創世記 44
1 さてヨセフは家づかさに命じて言った、「この人々の袋に、運べるだけ多くの食糧を満たし、めいめいの銀を袋の口に入れておきなさい。
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.
2 またわたしの杯、銀の杯をあの年下の者の袋の口に、穀物の代金と共に入れておきなさい」。家づかさはヨセフの言葉のとおりにした。
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.
3 夜が明けると、その人々と、ろばとは送り出されたが、
The next morning at dawn the men started on the way home with their donkeys.
4 町を出て、まだ遠くへ行かないうちに、ヨセフは家づかさに言った、「立って、あの人々のあとを追いなさい。追いついて、彼らに言いなさい、『あなたがたはなぜ悪をもって善に報いるのですか。なぜわたしの銀の杯を盗んだのですか。
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?
5 これはわたしの主人が飲む時に使い、またいつも占いに用いるものではありませんか。あなたがたのした事は悪いことです』」。
[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!’”
6 家づかさが彼らに追いついて、これらの言葉を彼らに告げたとき、
The servant [left immediately and] when he caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had told him to say.
7 彼らは言った、「わが主は、どうしてそのようなことを言われるのですか。しもべらは決してそのようなことはいたしません。
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!
8 袋の口で見つけた銀でさえ、カナンの地からあなたの所に持ち帰ったほどです。どうして、われわれは御主人の家から銀や金を盗みましょう。
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]
9 しもべらのうちのだれの所でそれが見つかっても、その者は死に、またわれわれはわが主の奴隷となりましょう」。
If you discover that any of us has that cup, you can execute him, and the rest of us will become your slaves.”
10 家づかさは言った、「それではあなたがたの言葉のようにしよう。杯の見つかった者はわたしの奴隷とならなければならない。ほかの者は無罪です」。
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.”
11 そこで彼らは、めいめい急いで袋を地におろし、ひとりひとりその袋を開いた。
Each of the men quickly lowered his sack down from the donkey to the ground and opened it.
12 家づかさは年上から捜し始めて年下に終ったが、杯はベニヤミンの袋の中にあった。
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.
13 そこで彼らは衣服を裂き、おのおの、ろばに荷を負わせて町に引き返した。
The brothers tore their clothes [because they were so dismayed]. They loaded the sacks on the donkeys again and returned to the city.
14 ユダと兄弟たちとは、ヨセフの家にはいったが、ヨセフがなおそこにいたので、彼らはその前で地にひれ伏した。
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.
15 ヨセフは彼らに言った、「あなたがたのこのしわざは何事ですか。わたしのような人は、必ず占い当てることを知らないのですか」。
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]
16 ユダは言った、「われわれはわが主に何を言い、何を述べ得ましょう。どうしてわれわれは身の潔白をあらわし得ましょう。神がしもべらの罪をあばかれました。われわれと、杯を持っていた者とは共にわが主の奴隷となりましょう」。
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.”
17 ヨセフは言った、「わたしは決してそのようなことはしない。杯を持っている者だけがわたしの奴隷とならなければならない。ほかの者は安全に父のもとへ上って行きなさい」。
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.”
18 この時ユダは彼に近づいて言った、「ああ、わが主よ、どうぞわが主の耳にひとこと言わせてください。しもべをおこらないでください。あなたはパロのようなかたです。
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.
19 わが主はしもべらに尋ねて、『父があるか、また弟があるか』と言われたので、
You asked us, ‘Is your father still living, and do you have another brother?’
20 われわれはわが主に言いました、『われわれには老齢の父があり、また年寄り子の弟があります。その兄は死んで、同じ母の子で残っているのは、ただこれだけですから父はこれを愛しています』。
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.’
21 その時あなたはしもべらに言われました、『その者をわたしの所へ連れてきなさい。わたしはこの目で彼を見よう』。
Then you said to us, ‘The next time you come here, bring your younger brother down to me, so that I can see him.’
22 われわれはわが主に言いました。『その子供は父を離れることができません。もし父を離れたら父は死ぬでしょう』。
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.’
23 しかし、あなたはしもべらに言われました、『末の弟が一緒に下ってこなければ、おまえたちは再びわたしの顔を見ることはできない』。
But you told us, ‘If your youngest brother does not come back with you, I will not let you see me again!’
24 それであなたのしもべである父のもとに上って、わが主の言葉を彼に告げました。
When we returned to our father, we told him what you said.
25 ところで、父が『おまえたちは再び行って、われわれのために少しの食糧を買ってくるように』と言ったので、
[Months later] our father said, ‘Go back to Egypt and buy some more grain!’
26 われわれは言いました、『われわれは下って行けません。もし末の弟が一緒であれば行きましょう。末の弟が一緒でなければ、あの人の顔を見ることができません』。
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.’
27 あなたのしもべである父は言いました、『おまえたちの知っているとおり、妻はわたしにふたりの子を産んだ。
Our father replied, ‘You know that my wife [Rachel] gave birth to two sons for me.
28 ひとりは外へ出たが、きっと裂き殺されたのだと思う。わたしは今になっても彼を見ない。
One of them disappeared, and I said, “A wild animal has surely torn him to pieces.” And I have not seen him since then.
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)
30 わたしがあなたのしもべである父のもとに帰って行くとき、もしこの子供が一緒にいなかったら、どうなるでしょう。父の魂は子供の魂に結ばれているのです。
“So please listen. My father will remain alive only if his youngest son remains alive.
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)
32 しもべは父にこの子供の身を請け合って『もしわたしがこの子をあなたのもとに連れ帰らなかったら、わたしは父に対して永久に罪を負いましょう』と言ったのです。
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].’
33 どうか、しもべをこの子供の代りに、わが主の奴隷としてとどまらせ、この子供を兄弟たちと一緒に上り行かせてください、
“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.
34 この子供を連れずに、どうしてわたしは父のもとに上り行くことができましょう。父が災に会うのを見るに忍びません」。
(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!”
