VERSE STUDY • KJV

Genesis 44:16-34

¹⁶ And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we [are] my lord’s servants, both we, and [he] also with whom the cup is found. ¹⁷ And he said, God forbid that I should do so: [but] the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father. ¹⁸ Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou [art] even as Pharaoh. ¹⁹ My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? ²⁰ And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. ²¹ And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. ²² And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for [if] he should leave his father, [his father] would die. ²³ And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. ²⁴ And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. ²⁵ And our father said, Go again, [and] buy us a little food. ²⁶ And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man’s face, except our youngest brother [be] with us. ²⁷ And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two [sons]: ²⁸ And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since: ²⁹ And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. ³⁰ Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad [be] not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad’s life; ³¹ It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad [is] not [with us], that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. ³² For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever. ³³ Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. ³⁴ For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad [be] not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.

Read it in 5 translations

KJV King James Version

¹⁶ And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we [are] my lord’s servants, both we, and [he] also with whom the cup is found. ¹⁷ And he said, God forbid that I should do so: [but] the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father. ¹⁸ Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou [art] even as Pharaoh. ¹⁹ My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? ²⁰ And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. ²¹ And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. ²² And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for [if] he should leave his father, [his father] would die. ²³ And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. ²⁴ And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. ²⁵ And our father said, Go again, [and] buy us a little food. ²⁶ And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man’s face, except our youngest brother [be] with us. ²⁷ And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two [sons]: ²⁸ And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since: ²⁹ And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. ³⁰ Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad [be] not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad’s life; ³¹ It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad [is] not [with us], that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. ³² For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever. ³³ Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. ³⁴ For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad [be] not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.

BSB Berean Standard Bible

¹⁶ “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed the iniquity of your servants. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we and the one who was found with the cup.” ¹⁷ But Joseph replied, “Far be it from me to do this. The man who was found with the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may return to your father in peace.” ¹⁸ Then Judah approached Joseph and said, “Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are equal to Pharaoh himself. ¹⁹ My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ ²⁰ And we answered, ‘We have an elderly father and a younger brother, the child of his old age. The boy’s brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’ ²¹ Then you told your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so that I can see him for myself.’ ²² So we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.’ ²³ But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your younger brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ ²⁴ Now when we returned to your servant my father, we relayed your words to him. ²⁵ Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy us some food.’ ²⁶ But we answered, ‘We cannot go down there unless our younger brother goes with us. So if our younger brother is not with us, we cannot see the man.’ ²⁷ And your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. ²⁸ When one of them was gone, I said: “Surely he has been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. ²⁹ Now if you also take this one from me and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.’ ³⁰ So if the boy is not with us when I return to your servant, and if my father, whose life is wrapped up in the boy’s life, ³¹ sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. ³² Indeed, your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father, saying, ‘If I do not return him to you, I will bear the guilt before you, my father, all my life.’ ³³ Now please let your servant stay here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy. Let him return with his brothers. ³⁴ For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the misery that would overwhelm him.”

WEB World English Bible

¹⁶ Judah said, “What will we tell my lord? What will we speak? Or how will we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants. Behold, we are my lord’s bondservants, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup is found.” ¹⁷ He said, “Far be it from me that I should do so. The man in whose hand the cup is found, he will be my bondservant; but as for you, go up in peace to your father.” ¹⁸ Then Judah came near to him, and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and don’t let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even as Pharaoh. ¹⁹ My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father, or a brother?’ ²⁰ We said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loves him.’ ²¹ You said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ ²² We said to my lord, ‘The boy can’t leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ ²³ You said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will see my face no more.’ ²⁴ It happened when we came up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. ²⁵ Our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food.’ ²⁶ We said, ‘We can’t go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down: for we may not see the man’s face, unless our youngest brother is with us.’ ²⁷ Your servant, my father, said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons: ²⁸ and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn in pieces;” and I haven’t seen him since. ²⁹ If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.’ ³⁰ Now therefore when I come to your servant my father, and the boy is not with us; since his life is bound up in the boy’s life; ³¹ it will happen, when he sees that the boy is no more, that he will die. Your servants will bring down the gray hairs of your servant, our father, with sorrow to Sheol. ³² For your servant became collateral for the boy to my father, saying, ‘If I don’t bring him to you, then I will bear the blame to my father forever.’ ³³ Now therefore, please let your servant stay instead of the boy, a bondservant to my lord; and let the boy go up with his brothers. ³⁴ For how will I go up to my father, if the boy isn’t with me?—lest I see the evil that will come on my father.”

ASV American Standard Version

¹⁶ And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord’s bondmen, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup is found. ¹⁷ And he said, Far be it from me that I should do so: the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my bondman; but as for you, get you up in peace unto your father. ¹⁸ Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh, my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant; for thou art even as Pharaoh. ¹⁹ My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? ²⁰ And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loveth him. ²¹ And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. ²² And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die. ²³ And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. ²⁴ And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. ²⁵ And our father said, Go again, buy us a little food. ²⁶ And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man’s face, except our youngest brother be with us. ²⁷ And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons: ²⁸ and the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I have not seen him since: ²⁹ and if ye take this one also from me, and harm befall him, ye will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol. ³⁰ Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad’s life; ³¹ it will come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants will bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. ³² For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then shall I bear the blame to my father for ever. ³³ Now therefore, let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. ³⁴ For how shall I go up to my father, if the lad be not with me? lest I see the evil that shall come on my father.

YLT Young’s Literal Translation

¹⁶ And Judah saith, ‘What do we say to my lord? what do we speak? and what—do we justify ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants; lo, we are servants to my lord, both we, and he in whose hand the cup hath been found;’ ¹⁷ and he saith, ‘Far be it from me to do this; the man in whose hand the cup hath been found, he becometh my servant; and ye, go ye up in peace unto your father.’ ¹⁸ And Judah cometh nigh unto him, and saith, ‘O, my lord, let thy servant speak, I pray thee, a word in the ears of my lord, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant—for thou art as Pharaoh. ¹⁹ My lord hath asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father or brother? ²⁰ and we say unto my lord, We have a father, an aged one, and a child of old age, a little one; and his brother died, and he is left alone of his mother, and his father hath loved him. ²¹ ‘And thou sayest unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, and I set mine eye upon him; ²² and we say unto my lord, The youth is not able to leave his father, when he hath left his father, then he hath died; ²³ and thou sayest unto thy servants, If your young brother come not down with you, ye add not to see my face. ²⁴ ‘And it cometh to pass, that we have come up unto thy servant my father, that we declare to him the words of my lord; ²⁵ and our father saith, Turn back, buy for us a little food, ²⁶ and we say, We are not able to go down; if our young brother is with us, then we have gone down; for we are not able to see the man’s face, and our young brother not with us. ²⁷ ‘And thy servant my father saith unto us, Ye—ye have known that two did my wife bare to me, ²⁸ and the one goeth out from me, and I say, Surely he is torn—torn! and I have not seen him since; ²⁹ when ye have taken also this from my presence, and mischief hath met him, then ye have brought down my grey hairs with evil to sheol. ³⁰ ‘And now, at my coming in unto thy servant my father, and the youth not with us (and his soul is bound up in his soul), ³¹ then it hath come to pass when he seeth that the youth is not, that he hath died, and thy servants have brought down the grey hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to sheol; ³² for thy servant obtained the youth by surety from my father, saying, If I bring him not in unto thee—then I have sinned against my father all the days. ³³ ‘And now, let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of the youth a servant to my lord, and the youth goeth up with his brethren, ³⁴ for how do I go up unto my father, and the youth not with me? lest I look on the evil which doth find my father.’

Surrounding context — Genesis 44

13 Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.

14 And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph’s house; for he [was] yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.

15 And Joseph said unto them, What deed [is] this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?

16 And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we [are] my lord’s servants, both we, and [he] also with whom the cup is found.

17 And he said, God forbid that I should do so: [but] the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.

18 Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou [art] even as Pharaoh.

19 My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?

20 And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.

21 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.

22 And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for [if] he should leave his father, [his father] would die.

23 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.

24 And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

25 And our father said, Go again, [and] buy us a little food.

26 And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man’s face, except our youngest brother [be] with us.

27 And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two [sons]:

28 And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:

29 And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

30 Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad [be] not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad’s life;

31 It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad [is] not [with us], that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

32 For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.

33 Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.

34 For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad [be] not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.

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