Genesis 44

Genesis 44:1

steward of his house

The "steward" was responsible for managing Joseph's household activities.

every man's money

Their money was silver coins most likely in a small bag.

in his sack's opening

"in his sack"

Genesis 44:2

Put my cup, the silver cup

"Put my silver cup"

in the sack's opening of the youngest

"in the youngest brother's sack"

Genesis 44:3

The morning dawned

"The morning light shown"

the men were sent away, they and their donkeys

"they sent the men away, along with their donkeys"

Genesis 44:4

Why have you returned evil for good?

"You have treated us badly, after we were good to you!"

Genesis 44:5

Is this not the cup from which my master drinks, and the cup that he uses for divination?

"You already know that this is the cup that my master uses for drinking and for fortune telling!"

You have done evil, this thing that you have done

"What you have done is very evil"

Genesis 44:6

spoke these words to them

"spoke what Joseph told him to say"

Genesis 44:7

Why does my master speak such words as these?

"Why are you saying this, my master?"

Far be it from your servants that they would do such a thing.

"We would never do such a thing!"

Genesis 44:8

Look, the money

"Listen to what we are about to say and you will see that we are speaking the truth: the money"

the money that we found in our sacks' openings

"you know the money that we found in our sacks"

we brought again to you out of the land of Canaan

"we brought back to you from Canaan"

How then could we steal out of your master's house silver or gold?

"So we would never take anything from your master's house!"

Genesis 44:9

If any of your servants is found with it

"If you find that one of us has stolen the cup"

we also will be my master's slaves

"you may take us as your slaves"

Genesis 44:10

He with whom the cup is found will be my slave

"If I find the cup in one of your sacks, that person will be my slave"

Genesis 44:11

brought his sack down

"lowered his sack"

Genesis 44:12

youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack

"youngest. The steward found the cup in Benjamin's sack"

Genesis 44:13

Then they tore their clothes

The word "they" refers to the brothers. Tearing clothes was a sign of great distress and sorrow.

Genesis 44:15

Do you not know that a man like me practices divination?

"Surely you know that a man like me can learn things by magic!"

Genesis 44:16

What can we say to my master? What can we speak? Or how can we justify ourselves?

"We have nothing to say, my master. We cannot speak anything of value. We cannot justify ourselves."

God has found out the iniquity of your servants

"God is punishing us for our past sins"

Genesis 44:17

Far be it from me that I should do so

"It is not like me to do something like that"

The man in whose hand the cup was found

"The man who had my cup"

Genesis 44:18

came near to

"approached"

let your servant

"let me, your servant"

speak a word in my master's ears

"speak to you, my master"

do not let your anger burn against your servant

"please do not be angry with me, your servant"

for you are just like Pharaoh

"for you are as powerful as Pharaoh and could have your soldiers kill me"

Genesis 44:19

My master asked his servants, saying, 'Do you have a father or a brother?'

"My master asked us if we have a father or a brother."

Genesis 44:21

Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me that I may see him.'

"And you said to your servants that we should bring our youngest brother to you so that you may see him"

Genesis 44:22

After that, we said to my master, 'The boy cannot ... father would die.'

"In response, we said to my master that the boy cannot ... father would die from sorrow"

Genesis 44:23

Then you said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.'

"Then you said to your servants that unless our youngest brother comes with us, we would not see you again."

Genesis 44:24

we told him the words of my master

"we told him what you said, my master"

Genesis 44:26

Then we said, 'We cannot go down. If our youngest brother ... is with us.'

"Then we said to him that we cannot go down to Egypt. We told him that if our youngest brother is with us ... is with us"

to see the man's face

"to see the man"

Genesis 44:27

said to us

Here "us" does not include Joseph.

You know

Here "You" is plural and refers to the brothers.

Genesis 44:28

he is torn in pieces

"a wild animal has torn him to pieces"

Genesis 44:29

Now if you also take this one from me, and harm comes to him, you will bring down my gray hair with sorrow to Sheol

"This is what your servant my father said to us: 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. One of them went out from me and I said that surely he had been torn in pieces, and I have not seen him since. Now if you also take this one from me, and harm comes to him, you will bring down my gray hair with sorrow to Sheol.'"

harm comes to him

Something bad happening to a person is spoken of as if "harm" were something that travels and comes to a person.

you will bring down my gray hair with sorrow to Sheol

"then you will cause me, an old man, to die of sorrow"

my gray hair

"me, an old man"

Genesis 44:30

since his life is bound up in the boy's life

"since he said he would die if the boy did not come back"

Genesis 44:31

Your servants will bring down the gray hair of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol

"And we your servants will have caused our old father to die of sorrow"

Genesis 44:32

For your servant became a guarantee for the boy to my father

"For I promised my father concerning the boy"

For your servant

"For I, your servant" or "For I"

then I will bear the guilt to my father

"then my father may blame me"

Genesis 44:33

let your servant stay instead of the boy as slave to my master

"let your servant remain as a slave to my master instead of the boy"

let the boy go up

It was going to use the phrase "go up" when speaking about traveling from Egypt to Canaan.

Genesis 44:34

For how can I go up to my father if the boy is not with me?

"I cannot return to my father if the boy is not with me."

I am afraid to see the evil that would come on my father

"I am afraid to see how much my father would suffer"