Genesis 44:22

New Century Version

And we said to you, ‘That young boy cannot leave his father, because if he leaves him, his father would die.'

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
We said to my lord, 'The boy can't leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

King James Version
And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

Lexham English Bible
Then we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he should leave his father, then he would die.'

New English Translation
We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves his father, his father will die.'

Amplified Bible
"But we said to my lord, 'The young man cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

New American Standard Bible
"But we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

Geneva Bible (1587)
And we answered my lord, The childe can not depart from his father: for if he leaue his father, his father would die.

Legacy Standard Bible
And we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

Contemporary English Version
We told you that our father would die if Benjamin left him.

Complete Jewish Bible
We answered my lord, ‘The boy can't leave his father; if he were to leave his father, his father would die.'

Darby Translation
And we said to my lord, The youth cannot leave his father: if he should leave his father, [his father] would die.

Easy-to-Read Version
And we said to you, ‘That young boy cannot come. He cannot leave his father. If his father loses him, his father will be so sad that he will die.'

English Standard Version
We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

George Lamsa Translation
And we said to my lord, The lad cannot leave his father; for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

Good News Translation
and we answered that the boy could not leave his father; if he did, his father would die.

Christian Standard Bible®
But we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.’

Literal Translation
And we said to my lord, The youth is not able to leave his father; and if he should leave his father , he will die.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But we answered my lorde: The lad can not come from his father, yf he shulde come from him, he were but a deed man.

American Standard Version
And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

Bible in Basic English
And we said to my lord, His father will not let him go; for if he went away his father would come to his death.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And we aunswered my Lorde, that the lad could not go from his father, for if he shoulde leaue his father, he were but dead.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And we said unto my lord: The lad cannot leave his father; for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

King James Version (1611)
And we said vnto my lord, The lad cannot leaue his father: for if hee should leaue his father, his father would die.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And we said to my lord, The child will not be able to leave his father; but if he should leave his father, he will die.

English Revised Version
And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

Berean Standard Bible
So we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father. If he were to leave, his father would die.'

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
We maden suggestioun to thee, my lord, the child may not forsake his fadir; for if he schal leeue the fadir, he schal die.

Young's Literal Translation
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;

Update Bible Version
And we said to my lord, The lad can't leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

Webster's Bible Translation
And we said to my lord, The lad cannot leave his father; for [if] he should leave his father, [his father] would die.

World English Bible
We said to my lord, 'The boy can't leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

New King James Version
And we said to my lord, "The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

New Living Translation
But we said to you, ‘My lord, the boy cannot leave his father, for his father would die.'

New Life Bible
But we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father. For if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

New Revised Standard
We said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father, - as surely as he leaveth his father, so surely will he, die.

Douay-Rheims Bible
We suggested to my lord: The boy cannot leave his father: for if he leave him, he will die.

Revised Standard Version
We said to my lord, 'The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But we said to my lord, 'The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.'

Contextual Overview

¹⁸ Then Judah went to Joseph and said, "Master, please let me speak plainly to you, and please don't be angry with me. I know that you are as powerful as the king of Egypt himself. ¹⁹ When we were here before, you asked us, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?' ²⁰ And we answered you, ‘We have an old father. And we have a younger brother, who was born when our father was old. This youngest son's brother is dead, so he is the only one of his mother's children left alive, and our father loves him very much.' ²¹ Then you said to us, ‘Bring that brother to me. I want to see him.' ²² And we said to you, ‘That young boy cannot leave his father, because if he leaves him, his father would die.' ²³ But you said to us, ‘If you don't bring your youngest brother, you will not be allowed to see me again.' ²⁴ So we went back to our father and told him what you had said. ²⁵ "Later, our father said, ‘Go again and buy us a little more food.' ²⁶ We said to our father, ‘We cannot go without our youngest brother. Without our youngest brother, we will not be allowed to see the governor.' ²⁷ Then my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife Rachel gave me two sons.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

his father would die: Genesis 44:30, Genesis 42:38

Cross-References

Genesis 42:38
But Jacob said, "I will not allow Benjamin to go with you. His brother is dead, and he is the only son left from my wife Rachel. I am afraid something terrible might happen to him during the trip to Egypt. Then I would be sad until the day I die."

Genesis 44:30
Now what will happen if we go home to our father without our youngest brother? He is so important in our father's life that

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And we said unto my lord, the lad cannot leave his father,.... That is, his father will not be willing to part with him:

for [if] he should leave his father, [his father] would die; with grief and trouble, fearing some evil was befallen him, and he should see him no more.

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.