| New King James Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1And he 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 the mouth of his sack. | 1Then Joseph commanded his steward: "Fill the men's bags with as much food as they can carry, and put each one's money at the top of his bag. |
| 2Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.” So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. | 2Put my cup, the silver one, at the top of the youngest one's bag, along with his grain money." So he did as Joseph told him. |
| 3As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. | 3At morning light, the men were sent off with their donkeys. |
| 4When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? | 4They had not gone very far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, "Get up. Pursue the men, and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good? |
| 5Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’ ” | 5Isn't this the cup that my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wrong!'" |
| 6So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words. | 6When he overtook them, he said these words to them. |
| 7And they said to him, “Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing. | 7They said to him, "Why does my lord say these things? Your servants could not possibly do such a thing. |
| 8Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? | 8We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money we found at the top of our bags. How could we steal gold and silver from your master's house? |
| 9With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.” | 9If any of us is found to have it, he must die, and we also will become my lord's slaves." |
| 10And he said, “Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.” | 10The steward replied, "What you have said is right, but only the one who is found to have it will be my slave, and the rest of you will be blameless." |
| 11Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack. | 11So each one quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. |
| 12So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. | 12The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. |
| 13Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city. | 13Then they tore their clothes, and each one loaded his donkey and returned to the city. |
| 14So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground. | 14When Judah and his brothers reached Joseph's house, he was still there. They fell to the ground before him." |
| 15And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?” | 15What is this you have done?" Joseph said to them. "Didn't you know that a man like me could uncover the truth by divination?"" |
| 16Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.” | 16What can we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed your servants' iniquity. We are now my lord's slaves--both we and the one in whose possession the cup was found." |
| 17But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.” | 17Then Joseph said, "I swear that I will not do this. The man in whose possession the cup was found will be my slave. The rest of you can go in peace to your father." |
| 18Then Judah came near to him and said: “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh. | 18But Judah approached him and said, "Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh. |
| 19My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ | 19My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother? |
| 20And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’ | 20and we answered my lord, 'We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age. The boy's brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him.' |
| 21Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ | 21Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him to me so that I can see him.' |
| 22And we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ | 22But we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.' |
| 23But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’ | 23Then you said to your servants, 'If your younger brother does not come down with you, you will not see me again.'" |
| 24“So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord. | 24This is what happened when we went back to your servant my father: We reported your words to him. |
| 25And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’ | 25But our father said, 'Go again, and buy us some food.' |
| 26But we said, ‘We cannot 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.’ | 26We told him, 'We cannot go down unless our younger brother goes with us. So if our younger brother isn't with us, we cannot see the man.' |
| 27Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons; | 27Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. |
| 28and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since. | 28One left--I said that he must have been torn to pieces--and I have never seen him again. |
| 29But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’ | 29If you also take this one from me and anything happens to him, you will bring my gray hairs down to Sheol in sorrow.'" |
| 30“Now therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since his life is bound up in the lad’s life, | 30So if I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with us--his life is wrapped up with the boy's life-- |
| 31it will happen, when he sees that the lad is not with us, that he will die. So your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to the grave. | 31when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hairs of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. |
| 32For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.’ | 32Your servant became accountable to my father for the boy, saying, 'If I do not return him to you, I will always bear the guilt for sinning against you, my father.' |
| 33Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. | 33Now please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave, in place of the boy. Let him go back with his brothers. |
| 34For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?” | 34For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the grief that would overwhelm my father." |
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