买粮认亲(上)

When Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, he said to his sons, “I have heard that there is corn in Egypt. Go down and buy some so that we may keep ourselves alive and not starve.” So Joseph’s brothers, ten of them, went down to buy grain from Egypt, but Jacob did not let Joseph’s brothers, ten of them. Went down to buy grain from Egypt, but Jacob did not let Joseph’s brother Benjamin go with them, for fear that he might come to harm.

雅各发现埃及有粮食，就对儿子们说：“我听说埃及有粮食，去埃及买些回来，这样我们就可以存活，不致饿死。”于是约瑟的弟兄十人一同到埃及去买粮，但雅各不允许约瑟的弟弟便雅悯去，怕他给人伤害。

Now Joseph was governor of all Egypt, and it was he who sold the corn to all the people of the land. Joseph’s brothers came and bowed1 to the ground before him’… Although Joseph had recognized his brothers, they did not recognized him. He remembered also the dreams he had had about them; so he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to spy out the weak points in our defences.” They answered, “No, sir: your servants have come to buy food. There aretwelve of us, all brothers, sons of one man in Canaan. The youngest is still with our father, and one has disappeared.” But Joseph said again to them, “Do what I say and your lives will be spared; for I am a God-fearing man: if you are honest men, your brother there shall be kept in prison, and the rest of you shall take corn for your hungry households2 and bring your youngest brother to me, thus your words will be proved true, and you will not die.”

约瑟这时正是埃及的中心权力人物，并由他主管卖粮给所有的人。约瑟的哥哥们来到并向他伏地参拜，约瑟虽然认出了他们，但他们却认不出约瑟。他想起了他做过的与他们有关的梦，就对他们说：“你们是奸细。你们来是要探听我们防御上的虚实。”他们回答道：“不， 老爷，你的奴仆们是来买粮的。我们一共十二弟兄，都是迦南一人之子。最小的在家和父亲一起，还有一个丢失了。”但约瑟却对他们说：“那就依照我说的去做才可免你们一死。我是个敬仰上帝的人。如果你们是诚实君子，你们的一位兄弟就要先关押在监狱里，其余人把粮食拿回去给挨饿的家人吃，再将你们的小弟弟带来给我。这样你们的话才会叫人相信。你们才不会被处死。”

First he took Simeon and bound3 him before their eyes; then he gave orders to fill their bags with grain to return each man’s silver, putting it in his sack4 , and to give them supplies for the journey. All this was done; and they loaded the corn on to their asses and went away.

他当着他们面让人捆起了西缅。然后他派人装满他们的粮袋，暗中又把他们的银子放回每个人的麻袋里返还给他们。并准备了他们路上的干粮。这一切都准备好以后，约瑟的弟兄们把驴子上了驮，就返回了。

The famine was still severe in the country. When they had used up the corn they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy a little more corn for us to eat.” But Judah replied, “The man plainly warned us that we must not go into his presence unless our brother was with us.”

饥荒仍很严重，他们吃完从埃 及买来的粮以后，他们的父亲对他们说：“再去买些粮来吃吧。”但犹大回答说：“那人已明确地警告我们，如果不带小弟去，就别再出现在他面前。……”

Their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take your brother with you and go straight back to the man. May God Almighty5 make him kindly disposed to you ,and may he send back the one whom you left behind, and Benjamin too.” So they took the gift and double the amount of silver, and with Benjamin they started at once for Egypt, where they presented themselves to Joseph.

他们的父亲以色列对他们说：“事情如果注定如此，那就这样做吧。带上你们的弟弟到那个人那里，愿万能的上帝使他好心对待你们，愿他放回你们作抵押的那个兄弟，也让便雅悯回来。”于是，他们带上了礼品，双倍的银子和便雅悯一起，立即出发去埃及朝见约瑟。

The steward brought them into Joseph’s house. When Joseph came into the house, they presented him with the gifts which they had brought, bowing to the ground before him. He asked them how they were and said, “Is your father well ,the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” Joseph looked and saw his own mother’s son, his brother Benjamin, and asked, “Is this your youngest brother, of whom you told me?”, and to Benjamin he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son!” Joseph was over come; his feeling for his brother mastered him, and he was near to tears. So he went into the inner room and wept. Then he washed his face and came out; and ,holding back his feelings, he ordered the meal to be served. Joseph gave his steward this order: “Fill the men’s packs with as much food as they can carry and put each man’s silver at the top of his pack. And put my goblet6, my silver goblet, at the top of the youngest brother’s pack with the silver for the corn.” He did as Joseph said, At daybreak7 the brothers were allowed to take their asses and go on their journey; but before they had gone very far from the city, Joseph said to his steward8 ,“Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say, ‘Why have you repaid good With evil? Why have you stolen the silver goblet? It is the one from which my lord drinks, and which he uses for divination9. You have done a wicked thing.’” When he caught up with them, he repeated all this to them, but they replied, “My lord, how can you say such things?” No, sir, God forbid that we should do any such thing! If any one of us is found with the goblet, he shall die; and ,what is more, my lord, we will all become your slaves.Each man quickly lowered his pack to the ground and opened it. The steward searched them, beginning with the eldest and finishing with the youngest, and the goblet was found in Benjamin’s pack.

管家把他们带进约瑟的屋里，当约瑟进屋时，他们俯首把带来的礼物赠奉给他。约瑟问他们好，并说：“你们说的老人家――你们的父亲好吗？他还活着吗？”约瑟看见了他的同母弟弟便雅悯。他说：“这就是你们说过的最小的弟弟吗？”他对便雅悯说：“我的孩子，愿上帝赐福于你。”约瑟很激动，手足之情使他一时语塞，他几乎忍不住要哭了。于是他走进屋里哭起来。当他洗过脸再出来，抑制激动的心情，叫人做饭款待他们。饭后约瑟叮嘱他的管家：“尽他们的驴子所能驮的，将他们的袋子装满，把每人的银子还给他们，放在行李上面，并把我的银杯放在最小的弟弟的包里，和他用来买粮的银子摆在一起。”管家照这么做了。天亮时，就让各兄弟们牵驴子上路，但他们出城不远，约瑟对管家说：“马上去追那些人，你赶上他们时就说：‘为什么你们恩将仇报？为什么你们偷了银杯？那是我主人喝酒用的杯子。他还用它来占卜的，你们干的这丑事。’”管家追上众兄弟时，就这样说了。但他们回答：“老爷，你为什么要这么说呢？不，上帝怎么能让我们干这种事情！如果我们中间有人偷了这银杯，他就该死罪。而且我们都愿做你的奴仆。”他们每人都把包卸下来打开，管家从老大开始搜查一直到最小一个，杯子从便雅悯的袋子里找出来了。

注解：

1 bow v. 鞠躬，弯腰

2 household n. 一家人，家庭

3 bound v bind 的过去分词，绑，约束

4 sack n. 大袋 麻布袋

5 Almighty adj .全能的

6 goblet n. 高脚玻璃杯，酒杯

7 daybreak n. 黎明，拂晓

steward n. 管家， 干事

9 divination n. 预言