Joseph's Brothers Accused Of Stealing - NIV

The Brothers Remember How They Treated Joseph. They Do Not Know it Is Joseph They are Dealing with Now. They Believe That All the Trouble They are Having Is Because of What They Did to Joseph When They Sold Him as a Slave.

1. The Brothers Go Back to Face the Accusation of Theft.

Genesis 44:1-5 Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack. [2] Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain." And he did as Joseph said. [3] As ____________ __________, the men were sent on their way with their ____________. [4] They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, "Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, 'Why have you __________ good with evil? [5] Isn't this the cup my __________ __________ from and also uses for __________________? This is a __________ thing you have done.' "

Genesis 44:6-13 When he caught up with them, he ______________ these words to them. [7] But they said to him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! [8] We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your ______________ house? [9] If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves." [10] "Very well, then," he said, "let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame." [11] Each of them quickly ____________ his sack to the ground and opened it. [12] Then the ____________ ________________ to search, ________________ with the oldest and ending with the ______________. And the cup was found in __________________ sack. [13] At this, they tore their ____________. Then they all loaded their ____________ and ______________ to the city.

Genesis 44:14-17 Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his ______________ came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. [15] Joseph said to them, "What is this you have done? Don't you know that a man like me can find things out by __________________?" [16] "What can we say to my lord?" Judah ____________. "What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has ________________ your ______________' guilt. We are now my lord's slaves--we ________________ and the one who was found to have the cup." [17] But Joseph said, "Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your __________ in peace."

Genesis 44:18-29 Then Judah went up to him and said: "__________, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, __________ you are equal to ____________ ____________. [19] My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother?' [20] And we ______________, 'We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his ______________ sons left, and his father _________ him.' [21] "Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.' [22] And we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot _________ his father; if he _________s him, his father will die.' [23] But you told your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.' [24] When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said. [25] "Then our father said, 'Go back and buy a __________ more food.' [26] But we said, 'We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the _________ face unless our youngest brother is with us.' [27] "Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. [28] One of them went away from me, and I said, "He has __________ been torn to __________." And I have not seen him _________. [29] If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the _________ in __________.'

Do the brothers seem different from the way they treated Joseph when they sold him as a slave? ____________

2. Judah Pleads to Be Allowed to Stay as Slave in Place of Benjamin, in Whose Sack the Cup was Found.

Genesis 44:30-34 "So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father and if my father, whose life is ____________ bound up with the boy's life, [31] sees that the boy isn't there, he will die. Your ______________ will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. [32] Your servant __________________ the boy's safety to my father. I said, 'If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!' [33] "Now then, please let your servant __________ here as my __________ slave in place of the boy, and let the boy __________ with his ______________. [34] How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the __________ that would come upon my father."

Does Judah seem different now from the time when he and his brothers sold Joseph to the traders as a slave? _________________

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