Capítulo 43

¹Now the famine was severe in the land.

¹那地的饑荒甚大。

²So it came about when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, 'Go back, buy us a little food.'

²他們從埃及帶來的糧食吃盡了，他們的父親就對他們說：『你們再去給我糴些糧來。』

³Judah spoke to him, however, saying, 'The man solemnly warned us, 'You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.'

³猶大對他說：『那人諄諄地告誡我們說：「你們的兄弟若不與你們同來，你們就不得見我的面。」

⁴'If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food.

⁴你若打發我們的兄弟與我們同去，我們就下去給你糴糧；

⁵'But if you do not send [him], we will not go down; for the man said to us, 'You will not see my face unless your brother is with you.''

⁵你若不打發他去，我們就不下去，因為那人對我們說：「你們的兄弟若不與你們同來，你們就不得見我的面。」』

⁶Then Israel said, 'Why did you treat me so badly by telling the man whether you still had [another] brother?'

⁶以色列說：『你們為什麼這樣害我，告訴那人你們還有兄弟呢？』

⁷But they said, 'The man questioned particularly about us and our relatives, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Have you [another] brother?' So we answered his questions. Could we possibly know that he would say, 'Bring your brother down '?'

⁷他們回答說：『那人詳細問到我們和我們的親屬，說：「你們的父親還在嗎？你們還有兄弟嗎？」我們就按著他所問的告訴他，焉能知道他要說「必須把你們的兄弟帶下來」呢？』

⁸Judah said to his father Israel, 'Send the lad with me and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, we as well as you and our little ones.

⁸猶大又對他父親以色列說：『你打發童子與我同去，我們就起身下去，好叫我們和你，並我們的婦人孩子，都得存活，不至於死。

⁹'I myself will be surety for him; you may hold me responsible for him. If I do not bring him [back] to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame before you forever.

⁹我為他作保；你可以從我手中追討，我若不帶他回來交在你面前，我情願永遠擔罪。

¹⁰'For if we had not delayed, surely by now we could have returned twice.'

¹⁰我們若沒有耽擱，如今第二次都回來了。』

¹¹Then their father Israel said to them, 'If [it must be] so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and carry down to the man as a present, a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds.

¹¹他們的父親以色列說：『若必須如此，你們就當這樣行：可以將這地土產中最好的乳香、蜂蜜、香料、沒藥、榧子、杏仁都取一點，收在器具裡，帶下去送給那人作禮物，

¹²'Take double [the] money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was a mistake.

¹²又要手裡加倍地帶銀子，並將歸還在你們口袋內的銀子仍帶在手裡；那或者是錯了。

¹³'Take your brother also, and arise, return to the man;

¹³也帶著你們的兄弟，起身去見那人。

¹⁴and may God Almighty grant you compassion in the sight of the man, so that he will release to you your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.'

¹⁴但願全能的神使你們在那人面前蒙憐憫，釋放你們的那弟兄和便雅憫回來。我若喪了兒子，就喪了吧!』

¹⁵So the men took this present, and they took double [the] money in their hand, and Benjamin; then they arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph.

¹⁵於是，他們拿著那禮物，又手裡加倍地帶銀子，並且帶著便雅憫，起身下到埃及，站在約瑟面前。

¹⁶When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to his house steward, 'Bring the men into the house, and slay an animal and make ready; for the men are to dine with me at noon.'

¹⁶約瑟見便雅憫和他們同來，就對家宰說：『將這些人領到屋裡。要宰殺牲畜，預備筵席，因為晌午這些人同我吃飯。』

¹⁷So the man did as Joseph said, and brought the men to Joseph's house.

¹⁷家宰就遵著約瑟的命去行，領他們進約瑟的屋裡。

¹⁸Now the men were afraid, because they were brought to Joseph's house; and they said, '[It is] because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time that we are being brought in, that he may seek occasion against us and fall upon us, and take us for slaves with our donkeys.'

¹⁸他們因為被領到約瑟的屋裡，就害怕，說：『領我們到這裡來，必是因為頭次歸還在我們口袋裡的銀子，找我們的錯縫，下手害我們，強取我們為奴僕，搶奪我們的驢。』

¹⁹So they came near to Joseph's house steward, and spoke to him at the entrance of the house,

¹⁹他們就挨近約瑟的家宰，在屋門口和他說話，

²⁰and said, 'Oh, my lord, we indeed came down the first time to buy food,

²⁰說：『我主啊，我們頭次下來實在是要糴糧。

²¹and it came about when we came to the lodging place, that we opened our sacks, and behold, each man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full. So we have brought it back in our hand.

²¹後來到了住宿的地方，我們打開口袋，不料，各人的銀子，分量足數，仍在各人的口袋內，現在我們手裡又帶回來了。

²²'We have also brought down other money in our hand to buy food; we do not know who put our money in our sacks.'

²²另外又帶下銀子來糴糧。不知道先前誰把銀子放在我們的口袋裡。』

²³He said, 'Be at ease, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.' Then he brought Simeon out to them.

²³家宰說：『你們可以放心，不要害怕，是你們的神和你們父親的　神賜給你們財寶在你們的口袋裡；你們的銀子，我早已收了。』他就把西緬帶出來，交給他們。

²⁴Then the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys fodder.

²⁴家宰就領他們進約瑟的屋裡，給他們水洗腳，又給他們草料餵驢。

²⁵So they prepared the present for Joseph's coming at noon; for they had heard that they were to eat a meal there.

²⁵他們就預備那禮物，等候約瑟晌午來，因為他們聽見要在那裡吃飯。

²⁶When Joseph came home, they brought into the house to him the present which was in their hand and bowed to the ground before him.

²⁶約瑟來到家裡，他們就把手中的禮物拿進屋去給他，又俯伏在地，向他下拜。

²⁷Then he asked them about their welfare, and said, 'Is your old father well, of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?'

²⁷約瑟問他們好，又問：『你們的父親─就是你們所說的那老人家平安嗎？他還在嗎？』

²⁸They said, 'Your servant our father is well; he is still alive.' They bowed down in homage.

²⁸他們回答說：『你僕人─我們的父親平安；他還在。』於是他們低頭下拜。

²⁹As he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, he said, 'Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?' And he said, 'May God be gracious to you, my son.'

²⁹約瑟舉目看見他同母的兄弟便雅憫，就說：『你們向我所說那頂小的兄弟就是這位嗎？』又說：『小兒啊，願神賜恩給你!』

³⁰Joseph hurried [out] for he was deeply stirred over his brother, and he sought [a place] to weep; and he entered his chamber and wept there.

³⁰約瑟愛弟之情發動，就急忙尋找可哭之地，進入自己的屋裡，哭了一場。

³¹Then he washed his face and came out; and he controlled himself and said, 'Serve the meal.'

³¹他洗了臉出來，勉強隱忍，吩咐人擺飯。

³²So they served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is loathsome to the Egyptians.

³²他們就為約瑟單擺了一席，為那些人又擺了一席，也為和約瑟同吃飯的埃及人另擺了一席，因為埃及人不可和希伯來人一同吃飯；那原是埃及人所厭惡的。

³³Now they were seated before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth, and the men looked at one another in astonishment.

³³約瑟使眾弟兄在他面前排列坐席，都按著長幼的次序，眾弟兄就彼此詫異。

³⁴He took portions to them from his own table, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So they feasted and drank freely with him.

³⁴約瑟把他面前的食物分出來，送給他們；但便雅憫所得的比別人多五倍。他們就飲酒，和約瑟一同宴樂。