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.”
约瑟试验弟兄
1约瑟吩咐管家说：“给他们的口袋装满粮食，他们能带多少就装多少，把各人的钱放回他们的口袋中， 2再把我的银杯和买粮的钱一起放在最小的兄弟的口袋中。”管家遵命而行。
3清早，他们就牵着驴被送走了。 4他们出城不久，约瑟对管家说：“你快去追他们，追上了就对他们说，‘你们为什么以恶报善？ 5为什么偷我主人用来喝酒和占卜的银杯？你们这是作恶！’”
6于是，管家追上他们，按约瑟的话问他们。 7他们回答说：“我主为什么这样说？我们绝不会做这种事。 8你看，我们把上次在口袋里发现的钱都从迦南带回来还你了，又怎么会偷你主人家的金银呢？ 9你若在仆人中任何人身上搜到银杯，他就要死！我们也要做我主的奴仆。”
10管家说：“好，就照你们的话做吧！银杯从谁那里搜出来，谁就做我的奴仆，其他人都没有罪。” 11于是，他们急忙把各自的口袋卸到地上打开。 12管家就从最年长的开始搜查，结果在最年幼的便雅悯口袋里搜出了银杯。 13他们伤心地撕裂衣服，把东西放回驴背上，返回城里。
14犹大和他兄弟们回到约瑟家时，约瑟还在那里，他们就俯伏在他面前。 15约瑟对他们说：“你们做的是什么事？难道你们不知道像我这样的人是懂得占卜的吗？” 16犹大说：“我们能对我主说什么呢？我们还有什么话可说呢？我们如何洗脱罪名呢？上帝既然查出你仆人们的罪，我们跟那个手上被发现有银杯的一起做我主的奴仆吧！” 17约瑟回答说：“不！我决不会这样做。从谁那里搜出了银杯，谁就做我的奴仆，其他人平安地回去见你们的父亲吧。”
犹大求情
18犹大近前来对他说：“我主啊，你就像法老一样，求你容仆人说一句话，不要向仆人发怒。 19我主曾经问仆人们是否有父亲和弟兄， 20我们对我主说，‘我们有年迈的老父，他在晚年得了一个儿子，这孩子的哥哥已经死了，他母亲只剩下他这一个儿子，他父亲很疼爱他。’ 21你吩咐仆人们把弟弟带来给你亲眼看看， 22我们对我主说，‘这孩子不能离开他父亲，他若离开，他父亲一定会死。’ 23可是，你说如果仆人们不把最小的弟弟带来，就不得再见你的面。 24我们回到你仆人——我们的父亲那里，把我主的话告诉了他。
25“后来，他又吩咐仆人们回来买些粮， 26我们告诉他，我们不能来，只有我们最小的弟弟同来，我们才能来。否则，我们不能见你的面。 27你仆人——我的父亲就对我们说，‘你们知道，我妻子给我生了两个儿子。 28其中一个离我而去，我想他一定被野兽撕碎了，我再没有见过他。 29要是你们把这个也带走，遇上什么意外的话，你们会使我这白发苍苍的老人凄凄惨惨地下阴间。’
30“我们父亲的命与这孩子的命紧密相连，倘若我没有把这孩子带回到你仆人——我的父亲身边， 31他一看这孩子不在，一定会死。仆人们会使自己白发苍苍的父亲凄凄惨惨地下阴间。 32仆人曾经向父亲担保这孩子的安全，说我若不把这孩子带回他身边，情愿一生担罪。 33现在请准许仆人代替这孩子做我主的奴仆，让他跟他哥哥们回去吧。 34这孩子若不和我一同回去，我如何见我父亲呢？我不愿看到灾难临到我父亲。”
