New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Then he commanded the steward of his house, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the top of his sack.
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Then he gave orders to the servant who was over his house, saying, Put as much food into the men's bags as will go into them, and put every man's money in the mouth of his bag;
2 Put my cup, the silver cup, in the top of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain." And he did as Joseph told him.
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And put my cup, my silver cup, in the youngest one's bag, with his money. So he did as Joseph said.
3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys.
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And at dawn the men, with their asses, were sent away.
4 When they had gone only a short distance from the city, Joseph said to his steward, "Go, follow after the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, "Why have you returned evil for good? Why have you stolen my silver cup?
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And when they had gone only a little way out of the town, Joseph said to the servant who was over his house, Go after them; and when you overtake them, say to them, Why have you done evil in reward for good?
5 Is it not from this that my lord drinks? Does he not indeed use it for divination? You have done wrong in doing this.' "
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Is not this the cup from which my lord takes wine and by which he gets knowledge of the future? Truly, you have done evil.
6 When he overtook them, he repeated these words to them.
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So he overtook them and said these words to them.
7 They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants that they should do such a thing!
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And they said to him, Why does my lord say such words as these? far be it from your servants to do such a thing:
8 Look, the money that we found at the top of our sacks, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan; why then would we steal silver or gold from your lord's house?
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See, the money which was in the mouth of our bags we gave back to you when we came again from Canaan: how then might we take silver or gold from your lord's house?
9 Should it be found with any one of your servants, let him die; moreover the rest of us will become my lord's slaves."
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If it comes to light that any of your servants has done this, let him be put to death, and we will be your lord's servants.
10 He said, "Even so; in accordance with your words, let it be: he with whom it is found shall become my slave, but the rest of you shall go free."
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And he said, Let it be as you say: he in whose bag it is seen will become my servant; and you will not be responsible.
11 Then each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack.
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Then every man quickly got his bag down and undid it.
12 He searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
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And he made a search, starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was in Benjamin's bag.
13 At this they tore their clothes. Then each one loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.
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Then in bitter grief they put the bags on the asses again and went back to the town.
14 Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house while he was still there; and they fell to the ground before him.
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So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house; and he was still there: and they went down on their faces before him.
15 Joseph said to them, "What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that one such as I can practice divination?"
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And Joseph said, What is this thing which you have done? had you no thought that such a man as I would have power to see what is secret?
16 And Judah said, "What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; here we are then, my lord's slaves, both we and also the one in whose possession the cup has been found."
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And Judah said, What are we to say to my lord? how may we put ourselves right in his eyes? God has made clear the sin of your servants: now we are in your hands, we and the man in whose bag your cup was seen.
17 But he said, "Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the one in whose possession the cup was found shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father."
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Then he said, Far be it from me to do so: but the man who had my cup will be my servant; and you may go back to your father in peace.
18 Then Judah stepped up to him and said, "O my lord, let your servant please speak a word in my lord's ears, and do not be angry with your servant; for you are like Pharaoh himself.
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Then Judah came near him, and said, Let your servant say a word in my lord's ears, and let not your wrath be burning against your servant: for you are in the place of Pharaoh to us.
19 My lord asked his servants, saying, "Have you a father or a brother?'
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My lord said to his servants, Have you a father or a brother?
20 And we said to my lord, "We have a father, an old man, and a young brother, the child of his old age. His brother is dead; he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him.'
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And we said to my lord, We have an old father and a young child, whom he had when he was old; his brother is dead and he is the only son of his mother, and is very dear to his father.
21 Then you said to your servants, "Bring him down to me, so that I may set my eyes on him.'
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And you said to your servants, Let him come down to me with you, so that I may see him.
22 We said to my lord, "The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'
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And we said to my lord, His father will not let him go; for if he went away his father would come to his death.
23 Then you said to your servants, "Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.'
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But you said to your servants, If your youngest brother does not come with you, you will not see my face again.
24 When we went back to your servant my father we told him the words of my lord.
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And when we went back to your servant, our father, we gave him an account of my lord's words.
25 And when our father said, "Go again, buy us a little food,'
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And our father said, Go again and get us a little food.
26 we said, "We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother goes with us, will we go down; for we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.'
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And we said, Only if our youngest brother goes with us will we go down; for we may not see the man's face again if our youngest brother is not with us.
27 Then your servant my father said to us, "You know that my wife bore me two sons;
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And our father said to us, You have knowledge that my wife gave me two sons;
28 one left me, and I said, Surely he has been torn to pieces; and I have never seen him since.
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The one went away from me, and I said, Truly he has come to a violent death; and from that time I have not seen him,
29 If you take this one also from me, and harm comes to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in sorrow to Sheol.'
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If now you take this one from me, and some evil comes to him, you will make my grey head go down in sorrow to the underworld.
30 Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us, then, as his life is bound up in the boy's life,
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If then I go back to your servant, my father, without the boy, because his life and the boy's life are one,
31 when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die; and your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol.
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When he sees that the boy is not with us, he will come to his death, and our father's grey head will go down in sorrow to the underworld.
32 For your servant became surety for the boy to my father, saying, "If I do not bring him back to you, then I will bear the blame in the sight of my father all my life.'
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For I made myself responsible for the boy to my father, saying, If I do not give him safely back to you, let mine be the sin for ever.
33 Now therefore, please let your servant remain as a slave to my lord in place of the boy; and let the boy go back with his brothers.
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So now let me be my lord's servant here in place of the boy, and let him go back with his brothers.
34 For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the suffering that would come upon my father."
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For how may I go back to my father without the boy, and see the evil which will come on my father?
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.