He, therefore, followed a plan which may seem cruel, but which was the best possible way of revealing himself to his brothers. The steward was told to put Ben'ja-min's sack of grain a valuable silver drinking cup which belonged to Jo'seph, and which had been used during the dinner which his brothers had attended as guests of honor. The next morning found the sons of Ja'cob well on the road back to Ca'naan, but before they had gone far from the home of Jo'seph the steward was ordered to take them prisoners, and accuse them of stealing the cup.
The steward soon overtook the brothers, and declared that they had stolen his master's silver cup. Their happiness over the release of Sim'e-on from prison, and the permission to return to Ca'naan with their brother Ben'ja-min, in addition to the supply of grain which they had bought, was suddenly turned into deepest sorrow. They naturally denied their guilt, and were so sure that they had done no wrong that they offered to let the one who might be proved to have stolen the cup to be put to death, while all his brothers should become slaves of the E'gyp-tian ruler for life. It was then agreed that their sacks should be searched by the E'gyp-tians.
The sacks were then spread out upon the ground and carefully searched. The E'gyp-tians began their search with the sack of the eldest brother, and gradually examined the others until ten of the brothers had been found to be innocent. By this time the sons of Ja'cob felt that they would soon be free to continue their homeward journey, but their hopes were suddenly crushed. When the sack of Ben'ja-min was searched, the E'gyp-tians found at once the silver cup which belonged to Jo'seph. The brothers felt sure that Ben'ja-min had not stolen it, but when it was found in his possession there was nothing for them to say. It was hard to think that blame for the crime should fall upon the very son whom they had pledged to return to their father
The brothers were taken back to Jo'seph to answer for the crime which seemed to have been committed, and to face whatever punishment that he might order. Jo'seph spoke to them very sternly, saying, "What a wicked, ungrateful thing you have done to me! Didn't you know that I would find out who took the cup?" Ju'dah then spoke for his brothers, admitting that he could see no way of explaining how the cup came to be in Ben'ja-min's sack. He said "We are your slaves, all of us, and we shall each of us serve the penalty of him in whose sack the cup was found."
Jo'seph would not hear of this arrangement, and declared. "The man who stole the cup shall be my slave, but the rest of you must go back to your father's home at once.
Questions naturally come to our minds over the severe treatment which Jo'seph gave his brothers. Why was it necessary for him to be so stern, to accuse Ben'ja-min of a crime he had not committed, and to threaten to keep him as a slave?
