הֲל֣וֹא זֶ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשְׁתֶּ֤ה אֲדֹנִי֙ בּ֔וֹ וְה֕וּא נַחֵ֥שׁ יְנַחֵ֖שׁ בּ֑וֹ הֲרֵעֹתֶ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר עֲשִׂיתֶֽם׃
“Is not this the one from which my master drinks and with which he divines? You have done evil in doing this.”
Midrash Tanchuma, Miketz 10:9. The Midrash explains Yosef’s instruction to pursue the brothers and to address them first harshly and then gently, beginning with the accusation about the goblet.
The Midrash reads Yosef’s instruction as a deliberately staged confrontation: the steward is to pursue the brothers while the fear of the city still restrains them, and the accusation is to be delivered in measured stages.
What Is Learned: The wording about the goblet is part of Yosef’s planned test of the brothers, rather than an improvised accusation.