And he said, "Now also let it be according unto your words: he with
whom it is found shall be my bondman; and ye shall be blameless."
Then they hasted, and took down every man his sack to the ground, and
opened every man his sack. And he searched, and began at the eldest,
and left off at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's
sack. Then they rent their clothes, and loaded every man his ass, and
returned to the city. And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's
house; and he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.
And Joseph said {119} unto them, "What deed is this that ye have done?
know ye not that such a man as I can indeed divine?"
And Judah said, "What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak?
or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of
thy servants: behold, we are my lord's bondmen, both we, and he also
in whose hand the cup is found."
And he said, "God forbid that I should do so: the man in whose hand
the cup is found, he shall be my bondman; but as for you, get you up
in peace unto your father."
Then Judah came near unto him, and said, "Oh my lord, let thy servant,
I pray thee, speak a word to my lord, and let not thine anger burn
against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. My lord asked his
servants, saying, 'Have ye a father, or a brother?' And we said unto
my lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a
little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his
mother, and his father loveth him.' And thou saidst unto thy servants,
'Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.' And we
said to my lord, 'The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should
leave his father, his father would die.' And thou saidst unto thy
servants, 'Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall
see my face no more.' And it came to pass when we came up to thy
servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. And our father
said, 'Go again, buy us a little food.' And we said, 'We cannot go
down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will {120} we go down:
for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with
us.' And thy servant my father said to us, 'Ye know that my wife bore
me two sons: and the one went out from me, and I said, "Surely he is
torn in pieces"; and I have not seen him since: and if ye take this
one also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray
hairs in sorrow to the grave.' Now therefore when I come to thy
servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is
bound up in the lad's life; it shall come to pass, when he seeth that
the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring
down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the
grave. For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father,
saying, 'If I bring him not unto thee, then shall I bear the blame to
my father for ever.' Now therefore, let thy servant, I pray thee,
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