44:16 Judah replied, “What can we say 2 to my lord? What can we speak? How can we clear ourselves? 3 God has exposed the sin of your servants! 4 We are now my lord’s slaves, we and the one in whose possession the cup was found.”
44:17 But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do this! The man in whose hand the cup was found will become my slave, but the rest of 5 you may go back 6 to your father in peace.”
1 tn Heb “and he”; the referent (the man who was in charge of Joseph’s household) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn The imperfect verbal form here indicates the subject’s potential.
3 tn The Hitpael form of the verb צָדֵק (tsadeq) here means “to prove ourselves just, to declare ourselves righteous, to prove our innocence.”
4 sn God has exposed the sin of your servants. The first three questions are rhetorical; Judah is stating that there is nothing they can say to clear themselves. He therefore must conclude that they have been found guilty.
3 tn The words “the rest of” have been supplied in the translation for clarification and for stylistic reasons.
4 tn Heb “up” (reflecting directions from their point of view – “up” to Canaan; “down” to Egypt).