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Genesis 44

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Part of Joseph📖 Genesis introduction

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1Then he commanded his house steward, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the opening of his sack. ✦ 2And put my cup, the silver cup, in the opening of the sack of the youngest, and his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph had told him. ✦ 3As soon as it was light, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys. 4They had just left the city, and were not far away, when Joseph said to his house steward, “Up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? ✦ 5Is this not that from which my lord drinks, and which he indeed uses for divination? You have done wrong in doing this!’ ” ✦ 6So he overtook them and spoke these words to them. 7And they said to him, “Why does my lord say such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! ✦ 8Behold, the money which we found in the opening of our sacks we have brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? ✦ 9With whomever of your servants it is found, he shall die, and we also shall be my lord’s slaves.” ✦ 10So he said, “Now let it indeed be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, but the rest of you shall be considered innocent.” ✦ 11Then they hurried, each man lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12And he searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. ✦ 13Then they tore their clothes in grief, and when each man had loaded his donkey, they returned to the city. ✦ 14When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they fell down to the ground before him. ✦ 15Joseph said to them, “What is this thing that you have done? Do you not know that a man who is like me can indeed practice divination?” ✦ 16So Judah said, “What can we say to my lord? What words can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been found.” ✦ 17But he said, “Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.” ✦ 18Then Judah approached him and said, “Oh my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord’s ears, and do not be angry with your servant; for you are equal to Pharaoh. ✦ 19My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ ✦ 20And we said to my lord, ‘We have an old father and a little boy born in our father’s old age. Now his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.’ ✦ 21Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so that I may set my eyes on him.’ ✦ 22But we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ ✦ 23You said to your servants, however, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ ✦ 24So it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. ✦ 25And our father said, ‘Go back, buy us a little food.’ ✦ 26But we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we cannot 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; ✦ 28and the one left me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces,” and I have not seen him since. ✦ 29If you also take this one from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’ ✦ 30So now, when I come to your servant, my father, and the boy is not with us—since our father’s life is so attached to the boy’s life— ✦ 31when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. So your servants will bring the gray hair of your servant, our father, down to Sheol in sorrow. ✦ 32For your servant accepted responsibility for the boy from my father, saying, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then my father can let me take the blame forever.’ ✦ 33So now, please let your servant remain as a slave to my lord instead of the boy, and let the boy go up with his brothers. ✦ 34For how shall I go up to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear that I may see the evil that would overtake my father.” ✦

Tap any verse for its study page. Underlined terms mark a concept, person, or place; ✦ marks verses with cross-references.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Where this chapter connects

Gen 43 ·24Gen 42 ·22Gen 44 ·17Gen 37 ·14Exod 32 ·3Gen 35 ·3Gen 18 ·3Prov 17 ·3

Christ at the center

From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.

How Genesis 44 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Resources, by level

Lay

  • ★ Start hereDocumentaryExpedition BibleJoel Kramer · Free · evangelical

    On-location biblical archaeology from a credentialed archaeologist (M.A., excavated in Israel) — the best free place to start on "did it really happen?"

  • ★ Start hereAudioThrough the WordThrough the Word · ~10 min/chapter · Free · evangelical

    A clear ~10-minute audio teaching for every one of the Bible's 1,189 chapters — the most systematic free way to study chapter by chapter.

  • ★ Start hereVideoOverview: Genesis 1–11BibleProject · 9 min · Free

    The single best free starting point for Genesis 1–11 — clear, visual, and faithful to the literary design.

  • VideoSpoken GospelSpoken Gospel · Free · evangelical

    Short, gospel-centered videos and spoken-word poems showing how each passage points to Jesus — especially strong on the Old Testament.

  • ReferenceBook of Genesis — Visual GuideBibleProject · Free

    A free structured guide to the whole book — outline, themes, and links to each video.

  • DocumentaryIs Genesis History?Del Tackett · Free · evangelical

    A young-earth-creationist case for a literal Genesis, free on YouTube. (YEC is one view held by faithful Christians; others read Genesis differently — see the genre guide on how to read it.)

Pastoral

  • SermonChuck Smith — C2000 SeriesChuck Smith · Free · evangelical

    Free verse-by-verse audio through the entire Bible from the founder of Calvary Chapel.

Seminary

  • ★ Start hereCommentaryGenesis (Word Biblical Commentary)Gordon J. Wenham · Paid · evangelical

    For decades the gold-standard commentary on Genesis — technical but rich. (See the ranked list for alternatives like Hamilton, NICOT.)

  • BookThe Pentateuch as NarrativeJohn H. Sailhamer · ~560 pp · Library · evangelical

    A literary-theological reading that makes Genesis's design visible.

Commentaries & study tools

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