g To take off all their ſuſpicion of hisfraud. þ He found doubt- leſs the money there, but he accuſed them not abour that matter; both becauſe they had an anſwer ready to th:t charge from hisown | mouth, chap: 43: 23: and becauſe the greater crime, rhe ſtealing of the Cup which Joſeph ſo much prized and uſed, might {ceem to ex-
tngulk the leſs, or at leaſt cauſe him to negled it, [1 3 % T3 Th.
ap. XLIV.
13 Then they rent their cloaths} and laded every |
. man his aſs, and returned tothe city 2. | "0 Being afrajd and aſhamed to go to their Father without Benja- -in, concerning whom they had received fo ſevere a Charge, and made ſuch ſolemn Promiſes and Imprecations.
14 And Judah | and his brethren came to ay houſe : ( for he wasyet there ) and they fell before him
on the ground. _ 15 And Joſeph ſaid unto them, What deed 1s this
that ye have done ? Wor ye not that fuch a man as I
t Or, make can certainly | divine ?
16 And Judah & faid, What ſhall weſay unto my lord? what ſhall we ſpeak? or how ſhall we clear our ſelves?
God hath found out the iniquity } of thy ſervants : be- hold, we are my lord's ſervants, both we, and he ailo
with whom the cup is found
k Who ſpeaks in the cauſe, as being one of the eldeſt, and a per- ſon of molt gravity and diſcretion, and readineſs of ſpeech, and moſt eminently concerned for his brother. / viz. 'T his iniquity, of which it ſeems ſome of us are guilty, and God hath diſcovered it. Or, iniquity may be put for iniquities; whether we are guilty of this Fad or not, we are certainly guilty of \many other fins, for v hich God is now puniſhing us, to whoſe Providence we therefore wil- lingly ſubmir. : . x
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 faid, O my lord, Jet thy ſervant, I pray thee, ſpeak a word 1n my lord's ears », and let not thy anger burn againſt thy ſervant : for thou art even as Pharaoh o
m Made a little nearer approach to him,that he might preſent his bumble Petition to him. » In thy hearing : For this i aſe doth not neceffarily imply that he whiſpered in his cars; as appears from Numb: 14: 28: Deut: 32: 44: Judg: 17: 2. 0 As thou repreſenteſt his Perſon, ſo thou art inveſted with his Majeſty and Authority, and therefore thy Word is a Law; thou canſt do with us what thou pleaſeſt, either ſpare or puniſh us, and therefore we do juſtly deprecat thine Anger, and moit humbly intreat thy favourable Au- dience, and Princely Compaſſion to us. :
19 My lord asked his ſervants, ſaying, Have ye a father, or a brother ?
20 Andwe ſaid unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, anda child of his old age, a little one p, and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and hisfather loveth him.
So they call him comparatively to themſelves,who were much elder; and withal,to ſignify the reaſon why he came not with them, becauſe he was young and tender, and unfit for ſuch a journey.
21 And thou ſaidit unto thy ſervants, Bring him down urito me, that I may ſet mine eyes upon him 9.
g (3: e: ) See him with mine own eyes, and therevy be ſatisfied
of the truth of what you ſay. Compare Ger: 42: 15,16. Elſewhere,
this Phraſe ſignifies ro jhew favour to a perſon, as Jer. 39: 12: and 40: 4. But tho that wasJoſeph's intention, as yet he was minded to conceal it from them. .
22 And we ſaid unto my lord, The lad cannot leave
kis father : for if he ſhould leave his father, bis father would dye.
23 And thou ſaidſt unto thy ſervants, * Except your youngeſt brother come down with you, you {hall ſee
my face no more r. |
r Queſt.Why would foſeph expoſe his Father to the hazard of his life, in parting with, his dear Child? Anſw. Joſeph ſuppoſed that to be but a pretence, and might fear leſt his brethren had diſpoſed of Benjamin as they did of him, and therefore could nor bring him forth. And as for his Father, the experience which he had of his continuance in life and health after the ſuppoſed untimely death of Joſeph, gave him good affurance that his parting with Benjamin for a ſeaſon, and that under the care and charge of his brethren, was aot likely ro make any dangerous impreſſion upon him.
24 And it came to paſs when we came up unto thy ſervant my father, we told him the words of my lord.
2 ; And * our father faid,Goagain, and buy us alit- tle 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 mars face, except our youngeſt brother be with us.
27 And thy ſervant my father ſaid unto us, Ye know that my wife 5 bare me two ſons.
s He calleth her ſo by way of Eminency, as Ger. 46: 19: becauſe The only was his Wife by deſign and choice, whereas Leah was put upon him by fraud, and might have been refuſed by him,if he had ſo pleaſed;and the other two were given to him by Rachel and Leah.
28 And the one went out from me,and I ſaid,* Sure- ly he is torn in pieces ; and I ſaw him not fince.
29 And if ye take this alſo from me, and miſchief befal him, ye ſhall bring down my gray hairs with ſor- row to the grave. | |
30. Now therefore when I come to thy ſervant my father, and the lad be not with us ; ({cing that his life is bound up in the lads life )
GENESIS.
nt en
: The death of the Child, which upon this occafion he will firm-
ly believe, will unavoidably procure his death alſo.
21 Itihall come to paſs when he ſeeth that the lad 7s
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 * Chap. I ſhall bear the blame to my father for ever.
33 Now therefore, 1 pray thee, let thy ſervant a- bide in ſtead of the ladz, a bondman to my Lord, and let the Jad goup with his brethren.
Partly in compaſſion to our aged Father, and partly for thy own advantage; becauſe I can be more ſerviceable to thee than he, becauſe of my greater ſtrength and experience.
34 For how ſhall 1 go up to my father, and the lad be not with me, leſt peradventure I ſee the evil that ſhall + come on my father ?
CHAFP AEV,