1883 Haydock Douay Rheims Bible

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Genesis 43:1 In the mean time *the famine was heavy upon all the land.

Year of the World 2298, Year before Christ 1706.
Genesis 43:2 And when they had eaten up all the corn, which they had brought out of Egypt, Jacob said to his sons: Go again, and buy us a little food.
Genesis 43:3 Juda answered: The man declared unto us with the attestation of an oath, saying: You shall not see my face, unless you bring your youngest brother with you.
Genesis 43:4 If therefore thou wilt send him with us, we will set out together, and will buy necessaries for thee.
Genesis 43:5 But if thou wilt not, we will not go: for the man, as we have often said, declared unto us, saying:* You shall not see my face without your youngest brother.

Genesis 42:20. 		My face, in peace. Joseph had told them they should be considered as spies, if they did not produce their youngest brother. (Menochius)
Genesis 43:6 Israel said to them: You have done this for my misery, in that you told him you had also another brother.
Genesis 43:7 But they answered: The man asked us in order concerning our kindred: if our father lived: if we had a brother: and we answered him regularly, according to what he demanded: could we know that he would say: Bring hither your brother with you?

Asked us. This is perfectly consonant with what they say, Genesis 42:13, and Genesis 44:19. They mentioned their having a brother at home, without the smallest suspicion of doing wrong.
Genesis 43:8 And Juda said to his father: Send the boy with me, that we may set forward, and may live: lest both we and our children perish.

The boy; now 24 years old, (Calmet) and the father of a family, Genesis 46:21. (Haydock)
Genesis 43:9 *I take the boy upon me, require him at my hand: unless I bring him again, and restore him to thee, I will be guilty of sin against thee for ever.

Genesis 44:32. 		For ever. Always lay the blame on me, and punish me as you think fit. (Menochius)
Genesis 43:10 If delay had not been made, we had been here again the second time.
Genesis 43:11 Then Israel said to them: If it must needs be so, do what you will: take of the best fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down presents to the man, a little balm, and honey, and storax, myrrh, turpentine, and almonds.

Best fruits: Hebrew literally, "of the praise, or song of the earth;" or of those things for which the country is most renowned, and which are not found in Egypt. (Origen) --- Balm. Literally, rosin, resinae; but here by that name is meant balm. (Challoner) See Genesis 37:25. --- Honey, or all sorts of sweet fruit. --- Storax: Septuagint, "incense," or perfumes. It is like balm; thick, odoriferous, and medicinal. --- Myrrh, (stactes); Hebrew Lot. A liquor stamped from fresh myrrh pilled, with a little water. (Calmet) --- Sometimes it is translated Gutta, a drop. (Psalm 44:9.) (Menochius) --- Turpentine. St. Jerome and the Septuagint seem to have read Bothmin instead of the present Hebrew Batenim, which some translate, "nuts of the pistacium," (Bochart); which hand in clusters, and are of an oblong shape. Vitellius first brought them out of Syria. (Pliny, Natural History 15:22.) --- Almonds; Septuagint nuts, of which almonds are one species. (Menochius)
Genesis 43:12 And take with you double money, and carry back what you found in your sacks, lest perhaps it was done by mistake.
Genesis 43:13 And take also your brother, and go to the man.
Genesis 43:14 And may my almighty God make him favourable to you: and send back with you your brother, whom he keepeth, and this Benjamin: and as for me I shall be desolate without children.

Desolate. Hebrew and Septuagint, "Since I am deprived of my children, I am deprived of my children:" I must submit.
Genesis 43:15 So the men took the presents, and double money, and Benjamin: and went down into Egypt, and stood before Joseph.
Genesis 43:16 And when he had seen them, and Benjamin with them, he commanded the steward of his house, saying: Bring in the men into the house, and kill victims, and prepare a feast: because they shall eat with me at noon.

Victims: the blood of which was first offered to God, as he had appointed, (chap. 18:1[Leviticus 17:11?]; Leviticus 17:5.) and the flesh brought upon the table. If idolatry was then common in Egypt, as Calmet supposes, in opposition to Grotius, Joseph did not participate at least in that impiety. --- At noon. This was the time for the chief meal in Egypt. The Hebrews generally took something at this time, and again in the evening. To eat before noon was esteemed a mark of intemperance. (Ecclesiastes 10:16; Acts 2:15.) Plato thought the people of Italy, who eat two full meals in the day, would never be eminent for wisdom or for prudence. (Athen. 4:10.) (Calmet)
Genesis 43:17 He did as he was commanded, and brought the men into the house.
Genesis 43:18 And they being much afraid, said there one to another: Because of the money, which we carried back the first time in our sacks, we are brought in: that he may bring upon us a false accusation, and by violence make slaves of us and our asses.
Genesis 43:19 Wherefore, going up to the steward of the house, at the door,
Genesis 43:20 They said: Sir, we desire thee to hear us. *We came down once before to buy food:

Genesis 42:3.
Genesis 43:21 And when we had bought, and were come to the inn, we opened our sacks, and found our money in the mouths of the sacks: which we have now brought again in the same weight.

We opened. Genesis 42:35. They seem to have discovered the whole of their money only when they were in the presence of Jacob; though they had already, perhaps, seen part of it at the inn, and left it in their sacks for the satisfaction of their father. (Haydock)
Genesis 43:22 And we have brought other money besides, to buy what we want: we cannot tell who put it in our bags.
Genesis 43:23 But he answered: Peace be with you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks. For the money, which you gave me, I have for good. And he brought Simeon out to them.

Your God. To Him we must always refer what advantage we derive from men. He inspired Joseph to give such orders to his stewards. --- I have for good. I received it, and was satisfied that it was good: you need not be uneasy; you are not suspected of any fraud. (Haydock) --- Hebrew, "Your money came into my hands." (Menochius)
Genesis 43:24 And having brought them into the house, he fetched water, and they washed their feet, and he gave provender to their asses.
Genesis 43:25 But they made ready the presents, against Joseph came at noon: for they had heard that they should eat bread there.
Genesis 43:26 Then Joseph came in to his house, and they offered him the presents, holding them in their hands; and they bowed down with their face to the ground.
Genesis 43:27 But he courteously saluting them again, asked them, saying: Is the old man your father in health, of whom you told me? Is he yet living?
Genesis 43:28 And they answered: Thy servant our father, is in health; he is yet living. And bowing themselves, they made obeisance to him.

Living. The Samaritan and Septuagint add, "Joseph replied, Blessed be he of God: and bowing themselves," etc. Thus all Joseph's brethren adore him, Genesis 37:7. (Haydock)
Genesis 43:29 And Joseph lifting up his eyes, saw Benjamin, his brother by the same mother, and said: Is this your young brother, of whom you told me? And he said: God be gracious to thee, my son.
Genesis 43:30 And he made haste, because his heart was moved upon his brother, and tears gushed out: and going into his chamber, he wept.
Genesis 43:31 And when he had washed his face, coming out again, he refrained himself, and said: Set bread on the table.
Genesis 43:32 And when it was set on, for Joseph apart, and for his brethren apart, for the Egyptians also that ate with him apart, (for it is unlawful for the Egyptians to eat with the Hebrews, and they think such a feast profane):

Hebrews. "They had the same aversion for all who did not adopt their superstition." (Porphyrius, Abstin. iv.) Herodotus, 2:41, says, they would not use a knife which had been in the hands of a Greek, nor kiss him. This aversion arose, from their custom of abstaining from various meats which other nations eat. (Chaldean; etc.) They disliked the Hebrews, because they were also shepherds, Genesis 46:34 (Calmet); and because they knew they were accustomed to eat goats, oxen, and sheep, the objects of adoration in Egypt, (Exodus 8:26): though they were not, probably, served upon Joseph's table. (Tirinus) --- They who dwelt in the towns could not bear even the Egyptian shepherds, because they were of a more stirring and warlike temper. (Calmet) (Cunaeus)
Genesis 43:33 They sat before him, the first-born according to his birth-right, and the youngest according to his age. And they wondered very much;

They sat. This posture is more ancient than that of lying down at table. The Hebrews adopted the latter, from the Persians, during the captivity, Esther 1:6, and 7:8. --- We have at least no earlier vestige of this custom in Scripture. (Calmet) --- Very much: as they were placed in that order by the steward. They knew not how he could so exactly discover who was born first, as there was so short an interval between the births of many of them. (Haydock)
Genesis 43:34 Taking the messes which they received of him: and the greater mess came to Benjamin, so that it exceeded by five parts. And they drank, and were merry with him.

Of him. Joseph, the master of the feast, sends a portion to each of his guests, according to the ancient custom. (Plutarch, Sympos. ii.) --- Five parts: in order to distinguish Benjamin the more. So Hector reproaches Diomed for fleeing before him, though he was placed in the highest place at table among the Greeks, and had the largest portion both of meat and drink. --- Merry. Inebriati sunt, sometimes means intoxicated: but it is not at all probably that Joseph's brethren would indulge in any such excess, while they knew him not, (Calmet) and were under the impressions of fear and wonder. They took what was sufficient, and even decently abundant, with thankfulness for so unexpected an honour. (Haydock) --- The word is often taken in this sense, as at the feast of Cana, where Jesus would never have furnished such an abundance of wine for people already drunk. (John 2:10; Proverbs 11:24[25?].) Homer's feasts consist in every man taking what he pleased. (Calmet)