Eventually, it came time for the brothers to be on their way. So, Joseph ordered his steward to once again fill their sacks with food, and one again to put their money in the sacks as well. However, feeling the need to outdo his earlier practical joke, he also ordered that an expensive silver cup be put in the youngest brother’s bag.
The next morning, the brothers went on their way, and Joseph ordered his steward to go after them and accuse them of taking advantage of his hospitality by stealing from him. So the steward did so. The brothers were outraged at the suggestion that they were thieves, and protested mightily that they would never do such a thing. In fact, they went so far as to say if they had stolen the cup, whichever one of them stole it should be killed and the rest should become Joseph’s slaves. The steward, being in a charitable mood, said all that would be necessary is for the guilty party to be enslaved, so no big deal for the rest of them. Satisfied that they had come off as properly righteously indignant, the brothers gave the steward permission to search their bags. Of course, the steward found the silver cup and the brothers were sent back to Joseph’s house. This is why we never consent to a search without a warrant, kids.
Back at the ranch, Joseph demanded that the youngest son be given to him as a slave as restitution for the ‘stolen’ cup. Judah, eager to keep the family together, started trying to butter up Joseph. In trying to convince Joseph to not take their youngest brother into slavery, Judah recapped the bulk of Chapter 42, ending with a brief guilt trip about what would happen to their father if they returned home without their youngest brother.
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