Κεφάλαιο 42

Κεφάλαιο 42

ΙΔΩΝ δὲ ᾿Ιακὼβ ὅτι ἐστὶ πρᾶσις ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, εἶπε τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ· ἱνατί ραθυμεῖτε; 2 ἰδοὺ ἀκήκοα ὅτι ἐστὶ σῖτος ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ· κατάβητε ἐκεῖ καὶ πρίασθε ἡμῖν μικρὰ βρώματα, ἵνα ζήσωμεν καὶ μὴ ἀποθάνωμεν. 3 κατέβησαν δὲ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ᾿Ιωσὴφ οἱ δέκα πρίασθαι σῖτον ἐξ Αἰγύπτου· 4 τὸν δὲ Βενιαμὶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν ᾿Ιωσὴφ οὐκ ἀπέστειλε μετὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ, εἶπε γάρ· μή ποτε συμβῇ αὐτῷ μαλακία.

5 ῏Ηλθον δὲ οἱ υἱοὶ ᾿Ισραὴλ ἀγοράζειν μετὰ τῶν ἐρχομένων· ἦν γὰρ ὁ λιμὸς ἐν γῇ Χαναάν. 6 ᾿Ιωσὴφ δὲ ἦν ὁ ἄρχων τῆς γῆς, οὗτος ἐπώλει παντὶ τῷ λαῷ τῆς γῆς· ἐλθόντες δὲ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ᾿Ιωσὴφ προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. 7 ἰδὼν δὲ ᾿Ιωσὴφ τούς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ ἐπέγνω καὶ ἠλλοτριοῦτο ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν καὶ ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς σκληρὰ καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· πόθεν ἥκατε; οἱ δὲ εἶπον· ἐκ γῆς Χαναὰν ἀγοράσαι βρώματα. 8 ἐπέγνω δὲ ᾿Ιωσὴφ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ, αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐπέγνωσαν αὐτόν. 9 καὶ ἐμνήσθη ᾿Ιωσὴφ τῶν ἐνυπνίων αὐτοῦ, ὧν εἶδεν αὐτός, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· κατάσκοποί ἐστε, κατανοῆσαι τὰ ἴχνη τῆς χώρας ἥκατε. 10 οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· οὐχί, κύριε, οἱ παῖδές σου ἤλθομεν πρίασθαι βρώματα· 11 πάντες ἐσμὲν υἱοὶ ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου· εἰρηνικοί ἐσμεν, οὐκ εἰσὶν οἱ παῖδές σου κατάσκοποι. 12 εἶπε δὲ αὐτοῖς· οὐχί, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἴχνη τῆς γῆς ἤλθετε ἰδεῖν. 13 οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· δώδεκά ἐσμεν οἱ παῖδες σου ἀδελφοὶ ἐν γῇ Χαναάν, καὶ ἰδοὺ ὁ νεώτερος μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν σήμερον, ὁ δὲ ἕτερος οὐχ ὑπάρχει. 14 εἶπε δὲ αὐτοῖς ᾿Ιωσήφ· τοῦτό ἐστιν ὃ εἴρηκα ὑμῖν λέγων, ὅτι κατάσκοποί ἐστε· 15 ἐν τούτῳ φανεῖσθε· νὴ τὴν ὑγίειαν Φαραώ, οὐ μὴ ἐξέλθητε ἐντεῦθεν, ἐὰν μὴ ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὑμῶν ὁ νεώτερος ἔλθῃ ὧδε. 16 ἀποστείλατε ἐξ ὑμῶν ἕνα καὶ λάβετε τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὑμῶν, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἀπάχθητε ἕως τοῦ φανερὰ γενέσθαι τὰ ρήματα ὑμῶν, εἰ ἀληθεύετε ἢ οὔ· εἰ δὲ μή, νὴ τὴν ὑγίειαν Φαραώ, ἦ μὴν κατάσκοποί ἐστε. 17 καὶ ἔθετο αὐτοὺς ἐν φυλακῇ ἡμέρας τρεῖς.

18 Εἶπε δὲ αὐτοῖς τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ· τοῦτο ποιήσατε καὶ ζήσεσθε, τὸν Θεὸν γὰρ ἐγὼ φοβοῦμαι· 19 εἰ εἰρηνικοί ἐστε, ἀδελφὸς ὑμῶν κατασχεθήτω εἷς ἐν τῇ φυλακῇ, αὐτοὶ δὲ βαδίσατε καὶ ἀπαγάγετε τὸν ἀγορασμὸν τῆς σιτοδοσίας ὑμῶν, 20 καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὑμῶν τὸν νεώτερον ἀγάγετε πρός με, καὶ πιστευθήσονται τὰ ρήματα ὑμῶν· εἰ δὲ μή, ἀποθανεῖσθε. ἐποίησαν δὲ οὕτως. 21 καὶ εἶπεν ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ· ναί, ἐν ἁμαρτίαις γάρ ἐσμεν περὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ ἡμῶν, ὅτι ὑπερείδομεν τὴν θλῖψιν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ, ὅτε κατεδέετο ἡμῶν, καὶ οὐκ εἰσηκούσαμεν αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἕνεκεν τούτου ἐπῆλθεν ἐφ᾿ ἡμᾶς ἡ θλῖψις αὕτη. 22 ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ Ρουβὴν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· οὐκ ἐλάλησα ὑμῖν λέγων, μὴ ἀδικήσητε τὸ παιδάριον; καὶ οὐκ ἠκούσατέ μου; καὶ ἰδοὺ τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐκζητεῖται. 23 αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκ ᾔδεισαν ὅτι ἀκούει ᾿Ιωσήφ· ὁ γὰρ ἑρμηνευτὴς ἀνὰ μέσον αὐτῶν ἦν. 24 ἀποστραφεὶς δὲ ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν ἔκλαυσεν ᾿Ιωσήφ. καὶ πάλιν προσῆλθε πρὸς αὐτοὺς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· καὶ ἔλαβε τὸν Συμεὼν ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν ἐναντίον αὐτῶν. 25 ἐνετείλατο δὲ ᾿Ιωσήφ ἐμπλῆσαι τὰ ἀγγεῖα αὐτῶν σίτου καὶ ἀποδοῦναι τὸ ἀργύριον αὐτῶν ἑκάστῳ εἰς τὸν σάκκον αὐτοῦ καὶ δοῦναι αὐτοῖς ἐπισιτισμὸν εἰς τὴν ὁδόν. καὶ ἐγενήθη αὐτοῖς οὕτως. 26 καὶ ἐπιθέντες τὸν σῖτον ἐπὶ τοὺς ὄνους αὐτῶν ἀπῆλθον ἐκεῖθεν. 27 λύσας δὲ εἷς τὸν μάρσιππον αὐτοῦ δοῦναι χορτάσματα τοῖς ὄνοις αὐτοῦ, οὗ κατέλυσαν, καὶ εἶδε τὸν δεσμὸν τοῦ ἀργυρίου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἦν ἐπάνω τοῦ στόματος τοῦ μαρσίππου· 28 καὶ εἶπε τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς αὐτοῦ· ἐπεδόθη μοι τὸ ἀργύριον, καὶ ἰδοὺ τοῦτο ἐν τῷ μαρσίππῳ μου, καὶ ἐξέστη ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐταράχθησαν πρὸς ἀλλήλους λέγοντες· τί τοῦτο ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῖν;

29 ῏Ηλθον δὲ πρὸς ᾿Ιακὼβ τὸν πατέρα αὐτῶν εἰς γῆν Χαναὰν καὶ ἀπήγγειλαν αὐτῷ πάντα τὰ συμβάντα αὐτοῖς, λέγοντες· 30 λελάληκεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ κύριος τῆς γῆς πρὸς ἡμᾶς σκληρὰ καὶ ἔθετο ἡμᾶς ἐν φυλακῇ ὡς κατασκοπεύοντας τὴν γῆν. 31 εἴπαμεν δὲ αὐτῷ· εἰρηνικοί ἐσμέν, οὐκ ἐσμὲν κατάσκοποι· 32 δώδεκα ἀδελφοί ἐσμεν, υἱοὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν· ὁ εἷς οὐχ ὑπάρχει, ὁ δὲ μικρὸς μετὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν σήμερον ἐν γῇ Χαναάν. 33 εἶπε δὲ ἡμῖν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ κύριος τῆς γῆς· ἐν τούτῳ γνώσομαι ὅτι εἰρηνικοί ἐστε· ἀδελφὸν ἕνα ἄφετε ὧδε μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ, τὸν δὲ ἀγορασμὸν τῆς σιτοδοσίας τοῦ οἴκου ὑμῶν λαβόντες ἀπέλθατε. 34 καὶ ἀγάγετε πρός με τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὑμῶν τὸν νεώτερον, καὶ γνώσομαι ὅτι οὐ κατάσκοποί ἐστε, ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι εἰρηνικοί ἐστε, καὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὑμῶν ἀποδώσω ὑμῖν, καὶ τῇ γῇ ἐμπορεύσεσθε. 35 ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ κατακενοῦν αὐτοὺς τοὺς σάκκους αὐτῶν, καὶ ἦν ἑκάστου ὁ δεσμὸς τοῦ ἀργυρίου ἐν τῷ σάκκῳ αὐτῶν· καὶ εἶδον τοὺς δεσμοὺς τοῦ ἀργυρίου αὐτῶν αὐτοὶ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν. 36 εἶπε δὲ αὐτοῖς ᾿Ιακὼβ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῶν· ἐμὲ ἠτεκνώσατε, ᾿Ιωσὴφ οὔκ ἔστι, Συμεὼν οὐκ ἔστι, καὶ τὸν Βενιαμὶν λήψεσθε; ἐπ᾿ ἐμὲ ἐγένετο ταῦτα πάντα. 37 εἶπε δὲ Ρουβὴν τῷ πατρὶ αὐτῶν λέγων· τοὺς δύο υἱούς μου ἀπόκτεινον, ἐὰν μὴ ἀγάγω αὐτὸν πρὸς σέ· δὸς αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν χεῖρά μου, κἀγὼ ἀνάξω αὐτὸν πρὸς σέ. 38 ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· οὐ καταβήσεται ὁ υἱός μου μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν, ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ ἀπέθανε καὶ αὐτὸς μόνος καταλέλειπται· καὶ συμβήσεται αὐτὸν μαλακισθῆναι ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, ᾗ ἐὰν πορεύησθε, καὶ κατάξετέ μου τὸ γῆρας μετὰ λύπης εἰς ἅδου. 39 ὁ δὲ λιμὸς ἐνίσχυσεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.