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旧约 - 创世记(Genesis)第44章

Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: "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.
Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain." And he did as Joseph said.
As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys.
They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, "Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil?
Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.'"
When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them.
But they said to him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that!
We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house?
If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves."
"Very well, then," he said, "let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame."
Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it.
Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.
Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him.
Joseph said to them, "What is this you have done? Don't you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?"
"What can we say to my lord?" Judah replied. "What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants' guilt. We are now my lord's slaves--we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup."
But Joseph said, "Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace."
Then Judah went up to him and said: "Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself.
My lord asked his servants, 'Do you have a father or a brother?'
And we answered, 'We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother's sons left, and his father loves him.'
"Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.'
And we said to my lord, 'The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.'
But you told your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.'
When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.
"Then our father said, 'Go back and buy a little more food.'
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.'
"Your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons.
One of them went away from me, and I said, "He has surely been torn to pieces." And I have not seen him since.
If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.'
"So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy's life,
sees that the boy isn't there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow.
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!'
"Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers.
How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come upon my father."
创世记第四十四章   第 44 章 

  创 44:2> 人往往以各种迷信的方式来测度未来,我却凭信心仰望神! 

  44:2 约瑟的银杯是他权柄的象征,假设有超自然的能力,偷窃那杯是一种严重的罪行。这类杯往往用来占卜,人们把水倒在杯中,从水的倒影,波纹和气泡预测未来。约瑟不需要这杯子,因为神把他要知道关于未来的事告诉他了。 

  创 44:13> 那时的人,忧心时会这样的…… 

  44:13 当时撕裂衣服是表示极度忧伤的习俗。约瑟的哥哥们皆以为便雅悯会受到伤害而惊惧。 

  创 44:15> 这次约瑟给兄长的难题是…… 

  44:15 约瑟真的占卜吗?恐怕不是。他不想也不用占卜,因为他跟神有美好的关系。他这样说可能是为要试验他们而突出那杯的重要性。 

  犹大 

  创 44:16-34> 神曾把我改变了,你也可以!你,相信吗? 

  44:16-34 犹大年少时,劝兄弟们将约瑟卖到埃及为奴( 37:27 ),并跟他们一同撒谎,欺骗父亲说约瑟被野兽吃了( 37:32 )。他并不理会弟弟约瑟和父亲雅各的感受。但是现在他已经改变了!他以前把父亲所宠爱的弟弟卖作奴隶,现在他自己甘愿作奴隶,好拯救另一个受父亲宠爱的弟弟。他极其关心父亲和弟弟,甘愿为他们死。即使是最自私的人,神都能将他完全改变过来,我们不要自暴自弃,或对任何人绝望。 

  创 44:18-34> 有时要放胆直言,有时要保持缄默。是什么因素决定采用哪一种态度? 

  44:18-34 犹大在无话可说之时,只好冒着生命危险向约瑟求情。他这样做十分危险,因为约瑟可以因此要他的命;但是他放胆地为自己和弟弟便雅悯求约瑟宽恕,愿意代替便雅悯被囚。有时我们应当保持缄默,有时就需要放胆地说,即使后果严重,也不要畏缩。 

  创 44:32-33> 为信守承诺,有时要作出重大的牺牲。我仍会坚守吗? 

  44:32-33 犹大曾经答应父亲雅各,保证便雅悯的安全( 43:9 ),虽然作奴隶的下场十分可怕,但是他坚决地信守承诺,显出极大的勇气。我们也要效法犹大,即使牺牲自己,也矢志不渝地承担自己的责任。 

  创 44:33> 真诚地相信别人的改变,能突破人与人之间的关系。但要真正相信别人时,我…… 

  44:33 约瑟想知道哥哥们的态度是否已经改变,就试验他们是怎样彼此相待的。以前提议要把约瑟卖为奴仆的犹大( 37:27 ),现在竟甘愿担当便雅悯的刑罚,好使便雅悯得以回到父亲那里。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。──《灵修版圣经注释》