Joseph Tests His Brothers

44:1-17

44 Later Joseph ordered his head house-servant, “Fill the men’s grain bags with as much grain as they can take with them, and in the top of their bags, put the money that each of them paid for the grain . 2 Also put my silver cup in the top of the youngest one’s bag, along with the money that he paid for the grain.” So the servant did exactly what Joseph had ordered him to do.

3 Early the next morning, Joseph sent the brothers on their way, along with their donkeys. 4 But they had not gone very far out of the city when he ordered his head servant, “Hurry and pursue those men. When you catch up with them, ask them, ‘Why have you treated my master so badly after he was so good to you? 5 The cup you stole is the cup that my master drinks from. He also uses it to find out secret things! What you have done is very wrong!’ ”

6 Then the servant left, and when he caught up with the men, he repeated to them what Joseph had told him to say. 7 But they replied, “Sir, why do you say such things? We assure you, sir, that we would never do anything like that! 8 Remember that we returned to you the money that we discovered in our grain bags last time. We brought it all the way from our home in the region of Canaan! So we would never steal silver things or gold things or anything else from your master’s house! 9 In fact, sir, if you find that one of us does have the cup, then you may execute that person, and the rest of us, sir, will become your slaves.”

10 Joseph’s servant replied to them, “Okay then, I will do as you suggest except for this: The one whom I find with my master’s cup is the only one who will become my slave. The rest of you will be innocent and free to go.” 11 So each of the brothers quickly took his grain bag off his donkey and put it on the ground, and each of them opened his own bag. 12 Then Joseph’s servant searched their bags. He started with the oldest brother and continued until he came to the youngest brother, and there he found the cup in Benjamin’s bag! 13 In response to that, the brothers tore their clothes in distress. Then each of them put his bag back on his own donkey, and they all turned around and went back to the city.

14 When Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph’s house, Joseph was there waiting for them. So they prostrated themselves on the ground before him to show respect. 15 Then Joseph exclaimed to them, “What you have done is terrible! You should have known that someone in my position knows how to discover the secret things that people do!” 16 Judah replied to him, “Sir, there is nothing convincing that we can say to you. There is no way that we can explain this. There is no way we can prove to you that we are innocent. God is punishing us for our past sin. So now, sir, we are all here to be your slaves, including the one whom your house-servant found with your cup in his bag.” 17 But Joseph told them, “No, I would never even consider doing such a thing! Rather only the man whom my servant found with my cup in his bag will be my slave. The rest of you are free to go back home to your father.”