The Cup in Benjamin's Sack
Joseph hides his cup in Benjamin's sack and springs the trap. Judah, who once sold one brother, says our Father has found them out and begs to be enslaved in another's place rather than watch his father die of grief. The same test, answered differently.
44 1Then he told his house steward: "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's silver at his sack's opening. 2Put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the youngest's sack, with his grain money." He did as Joseph said. 3As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys. 4They had left the city, not yet far off, when Joseph told his steward, "Chase down the men. When you catch them, ask, 'Why have you repaid evil for good? 5Isn't this the cup my lord drinks from and uses for fortune-telling? What you've done is evil.'" 6When he overtook them, he spoke these words to them.
7They said, "Why does my lord say such things? Your servants would never do such a thing. 8Look, we brought back to you from Canaan the silver we found in our sacks' openings. How could we steal silver or gold from your master's house? 9Whichever of your servants it's found with will die, and we'll become my lord's slaves too."
10He said, "Good—let it be as you say. Whoever has it will be my slave; the rest of you are innocent."
11Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12He searched, starting with the oldest, ending with the youngest—the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. 13Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.
14When Judah and his brothers reached Joseph's house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him. 15Joseph said to them, "What have you done? Don't you know a man like me surely tells fortunes?"
16Judah said, "What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? Our Father has found your servants' guilt. Look—we are my lord's slaves, both we and the one in whose hand the cup was found." a a v16 Judah recognizes our Father's hand uncovering the long-buried guilt of selling Joseph — drawing the brothers toward repentance.
17But he said, "I could never do this. Only the man in whose hand the cup was found will be my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace."
18Then Judah stepped forward and said, "Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to you. Don't be angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself.
19My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Do you have a father or a brother?' 20We said to my lord, 'We have an old father, and a young son born late in life. His brother is dead; he alone is left of his mother's children, and his father loves him.' 21Then you told your servants, 'Bring him down to me so I can see him myself.' 22We told my lord, 'The boy can't leave his father, because if he does, his father will die.' 23You told your servants, 'If your youngest brother doesn't come down with you, you won't see my face again.' 24When we went back to my father, your servant, we told him what you had said. 25And when our father said, 'Go again, buy us a little food,' 26we said, 'We can't go down. If our youngest brother comes with us, then we will go. For we can't see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.' 27Then your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28One left me, and I said, "Surely torn to pieces"; I haven't seen him since. 29If you take this one too from me, and harm meets him, you'll bring my gray head down to the grave in grief. 30So when I come to your servant, my father, and the boy isn't with us, his life is bound to the boy's life, 31when he sees the boy is gone, he'll die, and your servants will bring your servant our father down to the grave in sorrow.' 32For your servant guaranteed the boy to my father, saying, 'If I don't bring him back to you, I'll bear the guilt before my father all my life.' 33So please, let your servant stay as my lord's slave instead of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. b b v33 Judah offers his own life in Benjamin's place — the first canonical substitution by a son of Israel. Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, fulfills this pattern by taking our place at the cross. 34How can I return to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the disaster that would strike my father."
