1. Mosebog 42 | Bibelen på hverdagsdansk

Bibelen på hverdagsdansk

Josefs brødre kommer til Egypten

1 Da Jakob hørte, at det var muligt at købe korn i Egypten, sagde han til sine sønner: „Hvad venter I på? 2 Det siges, at der kan købes korn i Egypten. Se at komme af sted og køb noget, inden vi sulter ihjel.” 3 Så tog Josefs ti ældre brødre af sted for at købe korn i Egypten, 4 men Jakob ville ikke lade Josefs yngre bror, Benjamin, rejse med af frygt for, at der skulle ske ham noget undervejs. 5 Således kom Jakobs sønner til Egypten sammen med mange andre, for hungersnøden havde ramt hele Kana’ans land. 6 Siden Josef var guvernør i landet og havde ansvar for kornsalget, var det ham, brødrene opsøgte. De bøjede sig for Josef med ansigtet mod jorden. 7 Øjeblikkelig genkendte Josef sine brødre, men han lod som ingenting, og de genkendte ikke ham. „Hvor kommer I fra?” spurgte han barsk. „Fra Kana’ans land,” svarede de. „Vi er kommet for at købe korn.” 8-9 Da Josef nu stod ansigt til ansigt med sine brødre, huskede han de drømme, han havde haft for mange år siden. „I er spioner, der er kommet for at se, hvor landets forsvar er svagest,” sagde han skarpt. 10 „Nej, nej, herre,” bedyrede de. „Vi er bare kommet for at købe korn! 11 Vi er brødre, og vi er ærlige folk. Vi er aldeles ikke spioner.” 12 „Jo, I er!” blev Josef ved. „I er kun ude på at finde hullerne i vores forsvar.” 13 „Herre,” forsikrede de, „vi er 12 brødre, og vores far bor i Kana’ans land. De ti af os står her foran Dem. Vores yngste bror er hjemme hos sin far, og en af vores brødre lever ikke mere.” 14 Men Josef holdt på sit. „Som jeg allerede har sagt, er jeg sikker på, at I er spioner. 15 Men det skal jeg nok få opklaret. Så sandt Farao lever, får I ikke lov at forlade Egypten, før jeres yngste bror står her lyslevende foran mig. 16 En af jer kan tage hjem og hente ham, men resten af jer beholder jeg som gidsler i fængslet. Så vil det vise sig, om I har talt sandt eller ej. Hvis det viser sig, at I slet ikke har nogen yngre bror, ved jeg, at I er spioner.” 17 Så lod han dem alle sætte i fængsel i tre dage. 18 På tredjedagen sagde Josef til dem: „Jeg er en gudfrygtig mand. Hvis I vil beholde livet, så gør, hvad jeg siger. 19 Jeg vil nøjes med at beholde én af jer her i fængslet. Resten af jer kan tage hjem med korn til jeres familier. 20 Men I skal hente jeres yngre bror, så jeg har bevis for, at I har talt sandt. Så ved jeg, at I ikke er spioner, som fortjener døden.” Det forslag gik brødrene ind på. 21 Mens de nu diskuterede sagen indbyrdes, sagde en af brødrene: „Det her kan vi takke os selv for! Det er straffen for det, vi i sin tid gjorde imod Josef. Vi så hans fortvivlelse og angst, mens han bønfaldt os, men vi ville ikke høre efter.” 22 „Sagde jeg ikke dengang, at I ikke måtte gøre ham fortræd?” indvendte Ruben. „Men I ville jo ikke høre på mig. Nu skal vi dø, fordi vi var skyld i hans død.” 23 Brødrene havde ingen anelse om, at Josef forstod alt, hvad de sagde, for han havde talt med dem ved hjælp af tolk. 24 Nu forlod han dem et øjeblik, fordi han blev så bevæget, at han var begyndt at græde. Da han senere kom tilbage, udpegede han Simeon til gidsel og lod ham binde for øjnene af dem. 25 Josef befalede nu sine tjenere at fylde mændenes sække med korn og i al hemmelighed at lægge hver enkelt mands betaling tilbage øverst i sækken. Han sørgede også for, at brødrene fik rejseproviant. 26 Så læssede de kornsækkene på æslerne og begyndte hjemturen. 27 Da de standsede for at overnatte, og en af brødrene åbnede sin sæk for at tage foder til æslerne, så han, at pengene lå oven i sækken! 28 „Se!” råbte han til brødrene. „Mine penge ligger oven i sækken!” De blev rædselsslagne. „Hvad har Gud dog gjort imod os?” spurgte de hinanden. 29 Da de kom tilbage til deres far i Kana’ans land fortalte de ham hele historien. 30 „Manden, som administrerer landet, talte hårde ord til os,” forklarede de. „Han anså os for at være spioner og smed os i fængsel. 31 Men vi sagde til ham: ‚Vi er ærlige folk og ikke spioner. 32 I alt var vi 12 brødre med samme far, men en bror lever ikke mere, og den yngste er hjemme hos sin far i Kana’ans land.’ 33 Manden svarede os: ‚Jeg skal nok finde ud af, om I taler sandt: En af jer skal blive her hos mig, mens I andre tager jeres korn og rejser hjem til jeres familier. 34 Hent så jeres yngste bror og kom tilbage til mig, så jeg kan afgøre, om I er spioner eller ærlige folk. Hvis I kan bevise, at I taler sandt, skal I få jeres bror tilbage, og I skal få lov til at komme og købe så meget korn, I vil.’ ” 35 Brødrene tømte nu deres sække. Men da de så, at oven i hver sæk lå posen med pengene, de havde betalt for kornet, blev både de og deres far grebet af rædsel. 36 „I har berøvet mig mine børn!” klagede Jakob. „Josef er død! Simeon er væk! Og nu vil I også tage Benjamin fra mig! Jeg kan ikke klare mere modgang!” 37 Men Ruben svarede: „Du må dræbe begge mine sønner, hvis Benjamin ikke kommer hjem igen. Jeg påtager mig det fulde ansvar for ham.” 38 „Nej,” indvendte Jakob, „min yngste søn får ikke lov til at rejse med jer. Hans bror Josef er allerede død, og Benjamin er den eneste, der er tilbage efter sin mor. Sker der noget med ham, dør jeg af sorg.”

King James Version

1 Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? 2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. 3 And Joseph' ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. 4 But Benjamin, Joseph' brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him. 5 And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 6 And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph' brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth. 7 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. 8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. 9 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 10 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. 11 We are all one man' sons; we are true men , thy servants are no spies. 12 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 13 And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. 14 And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies: 15 Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither. 16 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. 17 And he put them all together into ward three days. 18 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God: 19 If ye be true men , let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: 20 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so. 21 And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. 23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them ; for he spake unto them by an interpreter. 24 And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes. 25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man' money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them. 26 And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence. 27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack' mouth. 28 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them , and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us? 29 And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying, 30 The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 And we said unto him, We are true men ; we are no spies: 32 We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. 33 And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men ; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone: 34 And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffick in the land. 35 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man' bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children : Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away : all these things are against me. 37 And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. 38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.