创世记——第四十四章

约拿

创世记第四十四章： 44:1 约瑟吩咐家宰说：“把粮食装满这些人的口袋，尽着他们的驴所能驮的，又把各人的银子放在各人的口袋里， 44:2 并将我的银杯和那少年人籴粮的银子，一同装在他的口袋里。”家宰就照约瑟所说的话行了；　 44:3 天一亮就打发那些人带着驴走了。 44:4 他们出城走了不远，约瑟对家宰说：“起来！追那些人去，追上了就对他们说：‘你们为什么以恶报善呢？ 44:5 这不是我主人饮酒的杯吗？岂不是他占卜用的吗？你们这样行是作恶了。’” 44:6 家宰追上他们，将这些话对他们说了。 44:7 他们回答说：“我主为什么说这样的话呢？你仆人断不能做这样的事。 44:8 你看，我们从前在口袋里所见的银子，尚且从迦南地带来还你，我们怎能从你主人家里偷窃金银呢？ 44:9 你仆人中，无论在谁那里搜出来，就叫他死，我们也作我主的奴仆。” 44:10 家宰说：“现在就照你们的话行吧！在谁那里搜出来，谁就作我的奴仆，其余的都没有罪。” 44:11 于是他们各人急忙把口袋卸在地下，各人打开口袋。 44:12 家宰就搜查，从年长的起，到年幼的为止，那杯竟在便雅悯的口袋里搜出来。 44:13 他们就撕裂衣服，各人把驮子抬在驴上，回城去了。 44:14 犹大和他弟兄们来到约瑟的屋中，约瑟还在那里，他们就在他面前俯伏于地。 44:15 约瑟对他们说：“你们做的是什么事呢？你们岂不知像我这样的人必能占卜吗？” 44:16 犹大说：“我们对我主说什么呢？还有什么话可说呢？我们怎能自己表白出来呢？　神已经查出仆人的罪孽了，我们与那在他手中搜出杯来的都是我主的奴仆。” 44:17 约瑟说：“我断不能这样行，在谁的手中搜出杯来，谁就作我的奴仆；至于你们，可以平平安安地上你们父亲那里去。” 44:18 犹大挨近他说：“我主啊，求你容仆人说一句话给我主听，不要
向仆人发烈怒，因为你如同法老一样。 44:19 我主曾问仆人们说：‘你们有父亲、有兄弟没有？’ 44:20 我们对我主说：‘我们有父亲，已经年老，还有他老年所生的一个小孩子。他哥哥死了，他母亲只撇下他一人，他父亲疼爱他。’ 44:21 你对仆人说：‘把他带到我这里来，叫我亲眼看看他。’ 44:22 我们对我主说：‘童子不能离开他父亲，若是离开，他父亲必死。’ 44:23 你对仆人说：‘你们的小兄弟若不与你们一同下来，你们就不得再见我的面。’ 44:24 我们上到你仆人我们父亲那里，就把我主的话告诉了他。 44:25 我们的父亲说：‘你们再去给我籴些粮来。’ 44:26 我们就说：‘我们不能下去，我们的小兄弟若和我们同往，我们就可以下去，因为小兄弟若不与我们同往，我们必不得见那人的面。’ 44:27 你仆人我父亲对我们说：‘你们知道我的妻子给我生了两个儿子， 44:28 一个离开我出去了；我说：他必是被撕碎了，直到如今我也没有见他。 44:29 现在你们又要把这个带去离开我，倘若他遭害，那便是你们使我白发苍苍、悲悲惨惨地下阴间去了。’ 44:30 我父亲的命与这童子的命相连，如今我回到你仆人我父亲那里，若没有童子与我们同在， 44:31 我们的父亲见没有童子，他就必死。这便是我们使你仆人我们的父亲，白发苍苍、悲悲惨惨地下阴间去了。 44:32 因为仆人曾向我父亲为这童子作保说：‘我若不带他回来交给父亲，我便在父亲面前永远担罪。’ 44:33 现在求你容仆人住下，替这童子作我主的奴仆，叫童子和他哥哥们一同上去。 44:34 若童子不和我同去，我怎能上去见我父亲呢？恐怕我看见灾祸临到我父亲身上。”

约拿

　　四四1～13 众兄弟起程离开埃及返回迦南，约瑟吩咐人把他的银杯放在便雅悯的口袋里。这杯不单是他饮用的杯，更是他占卜用的——可能是指他解梦用的。

　　后来，神不准他的百姓占卜（申一八10～12）。然而，早在这段时期，约瑟大概不会行埃及人的占卜术。他的直觉及预知能力来自耶和华。约瑟可能是借用那杯作道具，要他的兄弟以为他是埃及人。他这样说也可能是为要试验他们而突出那杯的重要性，偷窃那杯是一种严重的罪行。约瑟要藉藏银杯的事，试验他哥哥们的反应，是否关心幼弟便雅悯的安危。

　　随后，约瑟的众兄弟被指摘偷去那杯，他们为力证各人无辜，就不加思索地说在谁的口袋找着杯子，就叫他死。约瑟的仆人同意在谁那里搜出来，谁就作他的奴仆。结果杯子在便雅悯的口袋里搜出来，众兄弟哑口无言，回城去了。

　　四四14～17 约瑟指摘他们后，犹大建议他们全部都留下作约瑟的仆人，但约瑟说只要留下便雅悯，其余的可以返家。

　　约瑟把杯藏在便雅悯的口袋里，又要扣留他，是刻意叫众兄长承认他们曾犯杀人罪。威廉斯撰文说：“约瑟这样做，是要众兄记起自己犯过的罪，使他们亲口认罪……他悉心策划，先后扣留流便和便雅悯，是要知道他的众兄是否仍然对被掳手足的呼喊声，和经历丧子之痛的父亲的眼泪不闻不问。他妙绝的计划成功了，他故装时而严苛，时而仁慈，叫众兄不安；他的良善引导他们认罪悔改。”

　　整幕预示以色列的余民悔改认罪，是因感弥赛亚的死而发。他们为他悲哀，如丧独生子的悲哀一样（亚一二10）

　　四四18～34 犹大挨近约瑟，仔细重述为何便雅悯被卷入漩涡中——约瑟如何要求带幼子到埃及，仍为丧子而哀痛的父亲如何反对便雅悯前往埃及，犹大又怎样替便雅悯的安全作担保。犹大说，众兄若不能带同便雅悯返家，父亲就必死。因此，他甘愿留在埃及代替便雅悯作奴仆。这种舍己的行为感动了约瑟，使他相信哥哥们已经明显地改变过来了。

　　此时的犹大跟从前判若两人！在第三十七章，他无情地为利而卖约瑟，罔顾父亲丧子之痛。在第三十八章，他犯欺哄和奸淫罪。神却仍在他心里动工。在第四十三章，他为便雅悯作担保。这时在第四十四章，他衷心的在约瑟面前替便雅悯求情，自己献作奴仆，为免父亲失去便雅悯而再受打击。当初他把自己的胞弟卖作奴仆，如今他甘愿为胞弟成为奴仆。以前，他对父亲冷酷无情，如今为使父亲安好，甘愿牺牲自己——正是神在犹太生命中施恩的过程。不论犹大此后有过多少失败，此一真正高贵的品性，却永远连在“犹大”的名字上。此后，犹大支派和便雅悯支派比其他支派，更忠诚服事耶和华。当以色列遍地荒凉的时候，他们仍然保守忠诚。从犹大的转变我们可以看出，即使是最自私的人，神都能将他完全改变过来，因此我们不要自暴自弃，或对任何人绝望。

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Genesis 44 The Brothers Are Brought Back 1(A)Then he commanded his house steward, saying, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack. 2"Put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his money for the grain." And he did as Joseph had told him. 3As soon as it was light, the men were sent away, they with their donkeys. 4They had just gone out of (B)the city, and were not far off, when Joseph said to his house steward, "Up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good? 5'Is not this the one from which my lord drinks and which he indeed uses for (C)divination? You have done wrong in doing this.'" 6So he overtook them and spoke these words to them. 7They said to him, "Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your servants to do such a thing. 8"Behold, (D)the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks we have brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord's house? 9"(E)With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's (F)slaves." 10So he said, "Now let it also be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and the rest of you shall be innocent." 11Then they hurried, each man lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack. 12He searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest, and (G)the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. 13Then they (H)tore their clothes, and when each man loaded his donkey, they returned to (I)the city. 14When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph's house, he was still there, and (J)they fell to the ground before him. 15Joseph said to them, "What is this deed that you have done? Do you not know that such a man as I can indeed practice (K)divination?" 16So Judah said, "What can we say to my lord? What can we speak? And how can we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we are my lord's (L)slaves, both we and the one in whose possession the cup has been found." 17But he said, "Far be it from me to do this. The man in whose possession the cup has been found, he shall be my slave; but as for you, go up in peace to your father." 18Then Judah approached him, and said, "Oh my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord's ears, and (M)do not be angry with your servant; for (N)you are equal to Pharaoh. 19"(O)My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have you a father or a brother?' 20"We said to my lord, 'We have an old father and (P)a little child of his old age Now (Q)his brother is dead, so he alone is left of his mother, and his father loves him.' 21"Then you said to your servants, '(R)Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes on him.' 22"But we said to my lord, 'The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.' 23"You said to your servants, however, '(S)Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.' 24"Thus it came about when we went up to your servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. 25"(T)Our father said, 'Go back, buy us a little food.' 26"But we said, 'We cannot go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother is with us.' 27"Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that (U)my wife bore me two sons; 28and the one went out from me, and (V)I said, "Surely he is torn in pieces," and I have not seen him since. 29'If you take this one also from me, and harm befalls him, you will (W)bring my gray hair down to Sheol in sorrow.' 30"Now, therefore, when I come to your servant my father, and the lad is not with us, since (X)his life is bound up in the lad's life, 31when he sees that the lad is not with us, he will die. Thus your servants will (Y)bring the gray hair of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow. 32"For your servant (Z)became surety for the lad to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then let me bear the blame before my father forever.' 33"Now, therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. 34"For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me--for fear that I see the evil that would overtake my father?"