DaySpring Hope & Encouragement Bible - Flipbook - Page 80
G enesis 44
62
Then Joseph looked at his brother Benjamin, the son of his own mother.
“Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” Joseph asked.
“May God be gracious to you, my son.” 30 Then Joseph hurried from the room
because he was overcome with emotion for his brother. He went into his
private room, where he broke down and wept. 31 After washing his face, he
came back out, keeping himself under control. Then he ordered, “Bring
out the food!”
32 The waiters served Joseph at his own table, and his brothers were served
at a separate table. The Egyptians who ate with Joseph sat at their own table,
because Egyptians despise Hebrews and refuse to eat with them. 33 Joseph
told each of his brothers where to sit, and to their amazement, he seated
them according to age, from oldest to youngest. 34 And Joseph filled their
plates with food from his own table, giving Benjamin five times as much as
he gave the others. So they feasted and drank freely with him.
29
Joseph’s Silver Cup
When his brothers were ready to leave, Joseph gave these instructions to his palace manager: “Fill each of their sacks with as much
grain as they can carry, and put each man’s money back into his sack. 2 Then
put my personal silver cup at the top of the youngest brother’s sack, along
with the money for his grain.” So the manager did as Joseph instructed him.
3 The brothers were up at dawn and were sent on their journey with their
loaded donkeys. 4 But when they had gone only a short distance and were
barely out of the city, Joseph said to his palace manager, “Chase after them and
stop them. When you catch up with them, ask them, ‘Why have you repaid
my kindness with such evil? 5 Why have you stolen my master’s silver cup,*
which he uses to predict the future? What a wicked thing you have done!’”
6 When the palace manager caught up with the men, he spoke to them as
he had been instructed.
7 “What are you talking about?” the brothers responded. “We are your
servants and would never do such a thing! 8 Didn’t we return the money we
found in our sacks? We brought it back all the way from the land of Canaan.
Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? 9 If you find
his cup with any one of us, let that man die. And all the rest of us, my lord,
will be your slaves.”
10 “That’s fair,” the man replied. “But only the one who stole the cup will
be my slave. The rest of you may go free.”
11 They all quickly took their sacks from the backs of their donkeys and
opened them. 12 The palace manager searched the brothers’ sacks, from the
oldest to the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack! 13 When
the brothers saw this, they tore their clothing in despair. Then they loaded
their donkeys again and returned to the city.
14 Jo
seph was still in his palace when Judah and his brothers arrived,
and they fell to the ground before him. 15 “What have you done?” Joseph
demanded. “Don’t you know that a man like me can predict the future?”
16 Judah answered, “Oh, my lord, what can we say to you? How can we
explain this? How can we prove our innocence? God is punishing us for our
sins. My lord, we have all returned to be your slaves—all of us, not just our
brother who had your cup in his sack.”
44
44:5 As in Greek version; Hebrew lacks this phrase.
