the young man isn't with us, he will die, and your servants will have sent our father your servant—old as he is—to his grave in grief.

32 I, your servant, guaranteed the young man's safety to my father, telling him, ‘If I don't bring him back to you, it will be my fault forever.'

33 Now, please let your servant stay as your slave instead of the young man so that he can go back with his brothers.

34 How can I go back to my father without the young man? I couldn't bear to see how badly my father would be hurt."

The Message Bible MSG

1 Joseph ordered his house steward: "Fill the men's bags with food - all they can carry - and replace each one's money at the top of the bag.

2 Then put my chalice, my silver chalice, in the top of the bag of the youngest, along with the money for his food." He did as Joseph ordered.

3 At break of day the men were sent off with their donkeys.

4 They were barely out of the city when Joseph said to his house steward, "Run after them. When you catch up with them, say, 'Why did you pay me back evil for good?

5 This is the chalice my master drinks from; he also uses it for divination. This is outrageous!'"

6 He caught up with them and repeated all this word for word.

7 They said, "What is my master talking about? We would never do anything like that!

8 Why, the money we found in our bags earlier, we brought back all the way from Canaan - do you think we'd turn right around and steal it back from your master?

9 If that chalice is found on any of us, he'll die; and the rest of us will be your master's slaves."

10 The steward said, "Very well then, but we won't go that far. Whoever is found with the chalice will be my slave; the rest of you can go free."

11 They outdid each other in putting their bags on the ground and opening them up for inspection.

12 The steward searched their bags, going from oldest to youngest. The chalice showed up in Benjamin's bag.

13 They ripped their clothes in despair, loaded up their donkeys, and went back to the city.

14 Joseph was still at home when Judah and his brothers got back. They threw themselves down on the ground in front of him.

15 Joseph accused them: "How can you have done this? You have to know that a man in my position would have discovered this."

16 Judah as spokesman for the brothers said, "What can we say, master? What is there to say? How can we prove our innocence? God is behind this, exposing how bad we are. We stand guilty before you and ready to be your slaves - we're all in this together, the rest of us as guilty as the one with the chalice."

17 "I'd never do that to you," said Joseph. "Only the one involved with the chalice will be my slave. The rest of you are free to go back to your father."

18 Judah came forward. He said, "Please, master; can I say just one thing to you? Don't get angry. Don't think I'm presumptuous - you're the same as Pharaoh as far as I'm concerned.

19 You, master, asked us, 'Do you have a father and a brother?'

20 And we answered honestly, 'We have a father who is old and a younger brother who was born to him in his old age. His brother is dead and he is the only son left from that mother. And his father loves him more than anything.'

21 "Then you told us, 'Bring him down here so I can see him.'

22 We told you, master, that it was impossible: 'The boy can't leave his father; if he leaves, his father will die.'

23 "And then you said, 'If your youngest brother doesn't come with you, you won't be allowed to see me.'

24 "When we returned to our father, we told him everything you said to us.

25 So when our father said, 'Go back and buy some more food,'

26 we told him flatly, 'We can't. The only way we can go back is if our youngest brother is with us. We aren't allowed to even see the man if our youngest brother doesn't come with us.'

27 "Your servant, my father, told us, 'You know very well that my wife gave me two sons.

28 One turned up missing. I concluded that he'd been ripped to pieces. I've never seen him since.

29 If you now go and take this one and something bad happens to him, you'll put my old gray, grieving head in the grave for sure.'

30 "And now, can't you see that if I show up before your servant, my father, without the boy, this son with whom his life is so bound up,

31 the moment he realizes the boy is gone, he'll die on the spot. He'll die of grief and we, your servants who are standing here before you, will have killed him.

32 And that's not all. I got my father to release the boy to show him to you by promising, 'If I don't bring him back, I'll stand condemned before you, Father, all my life.'

33 "So let me stay here as your slave, not this boy. Let the boy go back with his brothers.

34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? Oh, don't make me go back and watch my father die in grief!"