Genesis 44
1 Joseph ordered his household supervisor, “Fill the men's sacks with as much grain as they can hold and put each man's money at the top of his sack.
Forsothe Joseph comaundid the dispendere of his hous, and seide, Fille thou her sackis with wheete, as myche as tho moun take, and putte thou the money of ech in the hiynesse of the sak;
2 Then put my special silver cup at the top of the sack of the youngest, along with the money for his grain.” He did as Joseph told him.
forsothe put thou in the mouth of the sak of the yongere my silueren cuppe, and the prijs of wheete which he yaf; and it was doon so.
3 At sunrise they were sent on their way with their donkeys.
And whanne the morewtid roos, thei weren delyuered with her assis.
4 They had hardly left the city when Joseph told his household supervisor, “Go after those men, and when you catch up with them, ask them, ‘Why have you paid back good with evil by stealing my master's silver cup?
And now thei hadden go out of the citee, and hadden go forth a litil; thanne Joseph seide, whanne the dispendere of his hous was clepid, Rise thou, pursue the men, and seye thou whanne thei ben takun, Whi han ye yolde yuel for good?
5 This is the cup he personally drinks from, and which he uses for divination. What you've done is really evil!’”
The cuppe, which ye han stole, is thilk in which my lord drynkith, and in which he is wont to dyuyne; ye han do a ful wickid thing.
6 When he caught up with them, he told them what Joseph had said.
He dide as Joseph comaundid, and whanne thei weren takun, he spak bi ordre.
7 “My lord, what are you saying?” they replied. “We your servants wouldn't do anything like that!
Whiche answeriden, Whi spekith oure lord so, that thi seruauntis han do so greet trespas?
8 Remember that we brought back the money we found at the top of our sacks when we returned from Canaan. Why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house?
We brouyten ayen to thee fro the lond of Chanaan the monei which we founden in the hiynesse of sackis, and hou is it suynge that we han stole fro `the hows of thi lord gold ether siluer?
9 If any one of us is found with it, he shall die, and all of us will become your slaves.”
At whom euere of thi seruauntis this that thou sekist is foundun, die he, and we schulen be seruauntis of my lord.
10 “Whatever you say,” the man replied, “but only the one found with it will become my slave since the rest of you will be free of any blame.”
Which seide to hem, Be it doon bi youre sentence; at whom it is foundun, be he my seruaunt; forsothe ye schulen be gilteles.
11 They all unloaded their sacks and put them on the ground. They each opened their own sacks.
And so thei diden doun hastili the sackis on erthe, and alle openyden tho whiche he souyte;
12 The household supervisor searched the sacks, beginning with the oldest and working his way down to the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
and bigan at the more til to the leeste, and foond the cuppe in `the sak of Beniamyn.
13 The brothers tore their clothes in grief. Then they loaded their sacks back on their donkeys and headed back to the city.
And whanne thei hadden `to-rent her clothis, and hadden chargid eft the assis, thei turneden ayen in to the citee.
14 Joseph was still at home when Judah and his brothers arrived, and they fell to the ground before him.
And Judas entride `the firste with brithren to Joseph; for he hadde not go yit fro the place; and alle felden togidere on erthe bifore hym.
15 “Why did you do this?” Joseph asked. “Don't you know a man like me can find out things through divination?”
To whiche he seide, Whi wolden ye do so? whether ye witen not, that noon is lijk me in the kunnyng of dyuinyng?
16 “My lord, what can we say?” Judah replied. “How can we explain this to you? In what way can we prove our innocence? God has exposed the guilt of your servants. My lord, we are your slaves—all of us, including the one who was found with the cup.”
To whom Judas seide, What schulen we answere to my lord, ether what schulen we speke, ether moun iustli ayenseie? God hath founde the wickidnesse of thi seruauntis; lo! alle we ben the seruauntis of my lord, bothe we and he at whom the cuppe is foundun.
17 “I wouldn't do anything like that!” Joseph replied. “Only the man who was found with the cup will become my slave. The rest of you are free to return to your father.”
Joseph answeride, Fer be it fro me, that Y do so; he be my seruaunt that stal the cuppe; forsothe go ye fre to youre fadir.
18 Judah came closer and said to him, “If you please, my lord, let your servant just say a word. Please don't become angry with your servant, even though you are as powerful as Pharaoh himself.
Sotheli Judas neiyede neer, and seide tristili, My lord, Y preye, thi seruaunt speke a word in thin eeris, and be thou not wrooth to thi seruaunt; for aftir Farao thou art my lord.
19 My lord, previously you asked us, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’
Thou axidist first thi seruauntis, Han ye a fadir, ether a brother?
20 We told you, my lord, ‘We have an elderly father, and a younger brother, born when our father was already old. The boy's brother is dead. He is the only one of his mother's children left, and his father loves him dearly.’
And we answeriden to thee, my lord, An eld fadir is to vs, and a litil child that was borun in his eelde, whos brother of the same wombe is deed, and his modir hath hym aloone; forsothe his fadir loueth hym tendirli.
21 Then you ordered us, ‘Bring him here to me so I can see him.’
And thou seidist to thi seruauntis, Brynge ye hym to me, and Y schal sette myn iyen on hym.
22 We told you, ‘The boy can't leave his father; if he did, his father would die.’
We maden suggestioun to thee, my lord, the child may not forsake his fadir; for if he schal leeue the fadir, he schal die.
23 But you told us, ‘If your youngest brother doesn't come with you, you won't see me again.’
And thou seidist to thi seruauntis, If youre leeste brother schal not come with you, ye schulen no more se my face.
24 So when we went back to your servant, our father, we explained to him everything you had told us.
Therfor whanne we hadden stied to thi seruaunt, oure fadir, we telden to hym alle thingis whiche my lord spak; and oure fadir seide,
25 However, later on, our father told us, ‘Go back and buy some more food.’
Turne ye ayen, and bie ye to you a litil of wheete;
26 But we said, ‘There's no way we can go back unless Benjamin our youngest brother goes with us, because we won't be able to see the man if Benjamin isn't with us.’
to whom we seiden, We moun not go; if oure leeste brother schal go doun with vs, we schulen go forth togidere; ellis, if he is absent, we doren not se the `face of the lord.
27 Then my father said to us, ‘You realize that my wife had two sons for me.
To whiche thingis the fadir answeride, Ye witen that my wiif childide twei sones to me;
28 One is no more, ripped to pieces no doubt, for I've never seen him since.
oon yede out, and ye seiden, a beeste deuouride hym, and hidir to he apperith not;
29 If you take this one away from me too, and something bad happens to him, you'll send this old man to his grave in grief.’ (Sheol h7585)
if ye taken also this sone, and ony thing bifallith to hym in the weye, ye schulen lede forth myn hoor heeris with morenyng to hellis. (Sheol h7585)
30 So if the boy isn't with us when I go back to my father, whose life depends on the life of the boy,
Therfor if Y entre to thi seruaunt, oure fadir, and the child faile, sithen his lijf hangith of the lijf of the child,
31 as soon as he sees the boy isn't there he'll die, and we will really send this old man, our father, to his grave in grief. (Sheol h7585)
and he se that the child is not with vs, he schal die, and thi seruauntis schulen lede forth hise hoor heeris with sorewe to hellis. (Sheol h7585)
32 In fact I gave myself as the guarantee for the boy to my father. I told him, ‘If I don't bring him back to you, then I will always carry the blame!’
Be Y propirli thi seruaunt, which resseyuede this child on my feith, and bihiyte, and seide, If Y schal not brynge ayen hym, Y schal be gilti of synne ayens my fadir in al tyme;
33 So please let me stay here as my lord's slave instead of the boy. Let him go back home with his brothers.
and so Y schal dwelle thi seruaunt for the child in to the seruyce of my lord, and the child stie with hise britheren;
34 For how could I ever go back to my father if the boy wasn't with me? I couldn't stand seeing the anguish that would cause my father.”
for Y may not go ayen to my fadir, if the child is absent, lest Y stonde a witnesse of the wretchidnesse that schal oppresse my fadir.
