創世紀:Chapter 44

創世紀:Chapter 44

創世紀	Genesis
¹然後若瑟吩咐自己的管家說：「將糧食裝滿這些人的布袋，他們能帶多少，就裝多少；將每人的銀錢仍放在他的布袋口處，	¹ 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.
²再將我的銀杯和那最年幼購糧的銀錢，一併放在他的布袋口處。」管家就照若瑟吩咐的話做了。	²In 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.
³清早天一發亮，就遣送這些人帶着他們的驢走了。	³At daybreak the men and their donkeys were sent off.
⁴他們出了城，還不很遠，若瑟就對他的管家說：「你起身去追趕那些人，追上他們，就對他們說：你們為什麼以惡報善？	⁴They 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?
⁵為什麼偷去我的銀杯？這杯是我主人為飲酒為占卜用的啊！你們作的實在不對！」	⁵ It is the very one from which my master drinks and which he uses for divination. What you have done is wrong.'"
⁶管家追上他們，就對他們說了這些話。	⁶When the steward overtook them and repeated these words to them,
⁷他們回答說：「我主怎麼說些這樣的話？你的僕人們決不敢做這樣的事！	⁷they remonstrated with him: "How can my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing!
⁸你看！我們在布袋口所發現的銀錢，還從客納罕地帶回來給了你，我們怎能偷你主人家的金銀呢？	⁸We 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?
⁹在你僕人中，不論在誰那裏搜出來，誰就該死，並且我們都該作我主的奴隸。」	⁹If 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."
¹⁰管家答說：「也好，就照你們的話做；只是在誰那裏搜出來，誰該作我的奴隸；你們其餘的人可自由離去。」	¹⁰But 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."
¹¹於是他們各人急忙將自己的布袋卸下，放在地上，各人打開自己的布袋。	¹¹Then each of them eagerly lowered his bag to the ground and opened it;
¹²管家便一一搜查，從年長的開始，到年幼的為止；結果那杯在本雅明的布袋裏搜了出來。	¹²and when a search was made, starting with the oldest and ending with the youngest, the goblet turned up in Benjamin's bag.
¹³他們遂撕裂了自己的衣服，各人又使驢馱上重載，回城裏去了。	¹³At this, they tore their clothes. Then, when each man had reloaded his donkey, they returned to the city.
¹⁴猶大和他的兄弟們進了若瑟的家，若瑟還在那裏，他們就在他面前俯伏在地。	¹⁴As Judah and his brothers reentered Joseph's house, he was still there; so they flung themselves on the ground before him.
¹⁵若瑟對他們說：「你們作的是什麼事？難道你們不知道像我這樣的人會占卜嗎？」	¹⁵"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."
¹⁶猶大答說：「我們對我主還能說什麼？還有什麼話可說？我們如何能表白自己？天主已查出了你僕人們的罪惡。我們和在他手裏搜出杯來的，都應作我主的奴隸。」	¹⁶ 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."
¹⁷若瑟答說：「我決不這樣做；在誰手裏搜出杯來，誰就該作我的奴隸；至於你們，都可平安上去，回到你們父親那裏。」	¹⁷"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."
¹⁸猶大近前對若瑟說：「我主，請原諒，容你僕人向我主進一言，請不要對你僕人動怒，因為你原與法郎無異。	¹⁸Judah 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.
¹⁹我主以前曾問僕人們說：你們還有父親或兄弟嗎？	¹⁹ My lord asked your servants, 'Have you a father, or another brother?'
²⁰我們曾回答我主說：還有老父和他老年生的幼兒；他的哥哥死了，他母親只剩下了他一個；為此父親非常疼愛他。	²⁰So 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.'
²¹你就對你僕人們說：將他帶到我這裏來，我要親眼看看他。	²¹Then you told your servants, 'Bring him down to me that my eyes may look on him.'
²²我們即對我主說：孩子是不能離開他父親的；如果離開了，他父親必會死去。	²²We replied to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father; his father would die if he were to leave him.'
²³你對你僕人們說：如果你們的小弟弟不同你們一起下來，你們休想再見我的面。	²³But you told your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes back with you, you shall not come into my presence again.'
²⁴我們一上到你僕人，我父親那裏，就將我主的話告訴了他。	²⁴When we returned to your servant our father, we reported to him the words of my lord.
²⁵後來我們的父親說：你們再去給我們買點糧食來。	²⁵"Later, our father told us to come back and buy some food for the family.
²⁶我們答說：我們不能下去；除非我們的小弟弟同我們一起，我們才下去；因為我們的小弟弟不同我們在一起，我們不能見那人的面。	²⁶So 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.'
²⁷你的僕人，我的父親就對我們說：你們知道，我的妻子給我只生了兩個兒子：	²⁷Then your servant our father said to us, 'As you know, my wife bore me two sons.
²⁸其中一個離開我出去，我猜想，他是被猛獸撕裂了，到現在，再沒有見到他。	²⁸One 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.
²⁹如今你們連這一個也要由我面前帶走；倘若他遇到什麼不幸，你們就要使我這白髮老人在悲痛中下到陰府了！	²⁹If 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.'
³⁰現在，如果我回到你僕人，我父親那裏，孩童沒有與我們在一起，──他原與這孩童相依為命，──	³⁰"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;
³¹他一見孩童沒有與我們在一起，就必死無疑；那你的僕人們就要使你的僕人，我們的父親帶着白髮在憂苦中下入陰府了。	³¹and your servants will thus send the white head of our father down to the nether world in grief.
³²況且你的僕人曾在我父面前為孩童擔保說：如果我不將他帶回來交給你，我終生在我父前負罪。	³²Besides, 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.'
³³現在請讓你的僕人留下，代替孩童給我主為奴，讓孩童跟他哥哥們回去。	³³Let 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.
³⁴如果孩童不與我在一起，我怎能上去見我父親？我怕看見我父親遭到不幸！」	³⁴How 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."