1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? 2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.
3 And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. 4 But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him. 5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth.
7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. 8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. 11 We are all one man’s sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies. 12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 13 And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. 14 And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies: 15 Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither. 16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. 17 And he put them all together into ward three days. 18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God: 19 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: 20 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. 23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter. 24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.
25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them. 26 And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack’s mouth. 28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us?
29 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying, 30 The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies: 32 We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. 33 And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone: 34 And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land.
35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man’s bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me. 37 And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. 38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.
1 雅各见埃及有粮食, 就对儿子们说: "你们为什么彼此对望呢?"
2 他又说: "我听说埃及有粮食, 你们下到那里去, 给我们买些粮食, 使我们可以活下去, 不至饿死。"
3 于是, 约瑟的十个哥哥就下去了, 要从埃及买五谷。
4 但雅各并没有打发约瑟的弟弟便雅悯与哥哥们同去, 因为雅各说: "恐怕他会遇到灾害。"
5 以色列的众子也在前来买粮的人群中, 因为迦南地也有饥荒。
6 当时治理埃及地的官长是约瑟, 卖粮给那地所有的人民的就是他。所以, 约瑟的哥哥们来俯伏在地向他下拜。
7 约瑟看见他的哥哥们, 就认得他们, 可是他装作陌生人, 对他们说严厉的话, 问他们: "你们是哪里来的?"他们回答: "我们是迦南地来买粮食的。"
8 约瑟认得他的哥哥们, 他们却不认得他。
9 约瑟想起从前所作关于他们的两个梦, 就对他们说: "你们是间谍, 是来侦察本地的虚实。"
10 他们对他说: "我主啊, 不是这样, 仆人们实在是来买粮食的。
11 我们都是一个人的儿子, 是诚实人; 仆人们并不是间谍。"
12 约瑟对他们说: "不是的, 你们实在是来侦察本地的虚实。"
13 他们说: "仆人们本是兄弟十二人, 我们都是迦南地一个人的儿子。最小的现在与我们的父亲在一起, 还有一个不在了。"
14 约瑟对他们说: "我刚才对你们说: ‘你们是间谍。’这话实在不错。
15 我要这样试试你们: 我指着法老的性命起誓, 如果你们最小的弟弟不到这里来, 你们就决不得离开这里。
16 你们可以派你们中间一个人回去, 把你们的弟弟带来; 其余的人都要囚禁起来, 好证明你们的话真实不真实。如果不真实, 我指着法老的性命起誓, 你们就是间谍。"
17 于是, 约瑟把他们收在监房里三天。
18 到了第三天, 约瑟对他们说: "我是敬畏 神的, 你们要这样作, 就可以活着;
19 如果你们是诚实人, 就叫你们兄弟中一个人囚禁在监里, 你们其余的人可以带着粮食回去, 解救你们家人的饥荒。
20 然后把你们最小的弟弟带到我这里来, 这样, 就可以证明你们的话是真实的, 你们就不必死了。"他们就照样作了。
21 他们彼此说: "我们在对待弟弟的事上实在有罪。他向我们求情的时候, 我们看见他心里的痛苦, 却不肯听他, 所以这次苦难临到我们身上了。"
22 流本回答他们, 说: "我不是对你们说过: ‘不要伤害那孩子’吗?可是你们不肯听, 现在流他血的罪要向我们追讨。"
23 他们不知道约瑟听得明白, 因为他们中间有人当传译。
24 约瑟转身离开他们, 哭了一阵, 又回到他们那里, 与他们说话。然后从他们中间拉出西缅来, 在他们眼前把他捆绑起来。
25 约瑟吩咐人把五谷装满他们的袋, 把他们的银子放回各人的布袋里; 又给他们路上用的食物。一切就照样办了。
26 他们把粮食驮在他们的驴上, 离开那里去了。
27 到了住宿的地方, 他们其中的一个人打开了布袋, 要拿饲料喂驴的时候, 才发现自己的银子还在袋口那里。
28 于是对兄弟们说: "我的银子都归还了。你们看, 就在我的布袋里。"他们就心里惊慌, 彼此战战兢兢地说: " 神向我们作的是什么呢?"
29 他们回到迦南地他们的父亲雅各那里, 把他们遭遇的一切事都告诉了他, 说:
30 "那地的主人对我们说了一些严厉的话, 把我们当作侦察那地的间谍。
31 我们对他说: ‘我们是诚实人, 并不是间谍。
32 我们本是兄弟十二人, 都是一个父亲的儿子; 有一个不在了, 最小的现在与我们的父亲一起在迦南地。’
33 那地的主人对我们说: ‘我用这个办法就可以知道你们是不是诚实人: 你们兄弟中要留下一人在我这里, 其余的人可以带着粮食回去, 解救你们家人的饥荒。
34 然后把你们最小的弟弟带到我这里来, 我就知道你们不是间谍, 而是诚实人了。这样, 我就把你们的兄弟交还给你们, 你们也可以在这地自由来往。’"
35 后来他们倒布袋的时候, 不料各人的银包仍然在各人的布袋里。他们和他们的父亲看见了银包, 就都惧怕起来。
36 他们的父亲雅各对他们说: "你们总是使我丧失儿子: 约瑟没有了, 西缅也没有了, 你们还要把便雅悯带走; 每一件事都是针对我。"
37 流本对他父亲说: "如果我不把他带回来给你, 你可以杀死我的两个儿子; 只管把他交给我吧, 我必把他带回来给你。"
38 雅各说: "我的儿子不可与你们一同下去, 因为他的哥哥死了, 只剩下他一个; 如果他在你们所走的路上遇到不幸, 你们就使我这白发老人愁愁苦苦地下阴间去了。"