約瑟試驗弟兄
1約瑟吩咐管家說：「給他們的口袋裝滿糧食，他們能帶多少就裝多少，把各人的錢放回他們的口袋中， 2再把我的銀杯和買糧的錢一起放在最小的兄弟的口袋中。」管家遵命而行。
3清早，他們就牽著驢被送走了。 4他們出城不久，約瑟對管家說：「你快去追他們，追上了就對他們說，『你們為什麼以惡報善？ 5為什麼偷我主人用來喝酒和占卜的銀杯？你們這是作惡！』」
6於是，管家追上他們，按約瑟的話問他們。 7他們回答說：「我主為什麼這樣說？我們絕不會做這種事。 8你看，我們把上次在口袋裡發現的錢都從迦南帶回來還你了，又怎麼會偷你主人家的金銀呢？ 9你若在僕人中任何人身上搜到銀杯，他就要死！我們也要做我主的奴僕。」
10管家說：「好，就照你們的話做吧！銀杯從誰那裡搜出來，誰就做我的奴僕，其他人都沒有罪。」 11於是，他們急忙把各自的口袋卸到地上打開。 12管家就從最年長的開始搜查，結果在最年幼的便雅憫口袋裡搜出了銀杯。 13他們傷心地撕裂衣服，把東西放回驢背上，返回城裡。
14猶大和他兄弟們回到約瑟家時，約瑟還在那裡，他們就俯伏在他面前。 15約瑟對他們說：「你們做的是什麼事？難道你們不知道像我這樣的人是懂得占卜的嗎？」 16猶大說：「我們能對我主說什麼呢？我們還有什麼話可說呢？我們如何洗脫罪名呢？上帝既然查出你僕人們的罪，我們跟那個手上被發現有銀杯的一起做我主的奴僕吧！」 17約瑟回答說：「不！我決不會這樣做。從誰那裡搜出了銀杯，誰就做我的奴僕，其他人平安地回去見你們的父親吧。」
猶大求情
18猶大近前來對他說：「我主啊，你就像法老一樣，求你容僕人說一句話，不要向僕人發怒。 19我主曾經問僕人們是否有父親和弟兄， 20我們對我主說，『我們有年邁的老父，他在晚年得了一個兒子，這孩子的哥哥已經死了，他母親只剩下他這一個兒子，他父親很疼愛他。』 21你吩咐僕人們把弟弟帶來給你親眼看看， 22我們對我主說，『這孩子不能離開他父親，他若離開，他父親一定會死。』 23可是，你說如果僕人們不把最小的弟弟帶來，就不得再見你的面。 24我們回到你僕人——我們的父親那裡，把我主的話告訴了他。
25「後來，他又吩咐僕人們回來買些糧， 26我們告訴他，我們不能來，只有我們最小的弟弟同來，我們才能來。否則，我們不能見你的面。 27你僕人——我的父親就對我們說，『你們知道，我妻子給我生了兩個兒子。 28其中一個離我而去，我想他一定被野獸撕碎了，我再沒有見過他。 29要是你們把這個也帶走，遇上什麼意外的話，你們會使我這白髮蒼蒼的老人淒淒慘慘地下陰間。』
30「我們父親的命與這孩子的命緊密相連，倘若我沒有把這孩子帶回到你僕人——我的父親身邊， 31他一看這孩子不在，一定會死。僕人們會使自己白髮蒼蒼的父親淒淒慘慘地下陰間。 32僕人曾經向父親擔保這孩子的安全，說我若不把這孩子帶回他身邊，情願一生擔罪。 33現在請准許僕人代替這孩子做我主的奴僕，讓他跟他哥哥們回去吧。 34這孩子若不和我一同回去，我如何見我父親呢？我不願看到災難臨到我父親。」
A Silver Cup in a Sack
1Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack. 2Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said.
3As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. 4They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? 5Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.’ ”
6When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. 7But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! 8We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? 9If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.”
10“Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.”
11Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. 12Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 13At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.
14Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. 15Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?”
16“What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.”
17But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.”
18Then Judah went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ 20And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’
21“Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’ 22And we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’ 23But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ 24When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.
25“Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’ 26But we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’
27“Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. 28One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. 29If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’
30“So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, 31sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. 32Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’
33“Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. 34How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.”
