3The brothers were up at dawn and were sent on their journey with their loaded donkeys.

4But 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?

5Why have you stolen my master’s silver cup,44:5 As in Greek version; Hebrew lacks this phrase. which he uses to predict the future? What a wicked thing you have done!’”

6When 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!

8Didn’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?

9If 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.”

11They all quickly took their sacks from the backs of their donkeys and opened them.

12The palace manager searched the brothers’ sacks, from the oldest to the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack!

13When the brothers saw this, they tore their clothing in despair. Then they loaded their donkeys again and returned to the city.

14Joseph 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?”

16Judah 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.”

17“No,” Joseph said. “I would never do such a thing! Only the man who stole the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go back to your father in peace.”

19“My lord, previously you asked us, your servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’

20And we responded, ‘Yes, my lord, we have a father who is an old man, and his youngest son is a child of his old age. His full brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him very much.’

21“And you said to us, ‘Bring him here so I can see him with my own eyes.’

22But we said to you, ‘My lord, the boy cannot leave his father, for his father would die.’

23But you told us, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes with you, you will never see my face again.’

24“So we returned to your servant, our father, and told him what you had said.

25Later, when he said, ‘Go back again and buy us more food,’

26we replied, ‘We can’t go unless you let our youngest brother go with us. We’ll never get to see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

27“Then my father said to us, ‘As you know, my wife had two sons,

28and one of them went away and never returned. Doubtless he was torn to pieces by some wild animal. I have never seen him since.

29Now if you take his brother away from me, and any harm comes to him, you will send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave.44:29 Hebrew to Sheol; also in 44:31.’

30“And now, my lord, I cannot go back to my father without the boy. Our father’s life is bound up in the boy’s life.

31If he sees that the boy is not with us, our father will die. We, your servants, will indeed be responsible for sending that grieving, white-haired man to his grave.

32My lord, I guaranteed to my father that I would take care of the boy. I told him, ‘If I don’t bring him back to you, I will bear the blame forever.’

33“So please, my lord, let me stay here as a slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers.

34For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see the anguish this would cause my father!”