44:1 然后若瑟吩咐自己的管家说:「将粮食装满这些人的布袋,他们能带多少,就装多少;将每人的银钱仍放在他的布袋口处,
Then Joseph gave his head steward these instructions: "Fill the men’s bags with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his bag.
44:2 再将我的银杯和 那最年幼购粮的银钱,一并放在他的布袋口处。」管家就照若瑟吩咐的话做了
In the mouth of the youngest one’s bag put also my silver goblet, together with the money for his rations." The steward carried out Joseph’s instructions.
44:3 清早天一发亮,就遣送这些人带着他们的驴走了。
At daybreak the men and their donkeys were sent off.
44:4 他们出了城,还不很远,若瑟就对他的管家说:「你起身去追赶那些人,追上他们,就对他们说:你们为什么以恶报善﹖
They had not gone far out of the city when Joseph said to his head steward: "Go at once after the men! When you overtake them, say to them, 'Why did you repay good with evil? Why did you steal the silver goblet from me?
44:5 为什么偷去我的银杯﹖这杯是我主人为饮酒为占卜用的啊!你们作的实在不对!」
It is the very one from which my master drinks and which he uses for divination. What you have done is wrong.'"
44:6 管家追上他们,就对他们说了这些话。
When the steward overtook them and repeated these words to them,
44:7 他们回答说:「我主怎么说些这样的话﹖你的仆人们决不敢做这样的事!
they remonstrated with him: "How can my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing!
44:8 你看!我们在布袋口所发现的银钱,还从客纳罕地带回来给了你,我们怎能偷你主人家的金银呢﹖
We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money that we found in the mouths of our bags. Why, then, would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house?
44:9 在你仆人中,不论在谁那里搜出来,谁就该死,并且我们都该作我主的奴隶。」
If any of your servants is found to have the goblet, he shall die, and as for the rest of us, we shall become my lord’s slaves."
44:10 管家答说:「也好,就照你们的话做;只是在谁那里搜出来,谁该作我的奴隶;你们其余的人可自由离去。」
But he replied, "Even though it ought to be as you propose, only the one who is found to have it shall become my slave, and the rest of you shall be exonerated."
44:11 于是他们各人急忙将自己的布袋卸下,放在地上,各人打开自己的布袋。
Then each of them eagerly lowered his bag to the ground and opened it;
44:12 管家便一一搜查,从年长的开始,到年幼的为止;结果那杯在本雅明的布袋里搜了出来。
and when a search was made, starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest, the goblet turned up in Benjamin’s bag.
44:13 他们遂撕裂了自己的衣服,各人又使驴驮上重载,回城里去了。
At this, they tore their clothes. Then, when each man had reloaded his donkey, they returned to the city.
44:14 犹大和他的兄弟们进了若瑟的家,若瑟还在那里,他们就在他面前俯伏在地。
As Judah and his brothers reentered Joseph’s house, he was still there; so they flung themselves on the ground before him.
44:15 若瑟对他们说:「你们作的是什么事﹖难道你们不知道像我这样的人会占卜吗﹖」
"How could you do such a thing?" Joseph asked them. "You should have known that such a man as I could discover by divination what happened."
44:16 犹大答说:「我们对我主还能说什么﹖还有什么话可说﹖我们如何能表白自己﹖天主已查出了你仆人们的罪恶。我们和在他手里搜出杯来的,都应作我主的奴隶。」
Judah replied: "What can we say to my lord? How can we plead or how try to prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt. Here we are, then, the slaves of my lord ?the rest of us no less than the one in whose possession the goblet was found."
44:17 若瑟答说:「我决不这样做;在谁手里搜出杯来,谁就该作我的奴隶;至于你们,都可平安上去,回到你们父亲那里。」
"Far be it from me to act thus!" said Joseph. "Only the one in whose possession the goblet was found shall become my slave; the rest of you may go back safe and sound to your father."
44:18 犹大近前对若瑟说:「我主,请原谅,容你仆人向我主进一言,请不要对你仆人动怒,因为你原与法郎无异。
Judah then stepped up to him and said: "I beg you, my lord, let your servant speak earnestly to my lord, and do not become angry with your servant, for you are the equal of Pharaoh.
44:19 我主以前曾问仆人们说:你们还有父亲或兄弟吗﹖
My lord asked your servants, 'Have you a father, or another brother?'
44:20 我们曾回答我主说:还有老父和他老年生的幼儿;他的哥哥死了,他母亲只剩下了他一个;为此父亲非常疼爱他。
So we said to my lord, 'We have an aged father, and a young brother, the child of his old age. This one’s full brother is dead, and since he is the only one by that mother who is left, his father dotes on him.'
44:21 你就对你仆人们说:将他带到我这里来,我要亲眼看看他。
Then you told your servants, 'Bring him down to me that my eyes may look on him.'
44:22 我们即对我主说:孩子是不能离开他父亲的;如果离开了,他父亲必会死去。
We replied to my lord, ’the boy cannot leave his father; his father would die if he were to leave him.'
44:23 你对你仆人们说:如果你们的小弟弟不同你们一起下来,你们休想再见我的面。
But you told your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes back with you, you shall not come into my presence again.'
44:24 我们一上到你仆人,我父亲那里,就将我主的话告诉了他。
When we returned to your servant our father, we reported to him the words of my lord.
44:25 后来我们的父亲说:你们再去给我们买点粮食来。
"Later, our father told us to come back and buy some food for the family.
44:26 我们答说:我们不能下去;除非我们的小弟弟同我们一起,我们才下去;因为我们的小弟弟不同我们在一起,我们不能见那人的面。
So we reminded him, 'We cannot go down there; only if our youngest brother is with us can we go, for we may not see the man if our youngest brother is not with us.'
44:27 你的仆人,我的父亲就对我们说:你们知道,我的妻子给我只生了两个儿子:
Then your servant our father said to us, 'As you know, my wife bore me two sons.
44:28 其中一个离开我出去,我猜想,他是被猛兽撕裂了,到现在,再没有见到他。
One of them, however, disappeared, and I had to conclude that he must have been torn to pieces by wild beasts; I have not seen him since.
44:29 如今你们连这一个也要由我面前带走;倘若他遇到什么不幸,你们就要使我这白发老人在悲痛中下到阴府了!
If you now take this one away from me too, and some disaster befalls him, you will send my white head down to the nether world in grief.'
44:30 现在,如我回到你仆人,我父亲那里,孩童没有与我们在一起,--他原与这孩童相依为命,--
"If then the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, whose very life is bound up with his, he will die as soon as he sees that the boy is missing;
44:31 他一见孩童没有与我们在一起,就必死无疑;那你的仆人们就要使你的仆人,我们的父亲带着白发在忧苦中下入阴府了。
and your servants will thus send the white head of our father down to the nether world in grief.
44:32 况且你的仆人曾在我父面前为孩童担保说:如果我不将他带回来交给你,我终生在我父前负罪。
Besides, I, your servant, got the boy from his father by going surety for him, saying, 'If I fail to bring him back to you, father, you can hold it against me forever.'
44:33 现在请让你的仆人留下,代替孩童给我主为奴,让孩童跟他哥哥们回去。
Let me, your servant, therefore, remain in place of the boy as the slave of my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers.
44:34 如果孩童不与我在一起,我怎能上去见我父亲﹖我怕看见我父亲遭到不幸!」
How could I go back to my father if the boy were not with me? I could not bear to see the anguish that would overcome my father."
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