Genesis 44:3

Easy-to-Read Version

Early the next morning the brothers and their donkeys were sent back to their country.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

King James Version
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

Lexham English Bible
When the morning light came the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

New Century Version
At dawn the brothers were sent away with their donkeys.

New English Translation
When morning came, the men and their donkeys were sent off.

Amplified Bible
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

New American Standard Bible
As soon as it was light, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And in the morning the men were sent away, they, and their asses.

Legacy Standard Bible
As the morning light broke, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys.

Contemporary English Version
Early the next morning, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.

Complete Jewish Bible
At daybreak the men were sent off with their donkeys;

Darby Translation
In the morning, when it was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

English Standard Version
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys.

George Lamsa Translation
As soon as the morning was light, the men started on their way, together with their asses.

Good News Translation
Early in the morning the brothers were sent on their way with their donkeys.

Christian Standard Bible®
At morning light, the men were sent off with their donkeys.

Literal Translation
At the morning light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And on the morow whan it was daye, they let ye men go with their Asses.

American Standard Version
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

Bible in Basic English
And at dawn the men, with their asses, were sent away.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And in the morning assoone as it was lyght, the men were let go, they, and their asses.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

King James Version (1611)
Assoone as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they, and their asses.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The morning dawned, and the men were sent away, they and their asses.

English Revised Version
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses.

Berean Standard Bible
At daybreak, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne the morewtid roos, thei weren delyuered with her assis.

Young's Literal Translation
The morning is bright, and the men have been sent away, they and their asses --

Update Bible Version
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

Webster's Bible Translation
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they, and their asses.

World English Bible
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

New King James Version
As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

New Living Translation
The brothers were up at dawn and were sent on their journey with their loaded donkeys.

New Life Bible
Early in the morning the men were sent away with their donkeys.

New Revised Standard
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
By the time, the morning, was light, the men, had been sent away, they, and their asses.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when the morning arose, they were sent away with their asses.

Revised Standard Version
As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their asses.

THE MESSAGE
At break of day the men were sent off with their donkeys. They were barely out of the city when Joseph said to his house steward, "Run after them. When you catch up with them, say, ‘Why did you pay me back evil for good? This is the chalice my master drinks from; he also uses it for divination. This is outrageous!'"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
As soon as it was light, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys.

Contextual Overview

¹ Then Joseph gave a command to his servant. He said, "Fill the men's sacks with as much grain as they can carry. Then put each man's money into his sack with the grain. ² Put the youngest brother's money in his sack too. But also put my special silver cup in his sack." So the servant obeyed Joseph. ³ Early the next morning the brothers and their donkeys were sent back to their country. ⁴ After they had left the city, Joseph said to his servant, "Go and follow the men. Stop them and say to them, ‘We were good to you! So why have you been bad to us? Why did you steal my master's silver cup? ⁵ My master drinks from that cup, and he uses it to learn secret things. What you did was wrong!'" ⁶ So the servant obeyed. He rode out to the brothers and stopped them. The servant said to them what Joseph had told him to say. ⁷ But the brothers said to the servant, "Why does the governor say these things? We wouldn't do anything like that! ⁸ We brought back the money that we found in our sacks before. So surely we wouldn't steal silver or gold from your master's house. ⁹ If you find the silver cup in any of our sacks, let that man die. You can kill him, and we will be your slaves." ¹⁰ The servant said, "I agree, except that only the man who is found to have the cup will be my slave. The others will be free."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Gill's Notes on the Bible

As soon as the morning was light,.... When it was break of day, before the sun rose:

the men were sent away, they and their asses; the men being refreshed with food, and their asses having provender given them, and saddled and loaded, they were handsomely and honourably dismissed.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

- The Ten Brothers Were Tested

Joseph has had the satisfaction of seeing his brother Benjamin safe and well. He has heard his brothers acknowledging their guilt concerning himself. He resolves to put their attachment to Benjamin, and the genuineness of their change of disposition, to a test that will at the same time expose Benjamin to no hazard.

Genesis 44:1-5

And my cup. - Besides returning each man’s money as before, a silver cup of Joseph’s is put in Benjamin’s bag, after which, when daylight comes, they are dismissed. They are scarcely out of the town when Joseph’s steward is ordered to overtake them, and charge them with stealing the cup. “And whereby indeed he divineth.” Divining by cups, we learn from this, was a common custom in Egypt (Herodotus ii. 83). It is here mentioned to enhance the value of the cup. Whether Joseph really practised any sort of divination cannot be determined from this passage.

Genesis 44:6-12

The cup is found in Benjamin’s bag. “Spake unto them these words.” The words of Joseph, supplying of course the mention of the cup which is expressed in the text only by the pronoun this. “We brought back to thee.” Silver that we might have retained, and to which you made no claim when we tendered it, we brought back. How or why should we therefore, steal silver? “Now also according to your words let it be.” He adopts their terms with a mitigation. He with whom the cup is found shall become a slave for life, and the rest be acquitted. The steward searches from the oldest to the youngest. The cup is found where it was put.

Genesis 44:13-17

“They rent their garments;” the natural token of a sorrow that knows no remedy. “And Judah went.” He had pledged himself for the safety of Benjamin to his father. And he was yet there; awaiting no doubt the result which he anticipated. “They fell before him on the earth.” It is no longer a bending of the head or bowing of the body, but the posture of deepest humiliation. How deeply that early dream penetrated into the stern reality! “Wot ye not that such a man as I doth certainly divine?” Joseph keeps up the show of resentment for a little longer, and brings out from Judah the most pathetic plea of its kind that ever was uttered. “The God,” the great and only God, “hath found out the iniquity of thy servants;” in our dark and treacherous dealing with our brother. “Behold, we are servants to my lord.” He resigns himself and all to perpetual bondage, as the doom of a just God upon their still-remembered crime. “He shall be my servant; and ye, go up in peace to your father.” Now is the test applied with the nicest adjustment. Now is the moment of agony and suspense to Joseph. Will my brothers prove true? says he within himself. Will Judah prove adequate to the occasion? say we. His pleading with his father augured well.

Verse 18-34

“And Judah came near unto him.” He is going to surrender himself as a slave for life, that Benjamin may go home with his brothers, who are permitted to depart. “Let thy servant now speak a word in the ears of my lord.” There is nothing here but respectful calmness of demeanor. “And let not thine anger burn against thy servant.” He intuitively feels that the grand vizier is a man of like feelings with himself. He will surmount the distinction of rank, and stand with him on the ground of a common humanity. “For so art thou as Pharaoh.” Thou hast power to grant or withhold my request. This forms, the exordium of the speech. Then follows the plea. This consists in a simple statement of the facts, which Judah expects to have its native effect upon a rightly-constituted heart. We will not touch this statement, except to explain two or three expressions. A young lad - a comparative youth. “Let me set mine eyes upon him” - regard him with favor and kindness. “He shall leave his father and he shall die.” If he were to leave his father, his father would die. Such is the natural interpretation of these words, as the paternal affection is generally stronger than the filial. “And now let thy servant now abide instead of the lad a servant to my lord.” Such is the humble and earnest petition of Judah. He calmly and firmly sacrifices home, family, and birthright, rather than see an aged father die of a broken heart.