< 创世记 43 >

1 那地的饥荒甚大。
The famine in Canaan got worse.
2 他们从埃及带来的粮食吃尽了,他们的父亲就对他们说:“你们再去给我籴些粮来。”
Finally, when Jacob and his family had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, Jacob said to them, “Go back to Egypt and buy some more grain for us!”
3 犹大对他说:“那人谆谆地告诫我们说:‘你们的兄弟若不与你们同来,你们就不得见我的面。’
But Judah said to him, “The man who sold us the grain warned us sternly, ‘I will not let you see me [SYN] again if you come and your younger brother is not with you.’
4 你若打发我们的兄弟与我们同去,我们就下去给你籴粮;
So, if you will send our younger brother with us, we will go down to Egypt and buy some grain for you.
5 你若不打发他去,我们就不下去,因为那人对我们说:‘你们的兄弟若不与你们同来,你们就不得见我的面。’”
But if you will not send him, we will not go down there, because that man said to us, ‘I will not let you see me again if your younger brother is not with you.’”
6 以色列说:“你们为什么这样害我,告诉那人你们还有兄弟呢?”
Jacob asked, “Why did you cause me to have this trouble by telling the man that you had a younger brother?”
7 他们回答说:“那人详细问到我们和我们的亲属,说:‘你们的父亲还在吗?你们还有兄弟吗?’我们就按着他所问的告诉他,焉能知道他要说‘必须把你们的兄弟带下来’呢?”
One of them replied, “The man asked about us and about our family. He said, ‘Is your father still living? Do you have another brother?’ We had to answer his questions. (We could not know that he would say, ‘The next time that you come down here, bring your brother with you!’/How could we know that he would say, ‘The next time that you come down here, bring your brother with you!’)” [RHQ]
8 犹大又对他父亲以色列说:“你打发童子与我同去,我们就起身下去,好叫我们和你,并我们的妇人孩子,都得存活,不至于死。
Then Judah said to his father Jacob, “Send the boy with me, and we will go immediately, in order that we and you and our children may get grain and not die from hunger.
9 我为他作保;你可以从我手中追讨,我若不带他回来交在你面前,我情愿永远担罪。
I myself will guarantee that he will return. You can require me to do what I am promising [IDM]. If I do not bring him back to you safely, you can say forever that (I am to blame/it was my fault [that he did not return to you)].
10 我们若没有耽搁,如今第二次都回来了。”
If we had not (wasted so much time/waited so long), by now we could have gone there and returned two times!”
11 他们的父亲以色列说:“若必须如此,你们就当这样行:可以将这地土产中最好的乳香、蜂蜜、香料、没药、榧子、杏仁都取一点,收在器具里,带下去送给那人作礼物,
Then their father Jacob said to them, “If there is no other way, do this: Put in your sacks some of the best things that are grown in this land, and take them down to the man as a gift. Take some balm/perfume and honey and spices and myrrh/ointment, some pistachio nuts, and almonds.
12 又要手里加倍地带银子,并将归还在你们口袋内的银子仍带在手里;那或者是错了。
Take twice as much money as you took the previous time, because you must return the silver that someone put in the tops of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake that it was put in your sacks.
13 也带着你们的兄弟,起身去见那人。
Take your younger brother and go back to that man.
14 但愿全能的 神使你们在那人面前蒙怜悯,释放你们的那弟兄和便雅悯回来。我若丧了儿子,就丧了吧!”
I will pray that God Almighty will cause that man to act mercifully toward you, so that he will let your other brother, as well as Benjamin, come back here with you. But as for me, if my sons are taken from me, then I will not have my sons!”
15 于是,他们拿着那礼物,又手里加倍地带银子,并且带着便雅悯,起身下到埃及,站在约瑟面前。
So the men took the gifts that Jacob said that they should take, and twice the amount of money that the grain would cost, and they also took Benjamin. They went down quickly to Egypt, and they stood in front of Joseph.
16 约瑟见便雅悯和他们同来,就对家宰说:“将这些人领到屋里。要宰杀牲畜,预备筵席,因为晌午这些人同我吃饭。”
When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the man who (was in charge of/supervised) things in his house, “Take these men to my house. Slaughter an animal and prepare a meal, because I want them to eat with me at noon.” [And he told him in what order they were to be seated].
17 家宰就遵着约瑟的命去行,领他们进约瑟的屋里。
The man did as Joseph said. And he took them to Joseph’s house.
18 他们因为被领到约瑟的屋里,就害怕,说:“领我们到这里来,必是因为头次归还在我们口袋里的银子,找我们的错缝,下手害我们,强取我们为奴仆,抢夺我们的驴。”
But they were afraid because he was taking them to Joseph’s house. They were thinking, “He is taking us here because of the silver that was put in our sacks the first time that we came here. While we are eating, he will have his servants attack us and seize us and cause us to become his slaves, and also take our donkeys.”
19 他们就挨近约瑟的家宰,在屋门口和他说话,
They went with the man who was in charge of things in Joseph’s house. When they arrived at the entrance of the house,
20 说:“我主啊,我们头次下来实在是要籴粮。
one of them said to him, “Please, sir, listen to me. We came down here previously and bought some grain.
21 后来到了住宿的地方,我们打开口袋,不料,各人的银子,分量足数,仍在各人的口袋内,现在我们手里又带回来了。
But at the place where we stopped for the night as we were returning home, we opened our sacks. We were astonished to see that in the top of each of our sacks was the exact amount of silver that we had paid for the grain! So we have brought it back with us.
22 另外又带下银子来籴粮。不知道先前谁把银子放在我们的口袋里。”
We have also brought more silver with us to buy more grain. We do not know who put the silver in our sacks.”
23 家宰说:“你们可以放心,不要害怕,是你们的 神和你们父亲的 神赐给你们财宝在你们的口袋里;你们的银子,我早已收了。”他就把西缅带出来,交给他们。
The man replied, [“Relax]! Do not worry about it! I received the silver that you brought. Your God, the God your father worships, must have put it in your sacks.” And then he brought Simeon to them from the prison.
24 家宰就领他们进约瑟的屋里,给他们水洗脚,又给他们草料喂驴。
Then he took them into Joseph’s house. He gave them water to wash their feet and gave them food for the donkeys.
25 他们就预备那礼物,等候约瑟晌午来,因为他们听见要在那里吃饭。
He told them that they were going to eat with Joseph at noon. So the men prepared their gifts to give to Joseph when he arrived.
26 约瑟来到家里,他们就把手中的礼物拿进屋去给他,又俯伏在地,向他下拜。
When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts that they had brought into the house. Then they bowed down to the ground in front of him.
27 约瑟问他们好,又问:“你们的父亲—就是你们所说的那老人家平安吗?他还在吗?”
He asked them if they were (well/in good health), and then he asked, “How is the health of your old father, the one that you told me about? Is he still living?”
28 他们回答说:“你仆人—我们的父亲平安;他还在。”于是他们低头下拜。
One of them replied, “Yes, our father, [who is willing to be] your servant, is still alive, and he is well.” Then again they bowed down in front of him.
29 约瑟举目看见他同母的兄弟便雅悯,就说:“你们向我所说那顶小的兄弟就是这位吗?”又说:“小儿啊,愿 神赐恩给你!”
Then he saw his [younger] brother Benjamin, his own mother’s other son. He asked them, “Is this your youngest brother, the one whom you told me about?” After they said “Yes,” he said to Benjamin, “Young man, I pray that God will act kindly toward you.”
30 约瑟爱弟之情发动,就急忙寻找可哭之地,进入自己的屋里,哭了一场。
Joseph quickly left the room. He realized that he was about to cry because he (was full of emotion about his younger brother/loved his younger brother so much). He went into his private room and cried there.
31 他洗了脸出来,勉强隐忍,吩咐人摆饭。
Then, after he washed the tears from his face, he came out, and controlling his emotions, he said to the servants, “Serve the food!”
32 他们就为约瑟单摆了一席,为那些人又摆了一席,也为和约瑟同吃饭的埃及人另摆了一席,因为埃及人不可和希伯来人一同吃饭;那原是埃及人所厌恶的。
The people of Egypt considered that it was disgraceful for them to eat with Hebrews, so the servants served food to Joseph by himself, and served the other people of Egypt who ate with him by themselves, and they served Joseph’s older brothers and younger brother by themselves.
33 约瑟使众弟兄在他面前排列坐席,都按着长幼的次序,众弟兄就彼此诧异。
His brothers were astonished to see that their seats were arranged according to their ages, from the oldest to the youngest!
34 约瑟把他面前的食物分出来,送给他们;但便雅悯所得的比别人多五倍。他们就饮酒,和约瑟一同宴乐。
And when their portions of food were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s portion! So they ate food and drank wine with Joseph and became very cheerful.

< 创世记 43 >