A Silver Cup in a Sack

44 Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house:^(A) “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack.^{(B) 2} Then put my cup,^(C) the silver one,^(D) in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said.

³ As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.^{(E) 4} They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward,^(F) “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?^{(G) 5} Isn’t this the cup^(H) my master drinks from and also uses for divination?^(I) This is a wicked thing you have done.’”

⁶ When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. ⁷ But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants^(J) to do anything like that!^{(K) 8} We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan^(L) the silver^(M) we found inside the mouths of our sacks.^(N) So why would we steal^(O) silver or gold from your master’s house? ⁹ If any of your servants^(P) is found to have it, he will die;^(Q) and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.^(R)”

¹⁰ “Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it^(S) will become my slave;^(T) the rest of you will be free from blame.”^(U)

¹¹ Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. ¹² Then the steward^(V) proceeded to search,^(W) beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest.^(X) And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.^{(Y) 13} At this, they tore their clothes.^(Z) Then they all loaded their donkeys^(AA) and returned to the city.

¹⁴ Joseph was still in the house^(AB) when Judah^(AC) and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him.^{(AD) 15} Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done?^(AE) Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?^(AF)”

¹⁶ “What can we say to my lord?^(AG)” Judah^(AH) replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence?^(AI) God has uncovered your servants’^(AJ) guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves^(AK)—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.^(AL)”

¹⁷ But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing!^(AM) Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave.^(AN) The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.”^(AO)

¹⁹ “Here comes that dreamer!^(A)” they said to each other. ²⁰ “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns^(B) and say that a ferocious animal^(C) devoured him.^(D) Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”^(E)

²¹ When Reuben^(F) heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said.^{(G) 22} “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern^(H) here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.^(I)

²³ So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe^(J) he was wearing— ²⁴ and they took him and threw him into the cistern.^(K) The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.

²⁵ As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites^(L) coming from Gilead.^(M) Their camels were loaded with spices, balm^(N) and myrrh,^(O) and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.^(P)

²⁶ Judah^(Q) said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?^{(R) 27} Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother,^(S) our own flesh and blood.^(T)” His brothers agreed.

²⁸ So when the Midianite^(U) merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern^(V) and sold^(W) him for twenty shekels^[a] of silver^(X) to the Ishmaelites,^(Y) who took him to Egypt.^(Z)

²⁹ When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes.^{(AA) 30} He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?”^(AB)

³¹ Then they got Joseph’s robe,^(AC) slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood.^{(AD) 32} They took the ornate robe^(AE) back to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.”