The Brothers Are Accused

4

but before they were far from the city Yosef said to his manager, "Up, go after the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil?

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Isn't this the goblet my lord drinks from, indeed the one he uses for divination? What you have done is evil!'"

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So he caught up with them and said these words to them.

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They replied, "Why does my lord speak this way? Heaven forbid that we should do such a thing!

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Why, the money we found inside our packs we brought back to you from the land of Kena'an! So how would we steal silver or gold from your lord's house?

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Whichever one of us the goblet is found with, let him be put to death - and the rest of us will be my lord's slaves!"

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He replied, "Fine; let it be as you have said: whichever one it is found with will be my slave. But the rest of you will be blameless."

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Then each hurried to put his pack down on the ground, and each one opened his pack.

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He searched, starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and the goblet was found in the pack belonging to Binyamin.

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At this, they tore their clothes from grief. Then each man loaded up his donkey and returned to the city. (A: Maftir)

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Y'hudah and his brothers arrived at Yosef's house. He was still there, and they fell down before him on the ground. (S: Maftir)

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Yosef said to them, "How could you do such a thing? Don't you know that a man such as myself can learn the truth by divination?"

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Y'hudah said, "There's nothing we can say to my lord! How can we speak? There's no way we can clear ourselves! God has revealed your servants' guilt; so here we are, my lord's slaves - both we and also the one in whose possession the cup was found."

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But he replied, "Heaven forbid that I should act in such a way. The man in whose possession the goblet was found will be my slave; but as for you, go in peace to your father."

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