Genesis 44

Joseph continues to play this prank on his brothers, but now it takes a cruel bend.

He has his steward hide his silver cup (also used for divination) in Benjamin’s sack before they leave, then chase them down and accuse them of stealing it. They are all afraid that they will now become slaves. They go back to the city.

When they get there, Joseph says he will just take Benjamin as a slave. Judah, having promised his father that he would take care of Benjamin repeats the whole story and asks that he be kept as a slave instead, saying that it would kill Jacob to lose this other son.

Kind of a “screw you” to the other 11 kids, but whatever!