Jāzeps aiztur Benjāminu
1 Un viņš pavēlēja sava nama pārvaldniekam: “Piepildi to vīru maišeļus ar ēdamo, cik tie spēj nest, un katra sudrabu atliec atpakaļ viņa maišeļa augšpusē. 2 Un manu kausu, sudraba kausu, ieliec maišeļa augšpusē jaunākajam, tāpat arī sudrabu par viņa labību!” – un viņš darīja, kā Jāzeps bija sacījis! 3 Kad ausa rīta gaisma, tos vīrus atlaida mājās, viņus un viņu ēzeļus. 4 Tie nebija vēl pārāk tālu aizgājuši no pilsētas, kad Jāzeps teica sava nama pārvaldniekam: “Celies, dzenies pakaļ tiem vīriem un panācis saki: kāpēc jūs labu atmaksājat ar ļaunu?! 5 Vai šis nav tas, no kā dzer mans kungs? Ar to viņš mēdz pareģot! Ļaunu jūs esat darījuši, tā darīdami!” 6 Un viņš tos panāca un runāja tieši šādiem vārdiem. 7 Bet viņi tam teica: “Kāpēc mans kungs runā šādus vārdus?! Tavi kalpi lai darītu tādu lietu? Lai tas tālu no mums! 8 Redzi – no Kanaāna zemes mēs atvedām tev atpakaļ naudu, ko atradām mūsu maišeļu augšpusē, kā tad lai mēs būtu tavam kungam nozaguši sudrabu vai zeltu?! 9 Pie kā no taviem kalpiem tas atradīsies, tas lai mirst, un arī mēs tad lai topam tavam kungam par vergiem!” 10 Un viņš teica: “Nu tā, lai notiek, kā jūs teicāt: pie kā to atradīs, tas būs mans vergs, bet jūs, pārējie, būsiet bez vainas!” 11 Un viņi steigšus nolaida katrs savu maišeli zemē, un ikviens atvēra savu maišeli. 12 Un viņš meklēja no vecākā līdz jaunākajam, un kauss tika atrasts Benjāmina maišelī! 13 Tad viņi saplēsa savas drānas, ik vīrs apkrāva savu ēzeli, un viņi atgriezās pilsētā. 14 Tad Jūda kopā ar saviem brāļiem devās uz Jāzepa namu – viņš vēl bija tur, un viņi krita viņa priekšā pie zemes. 15 Un Jāzeps tiem teica: “Ko jūs esat izdarījuši?! Vai nezināt, ka tāds vīrs kā es spēj pareģot?” 16 Un Jūda teica: “Ko lai sakām savam kungam? Ko lai runājam? Kā lai attaisnojamies? Dievs ir atklājis tavu kalpu vainu! Re – nu mēs esam mana kunga vergi, gan mēs, gan tas, pie kura atrada kausu!” 17 Un viņš teica: “Pasargi! Lai es tā darītu?! Tas vīrs, pie kura atrada kausu, – tas būs mans vergs, bet jūs ejiet ar mieru pie sava tēva!”
18 Un Jūda uzstāja un teica: “Tomēr, mans kungs! Ļauj jel tavam kalpam teikt kādu vārdu savam kungam, neiededzies dusmās pret savu kalpu, jo tu esi kā pats faraons! 19 Mans kungs jautāja saviem kalpiem: vai jums ir tēvs vai vēl kāds brālis? 20 Un mēs teicām savam kungam: mums ir vecs tēvs un vēl mazs bērns, kas viņam vecumā dzimis, un viņa brālis ir miris, un viņš ir palicis viens no savas mātes dēliem, un viņa tēvs mīl viņu. 21 Un tu teici saviem kalpiem: atvediet viņu pie manis, lai es viņu apskatu! 22 Bet mēs teicām manam kungam: zēns nevar atstāt tēvu, ja viņš savu tēvu pametīs – tas nomirs. 23 Un tu teici saviem kalpiem: kamēr jūsu jaunākais brālis neatnāks kopā ar jums, tikmēr manu vaigu jums neredzēt! 24 Un, kad mēs aizgājām pie tava kalpa, mūsu tēva, un pastāstījām viņam, ko mans kungs teicis, 25 tad mūsu tēvs sacīja: dodieties atpakaļ, nopērciet mums mazliet ēdamā! 26 Bet mēs teicām: mēs nevaram iet! Mēs iesim, ja jaunākais brālis nāks kopā ar mums, jo mums neredzēt tā vīra vaigu, kamēr mūsu jaunākais brālis nav kopā ar mums! 27 Un tavs kalps, mūsu tēvs, mums teica: jūs zināt, ka tik divus mana sieva man dzemdējusi! 28 Un viens jau man aizgājis, es domāju – plosīt saplosīts, – un kopš tās reizes es viņu neesmu redzējis. 29 Ja jūs man atņemsiet arī šo, ja viņu ķers kāda nelaime, jūs manu rūpēs nosirmojušo galvu novedīsiet šeolā! 30 Un tagad, kad es aiziešu pie tava kalpa, mana tēva, bez zēna – un viņa dvēsele tam ir pieķērusies! – 31 un viņš ieraudzīs, ka zēna nav, viņš nomirs, un tavi kalpi būs noveduši tava kalpa, mūsu tēva, rūpju dēļ sirmo galvu šeolā! 32 Jo tavs kalps savam tēvam solījās gādāt par zēnu, sacīdams: ja es viņu neatvedīšu atpakaļ pie tevis, tad uz mūžiem es būšu grēkojis pret savu tēvu! 33 Un tagad – paturi jel tavu kalpu zēna vietā par vergu manam kungam, bet zēns lai iet kopā ar saviem brāļiem, 34 jo kā es varu iet pie sava tēva bez zēna – lai man nav jāredz tas ļaunums, kas skars manu tēvu!”
The Missing Cup
1 Joseph commanded the servant in charge of his house, “Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's money in the top of his sack. 2 Put my silver cup in the top of the youngest brother's sack, together with the money for his grain.” He did as he was told. 3 Early in the morning the brothers were sent on their way with their donkeys. 4 When they had gone only a short distance from the city, Joseph said to the servant in charge of his house, “Hurry after those men. When you catch up with them, ask them, ‘Why have you paid back evil for good? 5 Why did you steal my master's silver cup? It is the one he drinks from, the one he uses for divination. You have committed a serious crime!’”
6 When the servant caught up with them, he repeated these words. 7 They answered him, “What do you mean, sir, by talking like this? We swear that we have done no such thing. 8 You know that we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money we found in the top of our sacks. Why then should we steal silver or gold from your master's house? 9 Sir, if any one of us is found to have it, he will be put to death, and the rest of us will become your slaves.”
10 He said, “I agree; but only the one who has taken the cup will become my slave, and the rest of you can go free.” 11 So they quickly lowered their sacks to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12 Joseph's servant searched carefully, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. 13 The brothers tore their clothes in sorrow, loaded their donkeys, and returned to the city.
14 When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there. They bowed down before him, 15 and Joseph said, “What have you done? Didn't you know that a man in my position could find you out by practicing divination?”
16 “What can we say to you, sir?” Judah answered. “How can we argue? How can we clear ourselves? God has uncovered our guilt. All of us are now your slaves and not just the one with whom the cup was found.”
17 Joseph said, “Oh, no! I would never do that! Only the one who had the cup will be my slave. The rest of you may go back safe and sound to your father.”
Judah Pleads for Benjamin
18 Judah went up to Joseph and said, “Please, sir, allow me to speak with you freely. Don't be angry with me; you are like the king himself. 19 Sir, you asked us, ‘Do you have a father or another brother?’ 20 We answered, ‘We have a father who is old and a younger brother, born to him in his old age. The boy's brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother's children still alive; his father loves him very much.’ 21 Sir, you told us to bring him here, so that you could see him, 22 and we answered that the boy could not leave his father; if he did, his father would die. 23 Then you said, ‘You will not be admitted to my presence again unless your youngest brother comes with you.’
24 “When we went back to our father, we told him what you had said. 25 Then he told us to return and buy a little food. 26 We answered, ‘We cannot go; we will not be admitted to the man's presence unless our youngest brother is with us. We can go only if our youngest brother goes also.’ 27 Our father said to us, ‘You know that my wife Rachel bore me only two sons. 28 One of them has already left me. He must have been torn to pieces by wild animals, because I have not seen him since he left. 29 If you take this one from me now and something happens to him, the sorrow you would cause me would kill me, as old as I am.’
30-31 “And now, sir,” Judah continued, “if I go back to my father without the boy, as soon as he sees that the boy is not with me, he will die. His life is wrapped up with the life of the boy, and he is so old that the sorrow we would cause him would kill him. 32 What is more, I pledged my life to my father for the boy. I told him that if I did not bring the boy back to him, I would bear the blame all my life. 33 And now, sir, I will stay here as your slave in place of the boy; let him go back with his brothers. 34 How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I cannot bear to see this disaster come upon my father.”
