Genesis 44:1-4 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.(each of them had a sack, perhaps like a backpack of today; they had a sack for Benjamim along with them, as Benjamin was at home with his father Jacob). And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest and his corn money it. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. And when they were gone out of the city and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have you rewarded evil for good?

Here Joseph was tricking them by putting his favorite drinking cup in one of their sacks, all done in order to get them to have to come back and see him and this time with their younger brother Benjamin, as these were all his brothers and they didn't know that Joseph who was brother to them, was next to Pharaoh in rulership; so Joseph secretly put a valuable cup in one of the sacks they came with. Joseph's plan was to get all his family to come and then he would reveal himself as to whom he really was.

Genesis 44:5 Is not this it in which my lord drinks and whereby indeed he divines.(a special cup to Joseph, probably of gold, that he used when having a drink and deciding upon matters; this is not the divining the pagans used as it was a deciding and had nothing to do with pagan.deities)? You have done evil in so doing.(or, by so doing you want to see if there is any negative in doing what you plan and that was: Joseph's plan was to trick his brothers into coming again with the youngest brother Benjamin who was not with all the others at this time; the story is on all this page). 

Genesis 44:6-14 And he.(the man Joseph sent to intercept them).overtook them and he spake unto them these same words. And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing. Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan.(this is the silver we brought with us to purchase the food). Why then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold? With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die and we also will be my lord's bondmen. And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words. He with whom it is found shall be my servant and ye shall be blameless. Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground and opened every man his sack. And he searched and began at the eldest and left at the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Then they rent their clothes.(back then they would cause a tear in clothes as a way of saying, we are nothing until this issue is resolved).and laded every man his ass.(put the sacks back on their donkeys).and returned to the city.(went back to get this problem solved). And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house, for he was yet there. And they fell before him on the ground.

Genesis 44:15 And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly divine.(verse 5, above)?.(don't you know I'm aware of all that goes on here?)

Genesis 44:16-18 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. And he said, God forbid that I should do so.(we were not out to come to see you so that we could steal from you). 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. 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.

Genesis 44:19 My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father or a brother? And we said.(Judah was the spokesman here: verse 16-18 above).unto my lord, 

Genesis 44:20-22 We have a father, an old man and a child of his old age, a little one.(Benjamin).and his brother is dead.(the brother they said was dead, wasn't dead; this brother, being Joseph, was the one to whom they were speaking, the one whom the other 10 brothers sold into Egypt {Genesis 37:18-28}, the one who became number 2 man in all of Egypt under Pharaoh {Genesis 39:2-5}, but they didn't recognize him, until he, Joseph, reveals a little later to his brothers there that it was him).and he alone is left of his mother and his father loves him. And you said unto your servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father. For if he should leave his father, his father would die.

Benjamin was the son of Jacob and it would have been so hard on Jacob to be without this son who was born many years after the others and as such, being so young and born when his father was old, his father had a special place in his heart for him. The other brothers had grown and have their own families. Benjamin was still at home and was all the father had in his daily life at this time.

Genesis 44:23-34 And you said unto your servants.(Judah was the spokesman here calling himself, his brothers and his dad, servants, in respect to Pharaoh's number 2 man, Joseph, who was known as the Egyptian name Zaphnathpaaneah, which means 'prince of the life of the world'), Except your youngest brother come down with you, you shall see my face no more.(don't come back here unless you bring Benjamin with you; he wouldn't allow any of them to come back unless they all came, because Joseph wanted his entire family there to reveal himself to them who he really was). And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. And our father said, Go again and buy us a little food. And we said to him, 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. And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons. And the one went out from me and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces.(Genesis 37:18-35).and I saw him not since.(Jacob still didn't know that his son Joseph was living). And if ye take Benjamin also from me and anything bad happens to him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father.(when I go back to my father).and the lad be not with us.(when I go back to my father and he won't let Benjamin come with us to see you), seeing that my father's life is bound up in the lad's life, it shall come to pass when he seeth that the lad is not with us.(if we brought Benjamin along with use when we come to see you again, it will just about kill my father in letting him go), that he will die. And thy servants.(us; the brothers).shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee.(I would be the one responsible for Benjamin's safety and if something happened to him I'm the one to be blamed), then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.(we are in a conundrum in that, we cannot take Benjamin away from our father and you are asking us to do just that and bring him back here with the rest of us to get food from you). Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide a bondman to my lord.(I'll stay here and be at your service).instead of the lad.(instead of the lad, Benjamin, coming to your presence on his own; he figured that perhaps this number 2 man in Egypt would be satisfied with just him staying, that is, in lieu of all of us going back to bring the younger brother Benjamin, I'll stay as a surety the other brothers will at least go back home and try to persuade our dad to allow Benjamin to come).and let the lad go up with his brethren.(if the other brothers can talk our dad into allowing Benjamin to go with them and back here to your presence). For how shall I go up to my father and the lad be not with me?.(it's no use of me going back with the rest of my brothers and then Benjamin may not be allowed to come again with us all; this way, at least you have one of us here as surety that they will come back to your presence, with or without Benjamin).Lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.(he'll be so upset that Benjamin, if he did come back with us to you, when we leave your presence, he didn't return to dad if something should happen to him).

Genesis 45:1-3 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud. And the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph. Does my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence.

They couldn't believe that this Zaphnathpaaneah (Joseph's Egyptian name) was actually Joseph their brother.

Genesis 45:4,5 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.(Genesis 37:14-36). Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me hither, for God did send me before you to preserve life.

Genesis 50:20.

Genesis 45:6 For these two years has the famine been in the land. And yet there are five years.(still to come:.Genesis 41:29-31), in the which there shall neither be earing.(an ear of corn).nor harvest.

Genesis 45:7 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the Earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

Genesis 45:8 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God.(often in our trials we think God is not aware and fails to come to help us; ancient Joseph must have thought that too when his brothers sold him to get rid of him:.Genesis 37:18-36). And he has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his house and a ruler.(Genesis 39:2-5; 41:39-46; 50:20) throughout all the land of Egypt.

Genesis 45:9-28 Haste you and go up to my father and say unto him, Thus said your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down unto me, tarry not. And you shall dwell in the land of Goshen.(district of ancient Egypt East of the Nile Delta {map} in the land of ancient Canaan).and you shall be near unto me, you and your children and your children's children and your flocks and your herds and all that you have. And there will I nourish you, for yet there are five years of famine, lest you and your household and all that you have come to poverty. And, behold, your eyes see and the eyes of my brother Benjamin that it is my mouth that speaks unto you.(you can see it's really me and that I deeply mean what I'm saying). And you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt and of all that you have seen and you shall haste and bring down my father hither. And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren and wept upon them and after that his brethren talked with him. And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come and it pleased Pharaoh well and his servants. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto your brethren, This do you, lade your beasts and go, get you unto the land of Canaan.(the ancient region lying between the Jordan River, the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean; map). And take your father and your households and come unto me and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt and you shall eat the fat of the land. Now you are commanded; this do you.(Pharaoh wanted Joseph and all his familt to be with him; which pharaoh was this). Take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives and bring your father and come. Also regard not your stuff, for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours. And the children of Israel did so and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh and gave them provision for the way. To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of raiment. And to his father he sent after this manner, ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way. So he sent his brethren away and they departed and he said unto them, See that you fall not out by the way.(it's a big move for you all, so don't get discouraged by it). And they went up out of Egypt and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father and told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted for he believed them not.(oh no! what is this now my sons are telling me that I'll have to deal with?). And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. And Israel said, It is enough.(I'm convinced). Joseph my son is yet alive. I will go and see him before I die.
 

....continues to Chapter 46

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