Genesis 42
1 When someone told Jacob that there was grain in Egypt that people could buy, he said to his sons, “(Why do you just sit there looking at each other?/Do not just sit there looking at each other!) [RHQ] We need some grain!”
Ora Giacobbe seppe che in Egitto c'era il grano; perciò disse ai figli: «Perché state a guardarvi l'un l'altro?».
2 He said to them, “Someone told me that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, in order that we will not die!”
E continuò: «Ecco, ho sentito dire che vi è il grano in Egitto. Andate laggiù e compratene per noi, perché possiamo conservarci in vita e non morire».
3 So Joseph’s ten [older] brothers went down to Egypt to buy some grain.
Allora i dieci fratelli di Giuseppe scesero per acquistare il frumento in Egitto.
4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s [younger] brother, to go with the others, because he was afraid/worried that something terrible might happen to him like what happened to Joseph.
Ma quanto a Beniamino, fratello di Giuseppe, Giacobbe non lo mandò con i fratelli perché diceva: «Non gli succeda qualche disgrazia!».
5 So Jacob’s other sons went down from Canaan to Egypt to buy grain, and others from there went too, because there was a famine in Canaan also.
Arrivarono dunque i figli d'Israele per acquistare il grano, in mezzo ad altri che pure erano venuti, perché nel paese di Canaan c'era la carestia.
6 At that time Joseph was the governor of Egypt. He was the one who sold grain to people who came from all over Egypt and from many other countries [HYP] to buy grain. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, [they were told that it was necessary for them to talk with Joseph. So they went to him and] prostrated themselves before him with their faces to the ground.
Ora Giuseppe aveva autorità sul paese e vendeva il grano a tutto il popolo del paese. Perciò i fratelli di Giuseppe vennero da lui e gli si prostrarono davanti con la faccia a terra.
7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them. But he pretended that he did not know them. He spoke harshly to them, saying, “Where do you come from?” One of them replied, “We have come from Canaan, to buy some grain.”
Giuseppe vide i suoi fratelli e li riconobbe, ma fece l'estraneo verso di loro, parlò duramente e disse: «Di dove siete venuti?». Risposero: «Dal paese di Canaan per comperare viveri».
8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.
Giuseppe riconobbe dunque i fratelli, mentre essi non lo riconobbero.
9 And then Joseph remembered what he had dreamed about them many years previously. [But he decided not to tell them yet that he was their younger brother]. He said to them, “You are spies! You have come to find out whether we will be able to defend ourselves [if you attack us]!”
Si ricordò allora Giuseppe dei sogni che aveva avuti a loro riguardo e disse loro: «Voi siete spie! Voi siete venuti a vedere i punti scoperti del paese».
10 One of them replied, “No, sir! We have come to buy grain.
Gli risposero: «No, signore mio; i tuoi servi sono venuti per acquistare viveri.
11 We are all sons of one man. We are honest men, not spies.”
Noi siamo tutti figli di un solo uomo. Noi siamo sinceri. I tuoi servi non sono spie!».
12 He said to them, “[I do not believe you]. You have come just to see whether we would be able to defend ourselves if we were attacked!”
Ma egli disse loro: «No, voi siete venuti a vedere i punti scoperti del paese!».
13 But one of them replied, “No, that is not true! Originally there were twelve of us who were brothers, the sons of one man. Our younger brother is with our father. One [younger] brother has died. [EUP]”
Allora essi dissero: «Dodici sono i tuoi servi, siamo fratelli, figli di un solo uomo, nel paese di Canaan; ecco il più giovane è ora presso nostro padre e uno non c'è più».
14 Joseph replied, “[You are lying! I think] it is just as I told you. You are spies!
Giuseppe disse loro: «Le cose stanno come vi ho detto: voi siete spie.
15 But this is how I will determine whether what you are saying is true. I think that as surely as the king lives, you are spies. And you will not leave this place until your youngest brother comes here!
In questo modo sarete messi alla prova: per la vita del faraone, non uscirete di qui se non quando vi avrà raggiunto il vostro fratello più giovane.
16 Send one of your group to go and get your younger brother and bring him here. I will put the rest of you in prison, in order that I may test what you have said to find out whether what you are telling me is true. If the one who goes does not bring your younger brother here, then, just as surely as the king lives, it will be clear that you are lying and that you are spies.”
Mandate uno di voi a prendere il vostro fratello; voi rimarrete prigionieri. Siano così messe alla prova le vostre parole, per sapere se la verità è dalla vostra parte. Se no, per la vita del faraone, voi siete spie!».
17 Then Joseph put them all in prison for three days.
E li tenne in carcere per tre giorni.
18 On the third day, Joseph went to the prison and said to them, “I am a man who fears that God [will punish me if I do not do what I promise]. So do what I tell you, and I will spare your lives.
Al terzo giorno Giuseppe disse loro: «Fate questo e avrete salva la vita; io temo Dio!
19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, and the rest of you can take some grain back to your families who are very hungry because of the famine.
Se voi siete sinceri, uno dei vostri fratelli resti prigioniero nel vostro carcere e voi andate a portare il grano per la fame delle vostre case.
20 But if you come back here again, you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that you can prove that what you told me is true, and as a result I will not have you executed.” So they agreed to do that.
Poi mi condurrete qui il vostro fratello più giovane. Allora le vostre parole si dimostreranno vere e non morirete». Essi annuirono.
21 They said to each other, “It is surely because of what we did to our [younger] brother that (we are being punished/God is punishing us)! We saw that he [SYN] was very distressed when he pleaded with us not to harm him. But we did not pay any attention to him, and that is why we are having this trouble!”
Allora si dissero l'un l'altro: «Certo su di noi grava la colpa nei riguardi di nostro fratello, perché abbiamo visto la sua angoscia quando ci supplicava e non lo abbiamo ascoltato. Per questo ci è venuta addosso quest'angoscia».
22 Reuben said to them, “I told you not to harm the boy [RHQ], but you did not pay attention to what I said! Now we are being (paid back/punished) for killing him [MTY]!”
Ruben prese a dir loro: «Non ve lo avevo detto io: Non peccate contro il ragazzo? Ma non mi avete dato ascolto. Ecco ora ci si domanda conto del suo sangue».
23 While they were talking with Joseph, they were speaking through (an interpreter/someone who knew their language and the Egyptian language), but when they said these things among themselves, they were speaking in their own language, and they did not know that Joseph could understand their language, and that he could understand what they were saying.
Non sapevano che Giuseppe li capiva, perché tra lui e loro vi era l'interprete.
24 [Because of what they said, Joseph realized that they admitted that what they had done to him many years previously was wrong]. He could not keep from crying, [and he did not want them to see him crying], so he left them and went outside the room and began to cry. But then he returned to them and talked to them again. Then he took Simeon, and while they were watching, he told his servants to tie him up. He left Simeon in the prison and told the others that they could go.
Allora egli si allontanò da loro e pianse. Poi tornò e parlò con essi. Scelse tra di loro Simeone e lo fece incatenare sotto i loro occhi.
25 Joseph told his servants to fill the men’s sacks with grain, but he also told them to put the money that each one had paid for the grain in the top of his sack. He also told them to give them food to eat along the way. After the servants did those things for Joseph’s older brothers,
Quindi Giuseppe diede ordine che si riempissero di grano i loro sacchi e si rimettesse il denaro di ciascuno nel suo sacco e si dessero loro provviste per il viaggio. E così venne loro fatto.
26 his older brothers loaded the sacks of grain on their donkeys and left.
Essi caricarono il grano sugli asini e partirono di là.
27 At the place where they stopped to sleep that night, one of them opened his sack to get some grain for his donkey. He was amazed to see his money in the top of the sack.
Ora in un luogo dove passavano la notte uno di essi aprì il sacco per dare il foraggio all'asino e vide il proprio denaro alla bocca del sacco.
28 He exclaimed to his brothers, “Someone has returned my money! Here it is in my sack!” They started shaking with fear, and said to each other, “What is this that God has done to us?”
Disse ai fratelli: «Mi è stato restituito il denaro: eccolo qui nel mio sacco!». Allora si sentirono mancare il cuore e tremarono, dicendosi l'un l'altro: «Che è mai questo che Dio ci ha fatto?».
29 When they returned to their father in Canaan land, they told him all that had happened to them. One of them said,
Arrivati da Giacobbe loro padre, nel paese di Canaan, gli riferirono tutte le cose che erano loro capitate:
30 “The man who governs the whole land of Egypt talked very harshly to us. He acted toward us as though we were spying on his country.
«Quell'uomo che è il signore del paese ci ha parlato duramente e ci ha messi in carcere come spie del paese.
31 But we told him, ‘We are honest men! We are not spies.
Allora gli abbiamo detto: Noi siamo sinceri; non siamo spie!
32 Originally there were twelve of us who were brothers, the sons of one father. One has died [EUP], and our youngest brother is with our father in Canaan.’
Noi siamo dodici fratelli, figli di nostro padre: uno non c'è più e il più giovane è ora presso nostro padre nel paese di Canaan.
33 The man who is the governor of the land [did not believe us], so he said to us, ‘This is how I will know if you are truly honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me. Then the rest of you can take some grain for your families that are starving from hunger and go.
Ma l'uomo, signore del paese, ci ha risposto: In questo modo io saprò se voi siete sinceri: lasciate qui con me uno dei vostri fratelli, prendete il grano necessario alle vostre case e andate.
34 But when you return, bring your youngest brother to me, in order that I will know that you are not spies, but instead, that you are honest men. Then I will release your brother for you. And then you can buy whatever you want in this country.’”
Poi conducetemi il vostro fratello più giovane; così saprò che non siete spie, ma che siete sinceri; io vi renderò vostro fratello e voi potrete percorrere il paese in lungo e in largo».
35 As they were emptying their sacks, they were surprised that in each man’s sack was his pouch of money! When they and their father saw all the pouches of money, they were frightened.
Mentre vuotavano i sacchi, ciascuno si accorse di avere la sua borsa di denaro nel proprio sacco. Quando essi e il loro padre videro le borse di denaro, furono presi dal timore.
36 Their father Jacob said to them, “You have caused two of my children to be taken from me! Joseph is dead, and Simeon is gone! And now you want to take Benjamin from me! It is I who am suffering because of all these things that are happening!”
E il padre loro Giacobbe disse: «Voi mi avete privato dei figli! Giuseppe non c'è più, Simeone non c'è più e Beniamino me lo volete prendere. Su di me tutto questo ricade!».
37 Reuben said to his father, “I will be responsible for Benjamin. [I will take him to Egypt and] bring him back to you. Let me take care of him. If I do not bring Benjamin back to you, you may kill both of my sons.”
Allora Ruben disse al padre: «Farai morire i miei due figli, se non te lo ricondurrò. Affidalo a me e io te lo restituirò».
38 But Jacob said, “No, I will not let my son go down there with you. His [older] brother is dead, and he is the only [one of my wife Rachel’s] sons who is left! If something harms him while you are traveling, you would cause me, a gray-haired old man, to die because of sorrow.” (Sheol h7585)
Ma egli rispose: «Il mio figlio non verrà laggiù con voi, perché suo fratello è morto ed egli è rimasto solo. Se gli capitasse una disgrazia durante il viaggio che volete fare, voi fareste scendere con dolore la mia canizie negli inferi». (Sheol h7585)
