Genesis 44
1 When his brothers were ready to return home, Joseph said to the man who was in charge of things in his house, “Fill the sacks of those men with as much grain as they can carry [on their donkeys]. And put in the top of each man’s sack the silver that he paid for the grain.
然後若瑟吩咐自己的管家說：「將糧食裝滿這些人的布袋，他們能帶多少，就裝多少；將每人的銀錢仍放在他的布袋口處，
2 Then put my silver cup in the top of the youngest brother’s sack, along with the silver that he paid for the grain.” So the servant did what Joseph told him to do.
再將我的銀杯和內最年幼購糧的銀錢，一併放在他的布袋口處。」管家就照若瑟吩咐的話做了。
3 The next morning at dawn the men started on the way home with their donkeys.
清早天一發亮，就遣送這些人帶著他們的驢走了。
4 When they had not gone far from the city, Joseph said to the servant in charge of things in his house, “Pursue those men immediately. When you catch up to them, say to them, ‘We did good things for you! Why have you paid us back by doing something bad to us?
他們出了城，還不很遠，若瑟就對他的管家說：「你起身去追趕那些人，追上他們，就對他們說：你們為什麼以惡報善﹖
5 [You have stolen the cup] that my master drinks from [RHQ]! It is the cup that he uses to find out things that nobody knows! What you did was very wicked!’”
為什麼偷去我的銀杯﹖這杯是我主人為飲酒占卜用的啊! 你們作的實在不對! 」
6 The servant [left immediately and] when he caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had told him to say.
管家追上他們，就對他們說了這些話。
7 But one of them replied to him, “Sir, why do you say such things? We are your servants, and we would never do anything like that!
他們回答說：「我主怎麼說些這樣的話﹖你的僕人們決不敢做這樣的事!
8 We even brought back to you from Canaan land the silver that we found inside the tops of our sacks! So (we certainly would not steal silver or gold from your master’s house!/Why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?) [RHQ]
你看! 我們在布袋口所發現的銀錢，還從客納罕地帶回來給了你，我們怎能偷你主人家的金銀呢﹖
9 If you discover that any of us has that cup, you can execute him, and the rest of us will become your slaves.”
在你僕人中，不論在誰那裏搜出來，誰就該死，並且我們都該作我主的奴隸。」
10 The man replied, “Okay, I will do what you say. But the one who has the cup will not be executed. Instead, he will become my slave, and the rest of you may return home.”
管家答說：「也好，就照你們的話做；只是在誰那裏搜出來，誰該作我的奴隸；你們其餘的人可自由離去。」
11 Each of the men quickly lowered his sack down from the donkey to the ground and opened it.
於是他們各人急忙將自己的布袋卸下，放在地上，各人打開自己的布袋。
12 Then the servant started to search for the cup in each sack. He started with the oldest brother’s sack and ended with the youngest one’s sack. And he found the cup in Benjamin’s sack and showed it to them.
管家便一一搜查，從年長的開始，到年幼的為止；結果那杯在本雅明的布袋裏搜了出來。
13 The brothers tore their clothes [because they were so dismayed]. They loaded the sacks on the donkeys again and returned to the city.
他們遂撕裂了自己的衣服，各人又使驢馱上重載，回城裏去了。
14 When Judah and his [older and younger] brothers entered Joseph’s house, Joseph was still there. The servant told Joseph what had happened. Then the brothers threw themselves down on the ground in front of Joseph.
猶大和他的兄弟們進了若瑟的家，若瑟還在那裏，他們就在他面前俯伏在地。
15 He said to them, “Why did you do this? Do you not know that a man like me can find out things that nobody knows?” [RHQ]
若瑟對他們說：「你們作的是什麼事﹖難道你們不知道像我這樣的人會占卜嗎﹖」
16 Judah replied, “Sir, what can we say? How can we prove that we (are innocent/did not steal the cup)? God has (paid us back/punished us) for the sins [we committed many years ago]. So now we will become your slaves—both we and the one in whose sack the cup was found.”
猶大答說：「我們對我主還能說什麼﹖還有什麼話可說﹖我們如何能表白自己﹖天主已查出了你僕人們的罪惡。我們和在他手裏搜出杯來的，都應作我主的奴隸。」
17 But Joseph replied, “No, I could never do anything like that. Only the man in whose sack the cup was found will become my slave. The rest of you can return to your father peacefully.”
若瑟答說：「我決不這樣做；在誰手裏搜出杯來，誰就該作我的奴隸；至於你們，都可平安上去，回到你們父親那裏。」
18 Then Judah came near to Joseph and said, “Sir, please let me say something to you. You are equal to the king himself, so you could command that I be executed; but do not be angry with me for speaking to you.
猶大近前對若瑟說：「我主，請原諒，容你僕人向我主進一言，請不要對你僕人動怒，因為你原與法郎無異。
19 You asked us, ‘Is your father still living, and do you have another brother?’
我主以前曾問僕人們說：你們還有父親或兄弟嗎﹖
20 We answered, ‘Our father is alive, but he is an old man. He has a young son who was born after our father became an old man. That son had an [older] brother, who is now dead. So the youngest son is the only one of his mother’s sons who is still alive, and his father loves him very much.’
我們曾回答我主說：還有老父和他老年生的幼兒；他的哥哥死了，他母親只剩下了他一個；為此父親非常疼愛他。
21 Then you said to us, ‘The next time you come here, bring your younger brother down to me, so that I can see him.’
你就對你僕人們說：將他帶到我這裏來，我要親眼看看他。
22 We said to you, ‘No, we cannot do that, because the boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves his father, his father will die from sorrow.’
我們即對我主說：孩子是不能離開他父親的；如果離開了，他父親必會死去。
23 But you told us, ‘If your youngest brother does not come back with you, I will not let you see me again!’
你對你僕人們說：如果你們的小弟弟不同你們一起下來，你們休想再見我的面。
24 When we returned to our father, we told him what you said.
我們一上到你僕人，我父親那裏，就將我主的話告訴了他。
25 [Months later] our father said, ‘Go back to Egypt and buy some more grain!’
後來我們的父親說：你們再去給我們買點糧食來。
26 But we said, ‘We cannot go back by ourselves. We will go only if our youngest brother is with us. We will not be able to see the man who sells grain if our youngest brother is not with us.’
我們答說：我們不能下去；除非我們的小弟弟同我們一起，我們才下去；因為我們的小弟弟不同我們在一起，我們不能見那人的面。
27 Our father replied, ‘You know that my wife [Rachel] gave birth to two sons for me.
你的僕人，我的父親就對我們說：你們知道，我的妻子給我只生了兩個兒子：
28 One of them disappeared, and I said, “A wild animal has surely torn him to pieces.” And I have not seen him since then.
其中一個離開我出去，我猜想，他是被猛獸撕裂了，到現在，再沒有見到他。
29 I am an old gray-haired man. If you take this other one from me, too, and something harms him, you would cause me to die because of my sorrow.’ (Sheol h7585)
如今你們連這一個也要由我面前帶走；倘若他遇到什麼不幸，你們就要使我這白髮老人在悲痛中下到陰府了! (Sheol h7585)
30 “So please listen. My father will remain alive only if his youngest son remains alive.
現在，如我回到你僕人，我父親那裏，孩童沒有與我們在一起，－－他原與這孩童相依為命，－－
31 If he sees that the boy is not with us when we return to him, he will die. We will cause our gray-haired father to die because of his sorrow. (Sheol h7585)
他一見孩童沒有與我們在一起，就必死無疑；那你的僕人們就要使你的僕人，我們的父親帶著白髮在憂苦中下入陰府了。 (Sheol h7585)
32 I guaranteed/promised to my father that the boy would return safely. I told him, ‘You can require me to do what I am promising. If I do not bring him back to you, you can say forever that (I am to blame/it is my fault) [for not bringing him back to you].’
況且你的僕人曾在我父面前為孩童擔保說：如果我不將他帶回來交給你，我終生在我父前負罪。
33 “So, please let me remain here as your slave instead of my youngest brother, and let the boy return home with his other older brothers.
現在請讓你的僕人留下，代替孩童給我主為奴，讓孩童跟他哥哥們回去。
34 (I cannot return to my father if the boy is not with me!/How can I return to my father if the boy is not with me?) [RHQ] I do not want to see how miserable/sad my father would become!”
如果孩童不與我在一起，我怎能上去見我父親﹖我怕看見我父親遭到不幸! 」
