Parallel Bible results for "genesis 44"

Genesis 44

New Revised Standard NRS

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.

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.

3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys.

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?

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.' "

6 When he overtook them, he repeated 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!

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?

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."

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."

11 Then each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack.

12 He searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

13 At this they tore their clothes. Then each one loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.

14 Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house while he was still there; and they fell to the ground 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?"

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."

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."

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.

19 My lord asked his servants, saying, "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.'

21 Then you said to your servants, "Bring him down to me, so that I may set my eyes on him.'

22 We said to my lord, "The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

23 Then you said to your servants, "Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.'

24 When we went back to your servant my father we told him the words of my lord.

25 And when our father said, "Go again, buy 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.'

27 Then your servant my father said to us, "You know that my wife bore me two sons;

28 one left me, and I said, Surely he has been torn to pieces; and I have never seen him since.

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.'

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,

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.

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.'

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.

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."

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!"