Genesis 44

1He commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in his sack’s mouth.Cross-references: Gen 24:2 · Gen 42:25 · Gen 43:2 · Gen 43:16 · Gen 43:19 · Isa 3:1

2Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, with his grain money.” He did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.Cross-references: Gen 42:15 · Gen 42:20 · Gen 43:32 · Deut 8:2 · Deut 8:16 · Deut 13:3 · +2 more

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

4When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Up, follow after the men. When you overtake them, ask them, ‘Why have you rewarded evil for good?Cross-references: Deut 2:16 · 1Sam 24:17 · 2Chr 20:11 · Ps 35:12 · Ps 109:5 · Prov 17:13 · +1 more

5Isn’t this that from which my lord drinks, and by which he indeed divines? You have done evil in so doing.’”Cross-references: Gen 30:27 · Gen 44:15 · Lev 19:26 · Deut 18:10 · 1Ki 20:33 · 2Ki 21:6

6He overtook them, and he spoke these words to them.

7They 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!Cross-references: Gen 34:25 · Gen 35:22 · Gen 37:18 · Gen 38:16 · Josh 22:22 · 2Sam 20:20 · +4 more

8Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks’ mouths, we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan. How then should we steal silver or gold out of your lord’s house?Cross-references: Gen 42:21 · Gen 42:27 · Gen 42:35 · Gen 43:12 · Gen 43:21 · Gen 44:7 · +5 more

9With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”Cross-references: Gen 31:32 · Gen 43:18 · Gen 44:16 · Job 31:38 · Ps 7:3 · Acts 25:11

10He said, “Now also let it be according to your words. He with whom it is found will be my slave; and you will be blameless.”Cross-references: Gen 44:17 · Gen 44:33 · Ex 22:3 · Matt 18:24

11Then they hurried, and each man took his sack down to the ground, and each man opened his sack.

12He searched, beginning with the oldest, and ending at the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.Cross-references: Gen 42:36 · Gen 43:14 · Gen 43:33 · Gen 44:2 · Gen 44:26

13Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey, and returned to the city.Cross-references: Gen 37:29 · Num 14:6 · 2Sam 1:2 · 2Sam 1:11 · 2Sam 13:19

14Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there. They fell on the ground before him.Cross-references: Gen 37:7 · Gen 43:16 · Gen 43:25 · Gen 50:18 · Phil 2:10

15Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Don’t you know that such a man as I can indeed do divination?”Cross-references: Gen 3:13 · Gen 4:10 · Gen 21:26 · Gen 39:8 · Gen 44:4 · Ex 32:1

16Judah said, “What will we tell my lord? What will we speak? How will we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and he also in whose hand the cup is found.”Cross-references: Gen 37:7 · Gen 37:9 · Gen 37:18 · Gen 42:21 · Gen 43:8 · Gen 44:9 · +17 more

17He said, “Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup is found, he will be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.”Cross-references: Gen 18:25 · Gen 26:29 · Gen 37:32 · Gen 42:18 · 2Sam 23:3 · Ps 75:2 · +1 more

18Then Judah came near to him, and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and don’t let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even as Pharaoh.Cross-references: Gen 18:30 · Gen 18:32 · Gen 41:40 · Gen 41:44 · Ex 32:22 · 2Sam 14:12 · +9 more

19My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father, or a brother?’Cross-references: Gen 42:7 · Gen 43:7 · Gen 43:29

20We said to 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 loves him.’Cross-references: Gen 35:18 · Gen 37:3 · Gen 37:19 · Gen 37:33 · Gen 42:13 · Gen 42:36 · +6 more

21You said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’Cross-references: Gen 42:15 · Gen 42:20 · Gen 43:29 · Jer 24:6 · Jer 40:4 · Amos 9:4

22We said to my lord, ‘The boy can’t leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’Cross-references: Gen 42:38 · Gen 44:30

23You said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will see my face no more.’Cross-references: Gen 42:15 · Gen 43:3 · Gen 43:5

24When we came up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.Cross-references: Gen 42:29

25Our father said, ‘Go again and buy us a little food.’Cross-references: Gen 43:2 · Gen 43:5

26We said, ‘We can’t go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down: for we may not see the man’s face, unless our youngest brother is with us.’Cross-references: Gen 43:4 · Luke 11:7

27Your servant, my father, said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.Cross-references: Gen 29:18 · Gen 29:28 · Gen 30:22 · Gen 35:16 · Gen 46:19

28One went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces;” and I haven’t seen him since.Cross-references: Gen 37:13 · Gen 37:33 · Gen 42:36 · Gen 42:38

29If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.’Cross-references: Gen 42:36 · Gen 42:38 · Gen 43:14 · Gen 44:31 · Deut 31:17 · Ps 88:3

30Now therefore when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us; since his life is bound up in the boy’s life;Cross-references: Gen 44:17 · Gen 44:31 · Gen 44:34 · 1Sam 18:1 · 1Sam 25:29 · 2Sam 18:33

31it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol.Cross-references: Gen 37:26 · Gen 37:35 · Gen 44:29 · 1Sam 4:17 · 1Sam 22:22 · 2Cor 7:10 · +1 more

32For your servant became collateral for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I don’t bring him to you, then I will bear the blame to my father forever.’Cross-references: Gen 43:8 · Gen 43:16

33Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy, my lord’s slave; and let the boy go up with his brothers.Cross-references: Ex 32:32 · Rom 5:7 · Rom 9:3 · Heb 7:22 · 1John 3:16

34For how will I go up to my father, if the boy isn’t with me?—lest I see the evil that will come on my father.”Cross-references: Ex 18:8 · 1Sam 2:33 · 2Chr 34:28 · Esth 8:6 · Job 31:29 · Ps 116:3 · +2 more