Genesis 44
EasyEnglish Bible
Joseph tests his brothers
44 Joseph told the servant who took care of his house, ‘Fill the men's bags. Give them as much food as their animals can carry. Put each man's money back in the top of his bag. 2 Then take my silver cup and put it in the top of the youngest man's bag. Put it with the money that he brought to pay for his food.’ The servant did what Joseph had told him to do. 3 When morning came, the men started their journey with their donkeys. 4 They had travelled only a short way from the city. Then Joseph said to his servant, ‘Go now and follow those men. When you find them, say to them, “My master was kind to you. So why have you done this bad thing against us? 5 You have taken my master's own special cup. It is the cup that he drinks from. He also uses it to find out about future things. You have done a very bad thing!” ’
6 So Joseph's servant followed the men and he reached them. He told them Joseph's message. 7 But the brothers said to him, ‘Sir, why do you say these things? We are your servants. We would not do anything like that! 8 When we found the money in our bags last time, we brought it back to you from Canaan. So we would never take valuable silver or gold things from your master's house. 9 If any one of us has this silver cup, he must die. We others will become your slaves, sir.’ 10 The servant said, ‘What you say is fair. Whoever has the cup, will become my slave. The rest of you will go free.’
11 Each of the brothers quickly put his bag on the ground and opened it. 12 Then the servant began to look in the bags. He began with the oldest brother's bag and he finished with the youngest brother's bag. Then he found the cup in Benjamin's bag! 13 When this happened, all the brothers were very upset. They tore their clothes. Then they put their bags back on their donkeys. They returned to the city.
14 Joseph was still in his house when Judah and his brothers arrived. They threw themselves on the ground in front of Joseph. 15 Joseph said, ‘Why have you done this bad thing? You should have known about an important man like me. I can use magic to find out what people do.’ 16 Judah said, ‘We do not know what to say to you, my lord. We cannot say that we did not do this. God has shown that we are guilty of this sin. Now we are your slaves. We are all your slaves, as well as the one who had your cup in his bag.’
17 But Joseph said, ‘I would not do a thing like that! Only the man who had the cup will be my slave. The rest of you can return to your father. You may go as my friends.’
18 Then Judah went and he spoke to Joseph. He said, ‘Please, my lord. Let me speak to you. You have all of Pharaoh's authority, but please do not be angry with me, your servant. 19 You asked us, “Do you have a father or another brother?” 20 And we replied, “We have a father who is very old. He has a young son who was born when our father was already old. That son's brother is dead. He is the only son of his mother who still lives. His father loves him.” 21 Then you said, “Bring your youngest brother to me so that I can see him.” 22 And we said, “The boy cannot leave his father. If he leaves him, his father will die.” 23 But you said to us, “Your youngest brother must come with you. If he does not come, I will not let you see me again.” 24 We returned to our father and we told him what you said. 25 After some time, our father said, “Go back to Egypt and buy some more food for us.” 26 But we said, “We cannot go back there. We can only go if our youngest brother goes with us. If he is not with us, we will not be able to see the man again.” 27 Then my father said to us, “My wife gave birth to two sons. 28 One of them went away and he never returned. So I said, ‘A wild animal must have eaten him.’ I have not seen him since that happened. 29 If you take my youngest son away from me too, something bad may happen to him. I am already an old man. If I lose Benjamin, I would be so sad that I would die.” ’
30 Judah continued and he said, ‘So, my lord, I could not go back to my father without his youngest son. My father stays alive because of this boy. 31 If my father sees that his son is not with us, he will die. Because we did not bring the boy back to him, he will be sad enough to die. 32 I promised my father that I would take care of the boy. I said, “I will bring the boy back. If I do not, then you can say that I am guilty. I will be guilty for all of my life.” 33 Please sir, let me stay here as your slave, instead of the boy. Let the boy return home with his brothers. 34 I cannot go back to my father if the boy is not with me. I never want to see how upset my father would be.’[a]
Footnotes
- 44:34 In chapter 44, Joseph wants to see if his brothers have changed. Will they leave Benjamin in Egypt, so that they can return to Canaan? Judah shows that he has changed. He says that he will stay in Egypt, as a slave. He will stay so that Benjamin can go home to his father.
1 Mosebok 44
Swedish New Living Bible (Nya Levande Bibeln)
44 När bröderna var klara för hemresan befallde Josef sin husföreståndare att fylla alla deras säckar med så mycket säd de kunde föra med sig och sa till honom att lägga tillbaka de pengar som de hade betalat med överst i säckarna.
2 Josef gav också order om att hans egen silverbägare skulle läggas överst i Benjamins säck tillsammans med pengarna för säden. Husföreståndaren gjorde som han hade blivit tillsagd.
3 Bröderna steg upp i gryningen och gav sig iväg med sina tungt lastade åsnor.
4 När de hade kommit ett stycke från staden, sa Josef till sin husföreståndare: Skynda dig efter dem! Stoppa dem och fråga varför de handlar på det här sättet mot mig, när jag, deras välgörare, har varit så god mot dem.
5 Fråga dem: 'Vad menar ni med att stjäla min husbondes personliga silverbägare, som han använder till att spå med? Fattar ni vad ni har gjort?'
6 Husföreståndaren hann ifatt dem och sa till dem allt som han hade fått order om.
7 Vad pratar du om egentligen? frågade de. Vilka slags människor tror du vi är, eftersom du kan anklaga oss för något så fruktansvärt?
8 Tog vi inte med oss tillbaka de pengar som vi hade funnit i säckarna? Varför skulle vi då stjäla silver eller guld från din husbondes hus?
9 Om du hittar denna bägare hos någon av oss, så ska han dö, och alla vi övriga är villiga att bli slavar åt din husbonde så länge vi lever.
10 Det låter nog bra, men det räcker med att den som stal bägaren blir min slav, svarade mannen. Ni andra går fria.
11 De tog snabbt ned sina säckar från åsneryggarna och öppnade dem.
12 Husföreståndaren började leta i den äldste broderns säck och gick sedan igenom de övrigas. Han hittade slutligen bägaren i Benjamins säck.
13 Då slet de sönder sina kläder i förtvivlan, lastade åsnorna igen och återvände till staden.
14 Josef var fortfarande hemma när Juda och hans bröder kom, och de föll ned på marken inför honom.
15 Vad är det ni försöker göra? frågade Josef. Förstår ni inte att en man som jag vet vem som stal den?
16 Juda svarade uppgivet: Vad ska vi säga, herre? Hur kan vi be om nåd? Hur kan vi bevisa att vi är oskyldiga? Gud straffar oss för våra synder. Vi har alla återvänt för att bli dina slavar, både alla vi andra och han i vars säck bägaren återfanns.
17 Nej, sa Josef. Bara den som stal bägaren ska bli min slav. Resten av er kan återvända hem till er far.
18 Då steg Juda fram och sa: Låt mig bara få säga en sak, herre. Ha tålamod med mig bara ett ögonblick, för jag vet att du kan döma mig omedelbart, som om du vore Farao själv.
19 Du frågade oss om vår far var i livet och om vi hade ytterligare någon bror,
20 och vi svarade: 'Ja, far lever. Han är nu en gammal man, och han har fått ett barn på gamla dagar, som nu är en ung man, och som hans far är mycket fäst vid. Han är den ende som är kvar av sin mors barn eftersom hans bror är död.'
21 Och du sa till oss: 'För hit honom, så att jag kan få se honom.'
22 Men vi sa: 'Herre, pojken kan inte lämna sin far, för då kommer hans far att dö.'
23 Men du sa till oss: 'Kom inte tillbaka hit, om ni inte har er yngste bror med er.'
24 Därför återvände vi till vår far och berättade för honom vad du hade sagt.
25 Och när han sa: 'Gå tillbaka och köp oss lite mat
26 svarade vi: 'Vi kan absolut inte resa utan att ta vår yngste bror med oss.'
27 Då sa far till oss: 'Ni vet att min hustru Rakel fick två söner, och att
28 en av dem gick bort för att aldrig återvända, förmodligen söndersliten av vilda djur, för jag har aldrig sett honom sedan dess.
29 Om ni tar hans bror från mig och något ont drabbar honom också, kommer jag att dö av sorg.'
30 Herre, om jag nu går tillbaka till min far och pojken inte är med oss - jag känner far och vet hur fäst han är vid pojken - kommer han att dö, när han ser att pojken saknas.
31 Vi kommer att bli skyldiga till hans för tidiga död.
32 Herre, jag lovade min far att jag skulle ta hand om pojken. Jag sa till honom, att om jag inte hade honom med mig tillbaka, så skulle jag bära skulden för alltid.
33 Herre, låt mig stanna som slav i stället för pojken, och låt honom få återvända hem med sina bröder.
34 Hur skulle jag kunna återvända hem till far utan pojken? Skona mig från att behöva se min fars sorg och förtvivlan.
Genesis 44
New International Version
A Silver Cup in a Sack
44 Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house:(A) “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.(B) 2 Then put my cup,(C) the silver one,(D) in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said.
3 As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.(E) 4 They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward,(F) “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil?(G) 5 Isn’t this the cup(H) my master drinks from and also uses for divination?(I) This is a wicked thing you have done.’”
6 When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. 7 But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants(J) to do anything like that!(K) 8 We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan(L) the silver(M) we found inside the mouths of our sacks.(N) So why would we steal(O) silver or gold from your master’s house? 9 If any of your servants(P) is found to have it, he will die;(Q) and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.(R)”
10 “Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it(S) will become my slave;(T) the rest of you will be free from blame.”(U)
11 Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. 12 Then the steward(V) proceeded to search,(W) beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest.(X) And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.(Y) 13 At this, they tore their clothes.(Z) Then they all loaded their donkeys(AA) and returned to the city.
14 Joseph was still in the house(AB) when Judah(AC) and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him.(AD) 15 Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done?(AE) Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?(AF)”
16 “What can we say to my lord?(AG)” Judah(AH) replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence?(AI) God has uncovered your servants’(AJ) guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves(AK)—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.(AL)”
17 But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing!(AM) Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave.(AN) The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.”(AO)
18 Then Judah(AP) went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord,(AQ) let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry(AR) with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. 19 My lord asked his servants,(AS) ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’(AT) 20 And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age.(AU) His brother is dead,(AV) and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’(AW)
21 “Then you said to your servants,(AX) ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’(AY) 22 And we said to my lord,(AZ) ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’(BA) 23 But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’(BB) 24 When we went back to your servant my father,(BC) we told him what my lord(BD) had said.(BE)
25 “Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’(BF) 26 But 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.’(BG)
27 “Your servant my father(BH) said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.(BI) 28 One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.”(BJ) And I have not seen him since.(BK) 29 If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave(BL) in misery.’(BM)
30 “So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father,(BN) and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life,(BO) 31 sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die.(BP) Your servants(BQ) will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave(BR) in sorrow. 32 Your 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!’(BS)
33 “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave(BT) in place of the boy,(BU) and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery(BV) that would come on my father.”(BW)
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