The Missing Cup
1-2 Later, Joseph told the servant in charge of his house, “Fill the men's grain sacks with as much as they can hold and put their money in the sacks. Also put my silver cup in the sack of the youngest brother.” The servant did as he was told.
3 Early the next morning, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. 4 But they had not gone far from the city when Joseph told the servant, “Go after those men! When you catch them, say, ‘My master has been good to you. So why have you stolen his silver cup? 5 Not only does he drink from his cup, but he also uses it to learn about the future. You have done a terrible thing.’ ”
6 When the servant caught up with them, he said exactly what Joseph had told him to say. 7 But they replied, “Sir, why do you say such things? We would never do anything like that! 8 We even returned the money we found in our grain sacks when we got back to Canaan. So why would we want to steal any silver or gold from your master's house? 9 If you find that one of us has the cup, then kill him, and the rest of us will become your slaves.”
10 “Good!” the man replied, “I'll do what you have said. But only the one who has the cup will become my slave. The rest of you can go free.”
11 Each of the brothers quickly put his sack on the ground and opened it. 12 Joseph's servant started searching the sacks, beginning with the one that belonged to the oldest brother. When he came to Benjamin's sack, he found the cup. 13 This upset the brothers so much that they began tearing their clothes in sorrow. Then they loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.
14 When Judah and his brothers got there, Joseph was still at home. So they bowed down to Joseph, 15 who asked them, “What have you done? Didn't you know I could find out?”
16 “Sir, what can we say?” Judah replied. “How can we say we are innocent, when God has shown we are guilty? And now all of us are your slaves, especially the one who had the cup.”
17 Joseph told them, “I would never punish all of you. Only the one who was caught with the cup will become my slave. The rest of you are free to go home to your father.”
Judah Pleads for Benjamin
18 Judah went over to Joseph and said:
Sir, you have as much power as the king himself, and I am only your slave. Please don't get angry if I speak. 19 You asked us if our father was still alive and if we had any more brothers. 20 So we told you, “Our father is a very old man. In fact, he was already old when Benjamin was born. Benjamin's brother is dead. Now Benjamin is the only one of the two brothers who is still alive, and our father loves him very much.”
21 You ordered us to bring him here, so you could see him for yourself. 22 We told you that our father would die if Benjamin left him. 23 But you warned us that we could never see you again, unless our youngest brother came with us. 24 So we returned to our father and reported what you had said.
25 Later our father sent us back here to buy more grain. 26 But we told him, “We can't go back to Egypt without our youngest brother. We will never be let in to see the governor, unless he is with us.”
27 Sir, our father then reminded us that his favorite wife had given birth to two sons. 28 One of them was already missing and had not been seen for a long time. My father thinks the boy was torn to pieces by some wild animal, 29 and he said, “I am an old man. If you take Benjamin from me, and something happens to him, I will die of a broken heart.”
30 That's why Benjamin must be with us when I go back to my father. He loves him so much 31 that he will die if Benjamin doesn't come back with me. 32 I promised my father that I would bring him safely home. If I don't, I told my father he could blame me the rest of my life.
33 Sir, I am your slave. Please let me stay here in place of Benjamin and let him return home with his brothers. 34 How can I face my father if Benjamin isn't with me? I couldn't bear to see my father in such sorrow.
كأس يوسف في عدل بنيامين
1 ثُمَّ قالَ يوسُفُ لِوكيلِ بَيتهِ املأْ عِدالَ هؤلاءِ القَومِ طَعاما قَدْرَ ما يُطيقُونَ حِملَه، وضَعْ فِضَّةَ كُلِّ واحدٍ في فَمِ عِدْلِهِ. 2 وضَعْ كأسي الّتي مِن الفِضَّةِ في فَمِ عِدلِ أَصغَرِهِم معَ فِضَّتِهِ ثمَن قمحِهِ». ففَعلَ كما أَمرَهُ يوسُفُ. 3 فلمَّا أضاءَ الصُّبحُ انصرَفَ الرِّجالُ بِـحميرِهِم. 4 فما إنْ خرَجُوا مِنَ المدينَةِ وابتَعَدُوا قليلا حتى قالَ يوسُفُ لِوَكيلِ بَيتِهِ: «قُمِ اتْبَعْ هؤُلاءِ الرِّجالَ، فإذا لَحِقْتَ بهِم فقُلْ لهُم: لِماذا كافأتُمُ الخَيرَ بالشَّرِّ؟ 5 لِماذا سَرَقتُم كأسَ الفِضَّةِ الّتي يشربُ بِها سيِّدي، وبِها يَرى أحوالَ الغَيـبِ؟ أسأتُم في ما فعَلْتُم».
6 فلَحِقَ الرَّجُلُ بهِم وقالَ لهُم ذلِكَ الكلامَ. 7 فأجابوه: «لِماذا يتَكَلَّمُ سيِّدي بِمِثلِ هذا الكلامِ؟ حَرامٌ على عبـيدِكَ أنْ يعمَلوا عمَلا كهذا. 8 تِلكَ الفِضَّةُ الّتي وَجَدْناها في أفواهِ عِدالِنا رَدَدْناها إِليكَ مِنْ أرضِ كنعانَ، فكيفَ نسرِقُ مِنْ بَيتِ سيِّدِكَ فِضَّةً أو ذهَبَا؟ 9 إنْ وَجَدْتَ الكأسَ معَ أحدٍ مِنَّا نحنُ عبـيدِكَ فاقتُلْهُ، ونحنُ أيضا نكونُ عبـيدا لكَ يا سيِّدي». 10 فقالَ: «حسَنا، فليَكُنْ كما تقولونَ. مَنْ وَجَدْتَ الكأسَ معَهُ يكونُ لي عبدا، وأنتُم تكونونَ أبرياءَ». 11 فأسرَعَ كُلُّ واحدٍ مِنهُم وأنزَلَ عِدْلَهُ إلى الأرضِ وفَتَحَهُ، 12 ففَتَّشَهُم مُبتَدِئا بالأكبرِ حتّى انتَهى إلى الأصغرِ، فإذا الكأسُ في عِدْلِ بِنيامينَ. 13 فمَزَّقوا ثِـيابَهُم، وحَمَّلَ كُلُّ واحدٍ حِمارَهُ، ورَجَعوا إلى المدينةِ.
14 ودَخَلَ يَهوذا وإخوَتُه إلى بَيتِ يوسُفَ، وهُو بَعدُ هُناكَ، ووقَعوا ساجدينَ أمامَهُ إلى الأرضِ 15 فقالَ لهُم يوسُفُ: «ما هذا العمَلُ الّذي عَمِلْتُم؟ أما عَلِمْتُم أنَّ رَجُلا مِثلي يَرى أحوالَ الغَيـبِ؟» 16 فقالَ يَهوذا: «بماذا نُجِيـبُكَ يا سيِّدي، وماذا نقولُ لكَ، وكيفَ نتبَرَّأُ بَعدَ أنْ كشَفَ اللهُ جُرْمَنا، نحنُ عبـيدُكَ؟ هُنا نحنُ عبـيدٌ لكَ يا سيِّدي، نحنُ ومَنْ وَجَدْتَ الكأسَ معَهُ». 17 فأجابَ يوسُفُ: «حَرامٌ عليَّ أنْ أفعَلَ هذا، بلِ الرَّجلُ الّذي وَجَدْتُ الكأسَ معَهُ هوَ يكونُ لي عبدا، وأنتُم ترجِعونَ بِسلامٍ إلى أبـيكُم».
وساطة يهوذا
18 فتَقَدَّمَ إليه يَهوذا وقالَ: «عَفوكَ يا سيِّدي. دَعْني أقولُ كلِمَةً على مَسمَعِكَ، ولا يَشتَدَّ غضَبُكَ عليَّ أنا عبدُكَ، فأنتَ مِثْلُ فِرعَونَ. 19 سألْتَنا يا سيِّدي هل لكُم أبٌ أو أخٌ؟ 20 فأجَبناكَ: لنا يا سيِّدي أبٌ شيخٌ، وابنٌ صغيرٌ وُلِدَ لَه في شَيخوخَتِه، أخوهُ ماتَ وبقيَ هوَ وحدَهُ لأُمِّهِ، وأبوهُ يُحِبُّه. 21 فقلْتَ لنا يا سيّدي: أحضِروهُ إليَّ حتّى أُلْقيَ نظري علَيهِ. 22 فقُلْنا لكَ يا سيِّدي: لا يَقدِرُ الصَّغيرُ أنْ يترُكَ أباه، وإنْ ترَكَهُ يموتُ أبوه. 23 فقُلتَ لنا: إنْ لم يَنزِلْ أخوكُمُ الصَّغيرُ معَكُم، فلا تَعودوا ترَونَ وجهي. 24 فلمَّا صَعِدْنا إلى عبدِكَ أبـي أخبَرناهُ بِما قُلتَ لنا يا سيِّدي. 25 وقالَ أبونا: إرجِعوا اشتَروا لنا قليلا مِنَ الطَّعامِ. 26 فقُلنا: لا نقدِرُ أنْ ننزِلَ، لأنَّنا لا نقدِرُ أنْ نرَى وجهَ الرَّجُلِ إلاَّ إذا كانَ أخونا الصَّغيرُ معَنا. 27 فقالَ لنا عبدُكَ أَبـي: أنتُم تعلَمونَ أنَّ امرأتي راحيلَ ولَدَت لي ابنَينِ. 28 فخَرَجَ أحدُهُما مِنْ بَيتي وقُلتُ مَزَّقَه حيوانٌ مُفترِسٌ، لأنِّي إلى الآنَ ما رأيتُ لَه وجها. 29 فإنْ أخَذْتُمُ ابني هذا أيضا مِنْ أمامي فأَصابَه أذىً، أنزَلْتُم شَيـبَتي بالبُؤسِ إلى عالَمِ الأموات. 30 والآنَ إذا رجَعْنا إلى عبدِكَ أبـينا، ولم يَكُنِ الصَّبـيُّ معَنا، وحياةُ أبـي مُتَعَلِّقَةٌ بِـحياتِهِ، 31 يموتُ عِندَما يرى الغُلامَ مَفقودا فَنُنزِلُ شَيـبَةَ أبـينا بِـحَسرَةٍ إلى عالَمِ الأمواتِ. 32 ثُمَّ إنَّني يا سيِّدي ضَمِنْتُ الصَّبـيَّ لأبـي، فقُلتُ لَه: أعودُ بِهِ أو أكونُ مُخطِئا إليكَ طُولَ الزَّمانِ. 33 والآنَ دَعني يا سيِّدي أبقَى مكانَ الصَّبـيِّ عبدا لكَ، وَليَعُدْ هوَ معَ إخوَتِهِ. 34 وإلاَّ فكَيفَ أعودُ إلى أبـي ولا يكونُ الصَّبـيُّ معي، فأرَى الشَّرَّ الّذي يَحِلُّ بِأبـي».
