44 Then Yosef commanded his head servant, “Fill the men’s sacks with grain, as much as they are able to carry, and put each man’s payment back into the top of his sack. 2 And put my own silver cup in the top of the youngest one’s sack along with his payment.” So he did what he was instructed. 3 The next morning at daylight, the brothers and their donkeys were sent off to start their trip home. 4 They hadn’t gone very far out of the city when Yosef told his head servant, “Get up and, follow after those men. When you overtake them, ask them, ‘Why did you repay good with evil? 5 Isn’t this the cup that my master drinks from and indeed, what he divines with? You’ve done evil taking that.’ ”

6 So the servant overtook them and did exactly what he’d been instructed to do. 7 But they asked him, “Why does my master say that? Far be it from your servants to do something like that. 8 Listen, we brought the silver that we found in the top of our sacks back to you from the land of Canaan. So why would we then steal silver or gold from the house of your master? 9 If you find anything stolen with any of us, that person can be executed, and the rest of us can also be taken as slaves for my master.”

10 “Indeed,” the servant replied, “according to your words, that’s how it’ll be: whoever is found with the stolen cup will become my slave, but you others will be free to go.” 11 So each of the brothers quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each one opened his sack. 12 Then Yosef’s servant searched beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benyamin’s sack. 13 Seeing this, the brothers tore their clothes (as a sign of their distress), and each one loaded up his donkey, and they all returned to the city.

14 When Yehudah and his brothers got to Yosef’s house, he was still there, and they fell to their knees and bowed to the ground in front of him. 15 “What’s this that you’ve done?” Yosef demanded. “Didn’t you know that a man like me can certainly divine the truth?”

16 “What can we say to my master?” Yehudah answered. “What words could we speak? How could we possibly justify ourselves? God has exposed the sin of your servants. So now, we are slaves for my master—both we and the one who was found with the cup.”

17 “Far be it from me to do that.” Yosef corrected them. “Only the man who had the cup will become my slave, and the rest of you can go back to your father in peace.”