• Torah (T): Bereshiyt (Genesis) 43:1-34
• Prophets (P): Jeremiah 42:7-17; Jeremiah 43:8-13
• Apostolic (A): 1 Timothy 6:1-21
• Additional (ADD): Jubilees 42:21-25; Jubilees 43:1-10

RELATED SCRIPTURES

• Genesis 18:1-5 (T)
• Genesis 37:5-8 (T)
• Exodus 8:26 (T)
• 1 Kings 3:25-27 (T)
• Deuteronomy 13:1-18 (T)
• Deuteronomy 18:9-13 (T)
• Jeremiah 14:13-15 (T)
• Ezekiel 13:1-7 (T)
• Exodus 22:7-9 (T)
• Jeremiah 44:11-14 (P)

RELATED ADDITIONAL READINGS

• Genesis 43:24 – 44:17 from the Jerusalem Targum aka Targum Pseudo-Jonathan (T)
• Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus 2.6.6-8 (T)

Note: (T) means the verse relates to that week’s Torah portion. (P) means the verse relates to that week’s Prophets portion. (A) means the verse relates to that week’s Apostolic portion. (ADD) means the verse relates to that week’s Additional portion.

Torah Portion (T)

Prophets Portion (P)

42:7 After ten days, the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah. 8 Then he called Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, 9 and said to them, “YHWH, the Elohim of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your supplication before him, says: 10 ‘If you will still live in this land, then I will build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I grieve over the distress that I have brought on you. 11 Don’t be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Don’t be afraid of him,’ says YHWH: ‘for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand. 12 I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you, and cause you to return to your own land. 13 But if you say, “We will not dwell in this land;” so that you don’t obey YHWH your Elohim’s voice, 14 saying, “No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we will see no war, nor hear the voice of the shofar, nor have hunger of bread; and there we will dwell:” ‘ 15 now therefore hear the word of YHWH, O remnant of Judah: YHWH of Armies, the Elohim of Israel, says, ‘If you indeed set your faces to enter into Egypt, and go to live there; 16 then it will happen that the sword, which you fear, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about which you are afraid, will follow close behind you there in Egypt; and you will die there. 17 So will it be with all the men who set their faces to go into Egypt to live there. They will die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence. None of them will remain or escape from the evil that I will bring on them.’

43:8 Then the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, 9 “Take great stones in your hand, and hide them in mortar in the brick work, which is at the entry of Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes, in the sight of the men of Judah; 10 and tell them, YHWH of Armies, the Elohim of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne on these stones that I have hidden; and he will spread his royal pavilion over them. 11 He will come, and will strike the land of Egypt; such as are for death will be put to death, and such as are for captivity to captivity, and such as are for the sword to the sword. 12 I will kindle a fire in the houses of the Elohim of Egypt. He will burn them, and carry them away captive. He will array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd puts on his garment; and he will go out from there in peace. 13 He will also break the pillars of Beth Shemesh, that is in the land of Egypt; and he will burn the houses of the Elohim of Egypt with fire.’ ”

Apostolic Portion (A)

6:1 Let as many as are bondservants under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of Elohim and the doctrine not be blasphemed. 2 Those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brothers, but rather let them serve them, because those who partake of the benefit are believing and beloved. Teach and exhort these things. 3 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and doesn’t consent to sound words, the words of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, and to the doctrine which is according to reverence, 4 he is conceited, knowing nothing, but obsessed with arguments, disputes, and word battles, from which come envy, strife, insulting, evil suspicions, 5 constant friction of people of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that reverence is a means of gain. Withdraw yourself from such.^(mss) 6 But reverence with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, so we [certainly]^(mss) can’t carry anything out. 8 But having food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation, a snare, and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But you, man of Elohim, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, reverence, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you confessed the good confession in the sight of many witnesses. 13 I command you before Elohim who gives life to all things, and before Messiah Yeshua who before Pontius Pilate witnessed the good confession, 14 that you keep the commandment without spot, blameless until the appearing of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, 15 which at the right time he will show, who is the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords. 16 He alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen nor can see, to whom be honor and eternal power. Amen. 17 Charge those who are rich in this present world that they not be arrogant, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on [Elohim],^(mss) who richly provides us with everything to enjoy; 18 that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to share; 19 laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold of [that which is truly life].^(mss) 20 Timothy, guard that which is committed to you, turning away from the empty chatter and oppositions of what is falsely called knowledge, 21 which some profess, and thus have wandered from the faith. [Grace be with you].^(mss)

Additional Portion (ADD)

Between 1947 and 1956 approximately 15 Jubilees scrolls were found in five caves at Qumran, all written in Hebrew. The large number of manuscripts (more than for any biblical books except for Psalms, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Exodus, and Genesis, in descending order) indicates that Jubilees was widely used at Qumran. A comparison of the Qumran texts with the Ethiopic version, performed by James VanderKam, found that the Ethiopic was in most respects an accurate and literalistic translation. Scholars have dated Jubilees to have been written sometime around 160-150 B.C.

42:21 And they went and stood before Joseph, and he saw Benjamin his brother, and he knew him, and said unto them: “Is this your youngest brother?” And they said unto him: “It is he.” And he said: “The Lord be gracious to thee, my son!” 22. And he sent him into his house and he brought forth Shimon unto them and he made a feast for them, and they presented to him the gift which they had brought in their hands. 23. And they ate before him and he gave them all a portion, but the portion of Benjamin was seven times larger than that of any of theirs. 24. And they ate and drank and arose and remained with their donkeys. 25. And Joseph devised a plan whereby he might learn their thoughts as to whether thoughts of peace prevailed amongst them, and he said to the steward who was over his house: “Fill all their sacks with food, and return their money unto them into their vessels, and my cup, the silver cup out of which I drink, put it in the sack of the youngest, and send them away.”

43:1 And he did as Joseph had told him, and filled all their sacks for them with food and put their money in their sacks, and put the cup in Benjamin’s sack. 2. And early in the morning they departed, and it came to pass that, when they had gone from thence, Joseph said unto the steward of his house: “Pursue them, run and seize them, saying, ‘For good ye have requited me with evil; you have stolen from me the silver cup out of which my lord drinks.’ And bring back to me their youngest brother, and fetch (him) quickly before I go forth to my seat of judgment.” 3. And he ran after them and said unto them according to these words. 4. And they said unto him: “Elohim forbid that thy servants should do this thing, and steal from the house of thy lord any utensil, and the money also which we found in our sacks the first time, we thy servants brought back from the land of Canaan. 5. How then should we steal any utensil? Behold here are we and our sacks; search, and wherever thou findest the cup in the sack of any man amongst us, let him be slain, and we and our donkeys will serve thy lord.” 6. And he said unto them: “Not so, the man with whom I find, him only will I take as a servant, and ye will return in peace unto your house.” 7. And as he was searching in their vessels, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest, it was found in Benjamin’s sack. 8. And they rent their garments, and laded their donkeys, and returned to the city and came to the house of Joseph, and they all bowed themselves on their faces to the ground before him. 9. And Joseph said unto them: “Ye have done evil.” And they said: “What will we say and how will we defend ourselves? Our lord hath discovered the transgression of his servants; behold we are the servants of our lord, and our donkeys also.” 10. And Joseph said unto them: “I too fear the Lord; as for you, go ye to your homes and let your brother be my servant, for ye have done evil. Know ye not that a man delighteth in his cup as I with this cup? And yet ye have stolen it from me.”

Related Scriptures

18:1 YHWH appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and saw that three men stood near him. When he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself to the land, 3 and said, “My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please don’t go away from your servant. 4 Now let a little water be fetched, wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 I will get a piece of bread so you can refresh your heart. After that you may go your way, now that you have come to your servant.” They said, “Very well, do as you have said.”

37:5 Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: 7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and behold, your sheaves came around, and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers asked him, “Will you indeed reign over us? Will you indeed have dominion over us?” They hated him all the more for his dreams and for his words.

8:26 Moses said, “It isn’t appropriate to do so; for we will slaughter the abomination of the Egyptians to YHWH our Elohim. Behold, if we slaughter the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, won’t they stone us?

3:25 The king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.” 26 Then the woman whose the living child was spoke to the king, for her bowels yearned over her son, and she said, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and in no way kill him!” But the other said, “He will be neither mine nor yours. Divide him.” 27 Then the king answered, “Give the first woman the living child, and definitely do not kill him. She is his mother.”

13:1 If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, “Let’s go after other elohim” (which you have not known) “and let’s serve them,” 3 you will not listen to the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of dreams; for YHWH your Elohim is testing you, to know whether you love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You will walk after YHWH your Elohim, fear him, guard his commandments, and obey his voice. You will serve him, and cling to him. 5 That prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, will be put to death, because he has spoken rebellion against YHWH your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to draw you aside out of the way which YHWH your Elohim commanded you to walk in. So you will remove the evil from among you. 6 If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, entices you secretly, saying, “Let’s go and serve other elohim”—which you have not known, you, nor your fathers; 7 of the elohim of the peoples who are around you, near to you, or far off from you, from the one end of the land even to the other end of the land— 8 you will not consent to him nor listen to him; neither will your eye pity him, neither will you spare, neither will you conceal him; 9 but you will surely kill him. Your hand will be first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people. 10 You will stone him to death with stones, because he has sought to draw you away from YHWH your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 11 All Israel will hear, and fear, and will not do any more wickedness like this among you. 12 If you hear about one of your cities, which YHWH your Elohim gives you to dwell there, that 13 certain wicked fellows have gone out from among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let’s go and serve other elohim,” which you have not known, 14 then you will inquire, investigate, and ask diligently. Behold, if it is true, and the thing certain, that such abomination was done among you, 15 you will surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, with all that is therein and its livestock, with the edge of the sword. 16 You will gather all its plunder into the middle of its street, and will burn with fire the city, with all of its plunder, to YHWH your Elohim. It will be a heap forever. It will not be built again. 17 Nothing of the devoted thing will cling to your hand, that YHWH may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy, and have compassion on you and multiply you, as he has sworn to your fathers, 18 when you listen to YHWH your Elohim’s voice, to keep all his commandments which I command you today, to do that which is right in YHWH your Elohim’s eyes.

18:9 When you have come into the land which YHWH your Elohim gives you, you will not learn to imitate the abominations of those nations. 10 There will not be found with you anyone who makes his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who tells fortunes, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, 11 or a charmer, or someone who consults with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For whoever does these things is an abomination to YHWH. Because of these abominations, YHWH your Elohim drives them out from before you. 13 You will be blameless with YHWH your Elohim. 14 For these nations that you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery and to diviners; but as for you, YHWH your Elohim has not allowed you so to do.

14:13 Then I said, “Ah, Lord YHWH! Behold, the prophets tell them, ‘You will not see the sword, neither will you have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.’ ” 14 Then YHWH said to me, “The prophets prophesy lies in my name. I didn’t send them. I didn’t command them. I didn’t speak to them. They prophesy to you a lying vision, divination, and a thing of nothing, and the deceit of their own heart. 15 Therefore YHWH says concerning the prophets who prophesy in my name, but I didn’t send them, yet they say, ‘Sword and famine will not be in this land.’ Those prophets will be consumed by sword and famine.

13:1 the word of YHWH came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, ‘Hear the word of YHWH: 3 The Lord YHWH says, “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! 4 Israel, your prophets have been like foxes in the waste places. 5 You have not gone up into the gaps or built up the wall for the house of Israel, to stand in the battle in the day of YHWH. 6 They have seen falsehood and lying divination, who say, ‘YHWH says;’ but YHWH has not sent them. They have made men to hope that the word would be confirmed. 7 Haven’t you seen a false vision, and haven’t you spoken a lying divination, in that you say, ‘YHWH says;’ but I have not spoken?”

22:7 “If a man delivers to his neighbor money or stuff to keep, and it is stolen out of the man’s house, if the thief is found, he will pay double. 8 If the thief isn’t found, then the owner of the house will come near to Elohim, to find out whether or not he has put his hand on his neighbor’s goods. 9 For every matter of trespass, whether it is for ox, for donkey, for sheep, for clothing, or for any kind of lost thing, about which one says, ‘This is mine,’ the cause of both parties will come before Elohim. He whom Elohim condemns will pay double to his neighbor.

44:11 “Therefore YHWH of Armies, the Elohim of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, even to cut off all Judah. 12 I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to live there, and they will all be consumed. They will fall in the land of Egypt. They will be consumed by the sword and by the famine. They will die, from the least even to the greatest, by the sword and by the famine. They will be an object of horror, an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach. 13 For I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; 14 so that none of the remnant of Judah, who have gone into the land of Egypt to live there, will escape or be left to return into the land of Judah, to which they have a desire to return to dwell there; for no one will return except those who will escape.’ ” 15 Then all the men who knew that their wives burned incense to other elohim, and all the women who stood by, a great assembly, even all the people who lived in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying, 16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of YHWH, we will not listen to you. 17 But we will certainly perform every word that has gone out of our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of the heavens, and to pour out libation offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then had we plenty of food, and were well, and saw no evil. 18 But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of the heavens, and pouring out libation offerings to her, we have lacked all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.”

Additional Readings​

Genesis 43:24 – 44:17 from the Jerusalem Targum aka Targum Pseudo-Jonathan (T)

Composed in Talmudic Israel (c.150 – c.250 A.D.). Targum Pseudo-Jonathan is a western targum (translation) of the Torah (Pentateuch) from the land of Israel (as opposed to the eastern Babylonian Targum Onkelos). Its correct title was originally Targum Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Targum), which is how it was known in medieval times. But because of a printer’s mistake it was later labeled Targum Jonathan, in reference to Jonathan ben Uzziel. Some editions of the Pentateuch continue to call it Targum Jonathan to this day. Most scholars refer to the text as Targum Pseudo-Jonathan. This targum is more than a mere translation. It includes much Aggadic material collected from various sources as late as the Midrash Rabbah as well as earlier material from the Talmud. It is effectively a combination of a commentary and a translation. In the portions where it is pure translation, it often agrees with the Targum Onkelos. The date of its composition is disputed. It cannot have been completed before the Arabic conquest as it refers to Mohammad’s wife Fatimah, but might have been initially composed in the 4th Century A.D. However, some scholars date it in the 14th Century.

Chapter 43 …The man brought the men into Joseph’s house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave them provender for their donkeys. And they made read the present against the entrance of Joseph at the noon-day feast; for they had heard from him that they were to eat bread there.

And Joseph entered the house, and they offered to him the present which was in their hands for the house; and bowed before him upon the ground. And Joseph saluted them, and said, Is it well with your father, the old man of whom you told me? Is he still alive? They answered, It is well with thy servant our father; he is yet alive. And they bowed and made bow down. And he lifted up his eyes and saw Benjamin his brother, the son of his mother, and said, Is this your youngest brother of whom you told me? And he said, Mercy from the Lord be upon thee, my son!

And Joseph made haste, for his compassions were moved upon his brother, and he sought to weep, and he went into the chamber [JERUSALEM. Into the chamber] the house of sleep, and wept there. And he washed [JERUSALEM. And he washed] his face from tears, and came forth, and hastened and said, Set bread. And they set for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Mizraee who ate with him by themselves; for it was not proper for the Mizraee to eat bread with the Yehudaee, because the animals which the Mizraee worshipped the Yehudaee ate. And they sat around him, the greatest according to his majority, and the less according to his minority. For he had taken the silver cup in his hand, and, sounding as if divining he had set in order the sons of Leah on one side, and the sons of Zilpha on the other side, and the sons of Bilhah on another side, and Benjamin the son of Rahel he ordered by the side of himself. And the men wondered each at the other. And he sent portions from his table, and they set them forth from him before them. But Benjamin’s portion was larger than the portions of any of them; five portions: one was his own portion one portion from himself, one from his wife, and two portions from his two sons. And they drank and were drunken with him; for from the day when they were separated from him they had not drunk wine, neither he nor they, until that day.

Chapter 44 And he commanded Menasheh whom he had appointed intendant of his house, saying, Fill the men’s sacks with corn, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his bag. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his purchase money. And he did according to the word which Joseph had spoken The morning lightened, and the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. They had not gone far from city, when Joseph said to Measheh whom he had appointed the intendant of his house, Arise, follow after the men, overtake them and say to them, Why have ye returned evil for good ? Is it not that from which my lord drinketh, and by which divining he divineth? That which you have done is evil. [Jerusalem By which divining he divineth] And he overtook them, and spake with them all these words.

They said to him, Why does my lord speak words like these ? Far be it from thy servants to do such a thing. Behold, the money which we found in the mouth of our bags we brought to thee again from the land of Kenaan; how then should we steal from thy lord’s house vessels of silver, or vessels of gold ? With whomsoever of thy servants it will be found, let him be guilty of death, and we also will be slaves of thy lord. And he said, According to your words let it be. With whomsoever it is found he will be my slave, but you will be innocent.

And they made haste, and brought down each man his sack upon the ground, and every man opened his sack. And he searched beginning with Reuben, and ending with Benjamin. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. And they rent their clothes; but the strength of fortitude was given to them ; and they laded every man his donkey, and returned to the city.

And Jehuda and his brethren entered into Joseph’s house. He was yet there ; and they fell before him on the ground.

And Joseph said to them, What deed is this that you have done ? Could you not know that a man like me divining can divine? And Jehuda said to him What will we say to my lord concerning the former money, and what concerning the latter money ? and how will we be acquitted concerning the cup ? From before the Lord there is sin found upon thy servants. Behold, we are my lord’s servants, and he in whose hand the chalice hath been found. But he said, Far be it from me to do thus; the man in whose hand the chalice hath been found will be my slave; but you, go up in peace to your father.

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Josephus was born Joseph ben Mattathias in 37 AD in Jerusalem of a priestly and royal family. He excelled in his studies of Jewish law and studied with the Sadducees, Pharisees, and the Essenes, eventually aligning himself with the Pharisees. In 62 AD he went to Rome to free some imprisoned priests. After accomplishing this mission through the intercession of Nero’s wife, Poppaea, he returned to Jerusalem in 65 AD to find the country in revolt against Rome. Josephus shrewdly reinterpreted the Messianic prophecies. He predicted that Vespasian would become the ruler of the ‘entire world’. His prophecy became true in 68 AD when Nero committed suicide and Vespasian became Ceasar. As a result, Josephus was freed; he moved to Rome and became a Roman citizen, taking the Vespasian family name Flavius. Vespasian commissioned Josephus to write a history of the war, which he finished in 78 AD, the Jewish War. His second major work, the Antiquities of the Jews, was completed in 93 AD. The extant manuscripts of the book Antiquities of the Jews contain two references to Yeshua of Nazareth (18.3.3. and 20.9.1.) and one reference to the imprisonment and death of John the Baptist (18.5.2.).

2.6.6. …So they offered him their presents; and upon his putting the question to them about their father, they answered that they found him well. He also, upon his discovery that Benjamin was alive, asked whether this was their younger brother; for he had seen him. Whereupon they said he was: he replied, that the Elohim over all was his protector. But when his affection to him made him shed tears, he retired, desiring he might not be seen in that plight by his brethren. Then Joseph took them to supper, and they were set down in the same order as they used to sit at their father’s table. And although Joseph treated them all kindly, yet did he send a mess to Benjamin that was double to what the rest of the guests had for their shares.

2.6.7. Now when after supper they had composed themselves to sleep, Joseph commanded his steward both to give them their measures of corn, and to hide its price again in their sacks; and that withal they should put into Benjamin’s sack the golden cup, out of which he loved himself to drink.—which things he did, in order to make trial of his brethren, whether they would stand by Benjamin when he should be accused of having stolen the cup, and should appear to be in danger; or whether they would leave him, and, depending on their own innocency, go to their father without him. When the servant had done as he was bidden, the sons of Jacob, knowing nothing of all this, went their way, and took Symeon along with them, and had a double cause of joy, both because they had received him again, and because they took back Benjamin to their father, as they had promised. But presently a troop of horsemen encompassed them, and brought with them Joseph’s servant, who had put the cup into Benjamin’s sack. Upon which unexpected attack of the horsemen they were much disturbed, and asked what the reason was that they came thus upon men, who a little before had been by their lord thought worthy of an honorable and hospitable reception? They replied, by calling them wicked wretches, who had forgot that very hospitable and kind treatment which Joseph had given them, and did not scruple to be injurious to him, and to carry off that cup out of which he had, in so friendly a manner, drank to them, and not regarding their friendship with Joseph, no more than the danger they should be in if they were taken, in comparison of the unjust gain. Hereupon he threatened that they should be punished; for though they had escaped the knowledge of him who was but a servant, yet had they not escaped the knowledge of Elohim, nor had gone off with what they had stolen; and, after all, asked why we come upon them, as if they knew nothing of the matter: and he told them that they should immediately know it by their punishment. This, and more of the same nature, did the servant say, in way of reproach to them: but they being wholly ignorant of any thing here that concerned them, laughed at what he said, and wondered at the abusive language which the servant gave them, when he was so hardy as to accuse those who did not before so much as retain the price of their corn, which was found in their sacks, but brought it again, though nobody else knew of any such thing,—so far were they from offering any injury to Joseph voluntarily. But still, supposing that a search would be a more sure justification of themselves than their own denial of the fact, they bid him search them, and that if any of them had been guilty of theft, to punish them all; for being no way conscious to themselves of any crime, they spake with assurance, and, as they thought, without any danger to themselves also. The servants desired there might be a search made; but they said the punishment should extend to him alone who should be found guilty of theft. So they made the search; and, having searched all the rest, they came last of all to Benjamin, as knowing it was Benjamin’s sack in which they had hidden the cup, they having indeed searched the rest only for a show of accuracy: so the rest were out of fear for themselves, and were now only concerned about Benjamin, but still were well assured that he would also be found innocent; and they reproached those that came after them for their hindering them, while they might, in the mean while, have gotten a good way on their journey. But as soon as they had searched Benjamin’s sack, they found the cup, and took it from him; and all was changed into mourning and lamentation. They rent their garments, and wept for the punishment which their brother was to undergo for his theft, and for the delusion they had put on their father, when they promised they would bring Benjamin safe to him. What added to their misery was, that this melancholy accident came unfortunately at a time when they thought they had been gotten off clear; but they confessed that this misfortune of their brother, as well as the grief of their father for him, was owing to themselves, since it was they that forced their father to send him with them, when he was averse to it.

2.6.8. The horsemen therefore took Benjamin and brought him to Joseph, his brethren also following him; who, when he saw him in custody, and them in the habit of mourners, said, “How came you, vile wretches as you are, to have such a strange notion of my kindness to you, and of Elohim’s providence, as impudently to do thus to your benefactor, who in such an hospitable manner had entertained you?” Whereupon they gave up themselves to be punished, in order to save Benjamin; and called to mind what a wicked enterprise they had been guilty of against Joseph. They also pronounced him more happy than themselves, if he were dead, in being freed from the miseries of this life; and if he were alive, that he enjoyed the pleasure of seeing Elohim’s vengeance upon them. They said further; that they were the plague of their father, since they should now add to his former affliction for Joseph, this other affliction for Benjamin. Reubel also was large in cutting them upon this occasion. But Joseph dismissed them; for he said they had been guilty of no offense, and that he would content himself with the lad’s punishment; for he said it was not a fit thing to let him go free, for the sake of those who had not offended; nor was it a fit thing to punish them together with him who had been guilty of stealing. And when he promised to give them leave to go away in safety, the rest of them were under great consternation, and were able to say nothing on this sad occasion…