Génesis 44

1 Y mandó José al mayordomo de su casa, diciendo: Llene los costales de estos varones de alimentos, cuanto pudieren llevar, y pon el dinero de cada uno en la boca de su costal;

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 y pondrás mi copa, la copa de plata, en la boca del costal del menor, con el dinero de su trigo. Y él hizo como dijo José.

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 Venida la mañana, los hombres fueron despedidos con sus asnos.

The next morning at dawn the men started on the way home with their donkeys.

4 Saliendo ellos de la ciudad, que aún no se habían alejado, dijo José a su mayordomo: Levántate, y sigue a esos hombres; y cuando los alcanzares, diles: ¿Por qué habéis vuelto mal por bien?

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 ¿No es ésta en la que bebe mi señor, y por la que suele adivinar? Habéis hecho mal en lo que hicisteis.

[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 Cuando él los alcanzó, les dijo estas palabras.

The servant [left immediately and] when he caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had told him to say.

7 Y ellos le respondieron: ¿Por qué dice mi señor tales cosas? Nunca tal hagan tus siervos.

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 He aquí, el dinero que hallamos en la boca de nuestros costales, te lo volvimos a traer desde la tierra de Canaán; ¿cómo, pues, habíamos de hurtar de casa de tu señor plata ni oro?

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 Aquel de tus siervos en quien fuere hallada la copa, que muera, y aun nosotros seremos siervos de mi señor.

If you discover that any of us has that cup, you can execute him, and the rest of us will become your slaves.”

10 Y él dijo: También ahora sea conforme a vuestras palabras; aquel en quien se hallare, será mi siervo, y vosotros seréis sin culpa.

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 Ellos entonces se dieron prisa, y derribaron cada uno su costal en tierra, abrieron cada uno su costal.

Each of the men quickly lowered his sack down from the donkey to the ground and opened it.

12 Y buscó; desde el mayor comenzó, y acabó en el menor; y la copa fue hallada en el costal de Benjamín.

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 Entonces ellos rasgaron sus vestidos, y cargó cada uno su asno, y volvieron a la ciudad.

The brothers tore their clothes [because they were so dismayed]. They loaded the sacks on the donkeys again and returned to the city.

14 Y llegó Judá con sus hermanos a casa de José, que aún estaba allí, y se postraron delante de él en tierra.

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 Y les dijo José: ¿Qué obra es ésta que habéis hecho? ¿No sabéis que un hombre como yo sabe adivinar?

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 Entonces dijo Judá: ¿Qué diremos a mi señor? ¿Qué hablaremos? ¿O con qué nos justificaremos? Dios ha descubierto la maldad de tus siervos: he aquí, nosotros somos siervos de mi señor, nosotros también, y aquel en cuyo poder fue hallada la copa.

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 Y él respondió: Nunca yo tal haga; el varón en cuyo poder fue hallada la copa, aquel será mi siervo; vosotros id en paz a vuestro padre.

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 Entonces Judá se llegó a él, y dijo: Te ruego señor mío, que hable tu siervo una palabra en oídos de mi señor, y no se encienda tu enojo contra tu siervo, pues que tú eres como el Faraón.

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 Mi señor preguntó a sus siervos, diciendo: ¿Tenéis padre o hermano?

You asked us, ‘Is your father still living, and do you have another brother?’

20 Y nosotros respondimos a mi señor: Tenemos un padre anciano, y un joven que le nació en su vejez, pequeño aún; y un hermano suyo murió, y él quedó solo de su madre, y su padre lo ama.

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 Y tú dijiste a tus siervos: Traédmelo, y pondré mis ojos sobre él.

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 Y nosotros dijimos a mi señor: El joven no puede dejar a su padre, porque si le dejare, su padre morirá.

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 Y dijiste a tus siervos: Si vuestro hermano menor no descendiere con vosotros, no veáis más mi rostro.

But you told us, ‘If your youngest brother does not come back with you, I will not let you see me again!’

24 Aconteció pues, que cuando llegamos a mi padre tu siervo, le contamos las palabras de mi señor.

When we returned to our father, we told him what you said.

25 Y dijo nuestro padre: Volved a comprarnos un poco de alimento.

[Months later] our father said, ‘Go back to Egypt and buy some more grain!’

26 Y nosotros respondimos: No podemos ir; si nuestro hermano fuere con nosotros, iremos; porque no podemos ver el rostro del varón, no estando con nosotros nuestro hermano el menor.

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 Entonces tu siervo mi padre nos dijo: Vosotros sabéis que dos me dio a luz mi mujer;

Our father replied, ‘You know that my wife [Rachel] gave birth to two sons for me.

28 y el uno salió conmigo, y pienso de cierto que fue despedazado, y hasta ahora no le he visto;

One of them disappeared, and I said, “A wild animal has surely torn him to pieces.” And I have not seen him since then.

29 y si tomareis también éste de delante de mí, y le aconteciere algún desastre, haréis descender mis canas con dolor a la sepultura. (Sheol h7585)

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 Ahora, pues, cuando llegare yo a tu siervo mi padre, y el joven no fuere conmigo, porque su alma está ligada con el alma de él,

“So please listen. My father will remain alive only if his youngest son remains alive.

31 sucederá que cuando él no vea al joven, morirá: y tus siervos harán descender las canas de tu siervo nuestro padre con dolor a la sepultura. (Sheol h7585)

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 Porque tu siervo salió por fiador por el joven con mi padre, diciendo: Si no te lo volviere, entonces yo seré culpable para mi padre todos los días;

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 te ruego pues que quede ahora tu siervo por el joven por siervo de mi señor, y que el joven vaya con sus hermanos.

“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 Porque ¿cómo iré yo a mi padre sin el joven? No podré, por no ver el mal que sobrevendrá a mi padre.

(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!”