Genesis 44
1 And he commands him who [is] over his house, saying, “Fill the bags of the men [with] food, as they are able to carry, and put the money of each in the mouth of his bag;
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 and my cup, the silver cup, you put in the mouth of the bag of the young one, and his grain-money”; and he does according to the word of Joseph which he has spoken.
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 The morning is bright, and the men have been sent away, they and their donkeys—
And whanne the morewtid roos, thei weren delyuered with her assis.
4 they have gone out of the city—they have not gone far off—and Joseph has said to him who [is] over his house, “Rise, pursue after the men; and you have overtaken them, and you have said to them: Why have you repaid evil for good?
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 Is this not that with which my lord drinks? And he observes diligently with it; you have done evil [in] that which you have done.”
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 And he overtakes them, and speaks to them these words,
He dide as Joseph comaundid, and whanne thei weren takun, he spak bi ordre.
7 and they say to him, “Why does my lord speak according to these words? Far be it from your servants to do according to this word;
Whiche answeriden, Whi spekith oure lord so, that thi seruauntis han do so greet trespas?
8 behold, the money which we found in the mouth of our bags we brought back to you from the land of Canaan, and how do we steal from the house of your lord silver or gold?
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 With whomsoever of your servants it is found, he has died, and we also are to my lord for servants.”
At whom euere of thi seruauntis this that thou sekist is foundun, die he, and we schulen be seruauntis of my lord.
10 And he says, “Now also, according to your words, so it [is]; he with whom it is found becomes my servant, and you are acquitted”;
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 and they hurry and take down each his bag to the earth, and each opens his bag;
And so thei diden doun hastili the sackis on erthe, and alle openyden tho whiche he souyte;
12 and he searches—at the eldest he has begun, and at the youngest he has completed—and the cup is found in the bag of Benjamin;
and bigan at the more til to the leeste, and foond the cuppe in `the sak of Beniamyn.
13 and they tear their garments, and each loads his donkey, and they return 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 And Judah and his brothers come to the house of Joseph, and he is yet there, and they fall to the earth 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 and Joseph says to them, “What [is] this deed that you have done? Have you not known that a man like me diligently observes?”
To whiche he seide, Whi wolden ye do so? whether ye witen not, that noon is lijk me in the kunnyng of dyuinyng?
16 And Judah says, “What do we say to my lord? What do we speak? And how do we justify ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; behold, we [are] servants to my lord, both we, and he in whose hand the cup has been found”;
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 and he says, “Far be it from me to do this; the man in whose hand the cup has been found, he becomes my servant; and you, go up in peace 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 And Judah comes near to him and says, “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in the ears of my lord, and do not let your anger burn against your servant—for you are as Pharaoh.
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 has asked his servants, saying, Do you have a father or brother?
Thou axidist first thi seruauntis, Han ye a fadir, ether a brother?
20 And we say to my lord, We have a father, an aged one, and a child of old age, a little one; and his brother died, and he is left alone of his mother, and his father has loved him.
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 And you say to your servants, Bring him down to me, and I set my eye on him;
And thou seidist to thi seruauntis, Brynge ye hym to me, and Y schal sette myn iyen on hym.
22 and we say to my lord, The youth is not able to leave his father, when he has left his father, then he has died;
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 and you say to your servants, If your young brother does not come down with you, you do not add to see my face.
And thou seidist to thi seruauntis, If youre leeste brother schal not come with you, ye schulen no more se my face.
24 And it comes to pass, that we have come up to your servant my father, that we declare to him the words of my lord;
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 and our father says, Return, buy for us a little food,
Turne ye ayen, and bie ye to you a litil of wheete;
26 and we say, We are not able to go down; if our young brother is with us, then we have gone down; for we are not able to see the man’s face, and our young brother not 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 And your servant my father says to us, You have known that my wife bore two to me,
To whiche thingis the fadir answeride, Ye witen that my wiif childide twei sones to me;
28 and one goes out from me, and I say, Surely he is torn—torn! And I have not seen him since;
oon yede out, and ye seiden, a beeste deuouride hym, and hidir to he apperith not;
29 when you have taken also this from my presence, and harm has met him, then you have brought down my grey hairs with evil to Sheol. (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 And now, at my coming to your servant my father, and the youth not with us (and his soul is bound up in his soul),
Therfor if Y entre to thi seruaunt, oure fadir, and the child faile, sithen his lijf hangith of the lijf of the child,
31 then it has come to pass, when he sees that the youth is not, that he has died, and your servants have brought down the grey hairs of your servant our father with sorrow to Sheol; (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 for your servant obtained the youth by guarantee to my father, saying, If I do not bring him to you—then I have sinned against my father all the days.
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 And now, please let your servant abide instead of the youth [as] a servant to my lord, and the youth goes up 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 do I go up to my father, and the youth not with me? Lest I look on the evil which finds 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.
