44:1 約瑟吩咐家宰說：「把糧食裝滿這些人的口袋，儘著他們的驢所能馱的，又把各人的銀子放在各人的口袋裡，
44:2 並將我的銀杯和那少年人糴糧的銀子一同裝在他的口袋裡。」家宰就照約瑟所說的話行了；
44:3 天一亮就打發那些人帶著驢走了。
44:4 他們出城走了不遠，約瑟對家宰說：「起來，追那些人去，追上了就對他們說：『你們為甚麼以惡報善呢？
44:5 這不是我主人飲酒的杯嗎？豈不是他占卜用的嗎？你們這樣行是作惡了。』」
44:6 家宰追上他們，將這些話對他們說了。
44:7 他們回答說：「我主為甚麼說這樣的話呢？你僕人斷不能做這樣的事。
44:8 你看，我們從前在口袋裡所見的銀子，尚且從迦南地帶來還你，我們怎能從你主人家裡偷竊金銀呢？
44:9 你僕人中無論在誰那裡搜出來，就叫他死，我們也作我主的奴僕。」
44:10 家宰說：「現在就照你們的話行吧！在誰那裡搜出來，誰就作我的奴僕；其餘的都沒有罪。」
44:11 於是他們各人急忙把口袋卸在地下，各人打開口袋。
44:12 家宰就搜查，從年長的起到年幼的為止，那杯竟在便雅憫的口袋裡搜出來。
44:13 他們就撕裂衣服，各人把馱子抬在驢上，回城去了。
44:14 猶大和他弟兄們來到約瑟的屋中，約瑟還在那裡，他們就在他面前俯伏於地。
44:15 約瑟對他們說：「你們做的是甚麼事呢？你們豈不知像我這樣的人必能占卜嗎？」
44:16 猶大說：「我們對我主說甚麼呢？還有甚麼話可說呢？我們怎能自己表白出來呢？上帝已經查出僕人的罪孽了。我們與那在他手中搜出杯來的都是我主的奴僕。」
44:17 約瑟說：「我斷不能這樣行！在誰的手中搜出杯來，誰就作我的奴僕；至於你們，可以平平安安地上你們父親那裡去。」
44:18 猶大挨近他，說：「我主啊，求你容僕人說一句話給我主聽，不要向僕人發烈怒，因為你如同法老一樣。
44:19 我主曾問僕人們說：『你們有父親有兄弟沒有？』
44:20 我們對我主說：『我們有父親，已經年老，還有他老年所生的一個小孩子。他哥哥死了，他母親只撇下他一人，他父親疼愛他。』
44:21 你對僕人說：『把他帶到我這裡來，叫我親眼看看他。』
44:22 我們對我主說：『童子不能離開他父親，若是離開，他父親必死。』
44:23 你對僕人說：『你們的小兄弟若不與你們一同下來，你們就不得再見我的面。』
44:24 我們上到你僕人─我們父親那裡，就把我主的話告訴了他。
44:25 我們的父親說：『你們再去給我糴些糧來。』
44:26 我們就說：『我們不能下去。我們的小兄弟若和我們同往，我們就可以下去。因為，小兄弟若不與我們同往，我們必不得見那人的面。』
44:27 你僕人─我父親對我們說：『你們知道我的妻子給我生了兩個兒子。
44:28 一個離開我出去了；我說他必是被撕碎了，直到如今我也沒有見他。
44:29 現在你們又要把這個帶去離開我，倘若他遭害，那便是你們使我白髮蒼蒼、悲悲慘慘地下陰間去了。』
44:30 我父親的命與這童子的命相連。如今我回到你僕人─我父親那裡，若沒有童子與我們同在，
44:31 我們的父親見沒有童子，他就必死。這便是我們使你僕人─我們的父親白髮蒼蒼、悲悲慘慘地下陰間去了。
44:32 因為僕人曾向我父親為這童子作保，說：『我若不帶他回來交給父親，我便在父親面前永遠擔罪。』
44:33 現在求你容僕人住下，替這童子作我主的奴僕，叫童子和他哥哥們一同上去。
44:34 若童子不和我同去，我怎能上去見我父親呢？恐怕我看見災禍臨到我父親身上。」
3 As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. 4 They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? 5 Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.’”
6 When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. 7 But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! 8 We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? 9 If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.”
10 “Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.”
11 Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. 12 Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13 At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.
14 Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. 15 Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?”
16 “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.”
17 But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.”
18 Then Judah went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 20 And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’
21 “Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’ 22 And we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’ 23 But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 24 When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.
25 “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’ 26 But we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’
27 “Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28 One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. 29 If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’
30 “So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, 31 sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. 32 Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’
33 “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.”
************
約瑟用巧計要將便雅憫留下。
沒有留言:
張貼留言