Genesis 44:12

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
He searched, beginning with the eldest, and ending at the youngest. The cup was found in Binyamin's sack.

King James Version
And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

Lexham English Bible
And he searched, beginning with the oldest and finishing with the youngest. And the cup was found in the sack of Benjamin.

New Century Version
The servant searched the sacks, going from the oldest brother to the youngest, and found the cup in Benjamin's sack.

New English Translation
Then the man searched. He began with the oldest and finished with the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack!

Amplified Bible
The steward searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

New American Standard Bible
And he searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And he searched, and began at the eldest and left at the yongest: and the cuppe was found in Beniamins sacke.

Legacy Standard Bible
So he searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

Contemporary English Version
Joseph's servant started searching the sacks, beginning with the one that belonged to the oldest brother. When he came to Benjamin's sack, he found the cup.

Complete Jewish Bible
He searched, starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and the goblet was found in the pack belonging to Binyamin.

Darby Translation
And he searched carefully: he began at the eldest, and ended at the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

Easy-to-Read Version
The servant started looking in the sacks. He started with the oldest brother and ended with the youngest. He found the cup in Benjamin's sack.

English Standard Version
And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

George Lamsa Translation
And they searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamins sack.

Good News Translation
Joseph's servant searched carefully, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

Christian Standard Bible®
The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

Literal Translation
And he searched, with the oldest first, and with the youngest last, and the cup was found in the sack of Benjamin.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he searched & beganne at the greatest vnto the yongest, and the cuppe was founde in Ben Iamins sacke.

American Standard Version
And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left off at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

Bible in Basic English
And he made a search, starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was in Benjamin's bag.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cuppe was founde in Beniamins sacke.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he searched, beginning at the eldest, and leaving off at the youngest; and the goblet was found in Benjamin's sack.

King James Version (1611)
And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the yongest: and the cup was found in Beniamins sacke.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he searched, beginning from the eldest, until he came to the youngest; and he found the cup in Benjamin’s sack.

English Revised Version
And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

Berean Standard Bible
The steward searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest-and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and bigan at the more til to the leeste, and foond the cuppe in `the sak of Beniamyn.

Young's Literal Translation
and he searcheth -- at the eldest he hath begun, and at the youngest he hath completed -- and the cup is found in the bag of Benjamin;

Update Bible Version
And he searched, [and] began at the eldest, and left off at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he searched, [and] began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

World English Bible
He searched, beginning with the eldest, and ending at the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

New King James Version
So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

New Living Translation
The palace manager searched the brothers' sacks, from the oldest to the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack!

New Life Bible
The man looked for it, beginning with the oldest and stopping with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's bag.

New Revised Standard
He searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then made he thorough search, with the eldest, he began, and with the youngest, he ended, - and the cup was found in the sack of Benjamin!

Douay-Rheims Bible
Which when he had searched, beginning at the eldest, and ending at the youngest, he found the cup in Benjamin’s sack.

Revised Standard Version
And he searched, beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
He searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

Contextual Overview

¹Joseph ordered his house steward: "Fill the men's bags with food—all they can carry—and replace each one's money at the top of the bag. Then put my chalice, my silver chalice, in the top of the bag of the youngest, along with the money for his food." He did as Joseph ordered. ³At 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!'" ⁶ He caught up with them and repeated all this word for word. ⁷They said, "What is my master talking about? We would never do anything like that! Why, the money we found in our bags earlier, we brought back all the way from Canaan—do you think we'd turn right around and steal it back from your master? If that chalice is found on any of us, he'll die; and the rest of us will be your master's slaves." ¹⁰ The steward said, "Very well then, but we won't go that far. Whoever is found with the chalice will be my slave; the rest of you can go free." ¹¹They outdid each other in putting their bags on the ground and opening them up for inspection. The steward searched their bags, going from oldest to youngest. The chalice showed up in Benjamin's bag. ¹³ They ripped their clothes in despair, loaded up their donkeys, and went back to the city. ¹⁴ Joseph was still at home when Judah and his brothers got back. They threw themselves down on the ground in front of him. ¹⁵ Joseph accused them: "How can you have done this? You have to know that a man in my position would have discovered this." ¹⁶ Judah as spokesman for the brothers said, "What can we say, master? What is there to say? How can we prove our innocence? God is behind this, exposing how bad we are. We stand guilty before you and ready to be your slaves—we're all in this together, the rest of us as guilty as the one with the chalice."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

began: Genesis 43:33

and the cup: Genesis 44:26-32, Genesis 42:36-38, Genesis 43:14

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he searched,.... To the bottom of them, not content to look into the mouth of them being opened, but rummaged them, and searched deeply into them to find the cup, which was the thing charged upon them he was solicitous to find; as for the money in the sack's mouth he took no notice of that, nor is there any mention of it:

[and] began at the oldest; at Reuben, as the Targum of Jonathan expresses it: the steward might know their different ages in course, by the order in which they were placed at Joseph's table when they dined with him:

and left off at the youngest; at Benjamin, he ended his scrutiny with him; this method he took partly to hold them in fear as long as he could, and partly to prevent any suspicion of design, which might have been entertained had he went directly to Benjamin's sack:

and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack; where the steward himself had put it, and as it is usually said, they that hide can find.

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.