Génesis 44

1 Entonces dio órdenes al siervo que estaba sobre su casa, diciendo: Pongan todo el alimento en las bolsas de los hombres que trajeron con ellos, y pongan el dinero de cada uno en la boca de su bolsa;

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 pon mi copa, mi copa de plata, en la bolsa del hermano menor, con su dinero. Entonces él hizo lo que 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 Y al amanecer los hombres, con sus asnos, fueron enviados lejos.

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

4 Y cuando se habían alejado un poco de la ciudad, José dijo al siervo que estaba sobre su casa: Ve tras ellos; y cuando los alcances, diles: ¿Por qué has hecho 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 este el cáliz del que mi señor toma el vino y por el cual obtiene conocimiento del futuro? En verdad, has hecho el mal.

[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 Entonces él los alcanzó y 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 dijeron: ¿Por qué dice mi señor tales palabras? No está en tus siervos hacer tal cosa:

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 Mira, el dinero que estaba en nuestras bolsas te lo devolvimos cuando volvimos de Canaán. ¿Cómo, entonces, podríamos tomar plata u oro de la casa de tu señor?

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 Si sale a la luz que alguno de tus siervos hizo esto, que lo maten, y nosotros seremos siervos de tu 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: Sea como tú dices: aquel en cuya bolsa se verá será mi siervo; y no serás responsable.

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 Entonces cada hombre rápidamente bajó su bolsa y la desabrochó.

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

12 Y él hizo una búsqueda, comenzando con el mayor y terminando con el más joven; y la copa estaba en la bolsa 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, en dolor amargo, volvieron a poner las bolsas en los asnos y regresaron 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 Entonces Judá y sus hermanos fueron a la casa de José; y él todavía estaba allí; y se postraron sobre sus rostros delante de él.

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 dijo José: ¿Qué es esto que has hecho? ¿No pensaste que un hombre como yo tendría poder para ver lo que es secreto?

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 Y Judá dijo: ¿Qué hemos de decir a mi señor? ¿Cómo podemos ponernos en sus ojos? Dios ha dejado en claro el pecado de tus siervos: ahora estamos en tus manos, nosotros y el hombre en cuya bolsa se ha visto tu 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 Entonces él dijo: ¡Lejos esté de mí hacer eso! Pero el hombre que tenía mi copa será mi siervo; y puedes volver a tu padre en paz.

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 le acercó, y dijo: Deja que tu siervo pronuncie una palabra en oídos de mi señor, y no se encienda tu furor contra tu siervo; porque tú estás en el lugar de Faraón para nosotros.

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 dijo a sus siervos: ¿Tienes padre o hermano?

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

20 Y dijimos a mi señor: Tenemos un padre viejo y un niño pequeño, que tenía cuando era viejo; su hermano está muerto y él es el único hijo de su madre, y es muy querido por su padre.

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 dijiste a tus siervos: Déjenlo que venga a mí con ustedes, para que yo pueda verlo.

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 dijimos a mi señor: Su padre no lo dejará ir; porque si se fuera, su padre vendría a la muerte.

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 Pero dijiste a tus siervos: Si tu hermano menor no viene contigo, no volverás a ver 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 Y cuando volvimos a tu siervo, nuestro padre, le dimos cuenta de las palabras de mi señor.

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

25 Y nuestro padre dijo: Ve otra vez y compra un poco de comida.

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

26 Y nosotros dijimos: Solamente si nuestro hermano menor va con nosotros, descenderemos; porque quizás no volvamos a ver la cara del hombre si nuestro hermano menor no está con nosotros.

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 Y nuestro padre nos dijo: Tú sabes que mi mujer me dio dos hijos;

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

28 . El uno se alejó de mí, y yo dije: Verdaderamente ha venido a la muerte violenta; y desde ese momento no lo 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 Si ahora me quitas este, y algún mal viene a él, harás que mi cabeza gris baje en tristeza al sepulcro. (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 Si entonces vuelvo a tu siervo, mi padre, sin el niño, porque su vida y la del niño son una,

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

31 Cuando vea que el niño no está con nosotros, vendrá a su muerte, y la cabeza gris de nuestro padre caerá en tristeza al sepulcro. (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 me hice responsable del niño con mi padre, y le dije: Si no se lo devuelvo a salvo, que el mío sea el pecado para siempre.

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 Así que ahora déjame ser el siervo de mi señor aquí en lugar del niño, y que él regrese 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 puedo volver a mi padre sin él niño? y ver el mal que vendrá sobre 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!”