Genesis 42

1 Forsothe Jacob herde that foodis weren seeld in Egipt, and he seide to hise sones, Whi ben ye necgligent?

Then Iaakob saw that there was foode in Egypt, and Iaakob said vnto his sonnes, Why gaze ye one vpon an other?

2 Y herde that wheete is seeld in Egipt, go ye doun, and bie ye necessaries to vs, that we moun lyue, and be not wastid bi nedynesse.

And he said, Behold, I haue heard that there is foode in Egypt, Get you downe thither, and bie vs foode thence, that we may liue and not die.

3 Therfor ten britheren of Joseph yeden doun to bie wheete in Egipt,

So went Iosephs ten brethren downe to bye corne of the Egyptians.

4 and Beniamyn was withholdun of Jacob at hoome, that seide to hise britheren, Lest perauenture in the weie he suffre ony yuel.

But Beniamin Iosephs brother woulde not Iaakob send with his brethren: for he saide, Least death should befall him.

5 Sotheli thei entriden in to the lond of Egipt, with othere men that yeden to bie; forsothe hungur was in the lond of Canaan.

And the sonnes of Israel came to bye foode among them that came: for there was famine in the land of Canaan.

6 And Joseph was prince of Egipt, and at his wille whetis weren seeld to puplis. And whanne hise britheren hadden worschipid hym,

Now Ioseph was gouerner of the land, who solde to all the people of the lande: then Iosephs brethren came, and bowed their face to the groud before him.

7 and he hadde knowe hem, he spak hardere as to aliens, and axide hem, Fro whennus camen ye? Whiche answeriden, Fro the lond of Canaan, that we bie necessaries to lyiflode.

And when Ioseph sawe his brethren, hee knewe them, and made himselfe straunge toward them, and spake to them roughly, and saide vnto them, Whence come yee? Who answered, Out of the land of Canaan, to bye vitaile.

8 And netheles he knewe the britheren, and he was not knowun of hem,

(Now Ioseph knewe his brethren, but they knew not him.

9 and he bithouyte on the dremys whiche he seiy sumtyme. And he seide to hem, Ye ben aspieris, ye camen to se the feblere thingis of the lond.

And Ioseph remembred the dreames, which he dreamed of them) and he sayde vnto them, Ye are spies, and are come to see the weaknesse of the land.

10 Whiche seiden, Lord, it is not so, but thi seruauntis camen to bie metis;

But they sayde vnto him, Nay, my lorde, but to bye vitayle thy seruants are come.

11 alle we ben the sones of o man, we comen pesible, and thi seruauntis ymaginen not ony yuel.

Wee are all one mans sonnes: wee meane truely, and thy seruants are no spies.

12 To `whiche he answeride, It is in other maner, ye camen to se the feble thingis of the lond.

But he saide vnto them, Nay, but yee are come to see the weakenes of the land.

13 And thei seiden, `We twelue britheren, thi seruauntis, ben sones of o man in the lond of Canaan; the leeste is with oure fadir, an other is not `on erthe.

And they said, We thy seruants are twelue brethren, the sonnes of one man in the lande of Canaan: and beholde, the yongest is this day with our father, and one is not.

14 This it is, he seide, that Y spak to you,

Againe Ioseph sayde vnto them, This is it that I spake vnto you, saying, Ye are spies.

15 ye ben aspieris, riyt now Y schal take experience of you, bi the helthe of Farao ye schulen not go fro hennus, til youre leeste brother come; sende ye oon of you,

Hereby ye shall be proued: by the life of Pharaoh, ye shall not goe hence, except your yongest brother come hither.

16 that he brynge hym, forsothe ye schulen be in boondis, til tho thingis that ye seiden ben preued, whether tho ben false ether trewe; ellis, bi the helthe of Farao, ye ben aspieris.

Send one of you which may fet your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proued, whether there bee trueth in you: or els by the life of Pharaoh ye are but spies.

17 Therfor he bitook hem to kepyng thre daies; sotheli in the thridde dai,

So he put them in warde three dayes.

18 whanne thei weren led out of prisoun, he seide, Do ye that that Y seide, and ye schulen lyue, for Y drede God;

Then Ioseph said vnto them the third day, This do, and liue: for I feare God.

19 if ye ben pesible, o brother of you be boundun in prisoun; forsothe go ye, and bere wheetis, whiche ye bouyten,

If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bounde in your prison house, and goe ye, carie foode for the famine of your houses:

20 in to youre housis, and brynge ye youre leeste brother to me, that Y may preue youre wordis, and ye die not. Thei diden as he seide,

But bring your yonger brother vnto me, that your wordes may be tried, and that ye dye not: and they did so.

21 and thei spaken togidere, Skilfuli we suffren these thingis, for we synneden ayens oure brother, and we seiyen the anguysch of his soule, while he preiede vs, and we herden not; herfore this tribulacioun cometh on vs.

And they said one to another, We haue verily sinned against our brother, in that we sawe the anguish of his soule, when he besought vs, and we would not heare him: therefore is this trouble come vpon vs.

22 Of which oon, Ruben, seide, Whether Y seide not to yow, Nyle ye do synne ayens the child, and ye herden not me? lo! his blood is souyt.

And Reuben answered them, saying, Warned I not you, saying, Sinne not against the childe, and ye would not heare? and lo, his blood is now required.

23 Sotheli thei wisten not that Joseph vndirstood, for he spak to hem by interpretour.

(And they were not aware that Ioseph vnderstoode them: for he spake vnto them by an interpreter.)

24 And he turnede awei hym silf a litil and wepte; and he turnede ayen, and spak to hem.

Then he turned from them, and wept, and turned to them againe, and communed with them, and tooke Simeon from among them, and bounde him before their eyes.

25 And he took Symeon, and boond hym, while thei weren present; and he comaundide the mynystris, that thei schulden fille her sackis with wheete, and that thei schulden putte the money `of alle in her baggis, and ouer this yyue metis in the weie; whiche diden so.

So Ioseph commanded that they should fill their sackes with wheate, and put euery mans money againe in his sacke, and giue them vitaile for the iourney: and thus did he vnto them.

26 And thei `baren wetis on her assis, and yeden forth,

And they layed their vitaile vpon their asses, and departed thence.

27 and whanne the sak of oon was opened that he schulde yyue meete to the werk beeste in the yn, he bihelde the money in the mouth of the bagge,

And as one of them opened his sacke for to giue his asse prouender in the ynne, he espyed his money: for lo, it was in his sackes mouth.

28 and seide to his britheren, My monei is yoldun to me, lo! it is had in the bagge; and thei weren astonyed, and troblid, and seiden togidere, What thing is this that God hath doon to us.

Then he sayde vnto his brethren, My money is restored: for loe, it is euen in my sacke. And their heart fayled them, and they were astonished, and sayde one to another, What is this, that God hath done vnto vs?

29 And thei camen to Jacob, her fadir, in the loond of Canaan, and telden to hym alle thingis that bifelden to hem, and seiden,

And they came vnto Iaakob their father vnto the lande of Canaan, and tolde him all that had befallen them, saying,

30 The lord of the lond spak harde to vs, and gesside that we weren aspieris of the prouynce;

The man, who is Lord of the lande, spake roughly to vs, and put vs in prison as spyes of the countrey.

31 to whom we answeriden, We ben pesible, nether we purposen ony tresouns;

And we sayd vnto him, We are true men, and are no spies.

32 we ben twelue britheren, gendrid of o fadir, oon is not `on erthe, the leeste dwellith with the fadir in the lond of Canaan.

We be twelue brethren, sonnes of our father: one is not, and the yongest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.

33 And he seide to vs, Thus Y schal preue that ye ben pesible; leeffe ye o brother of you with me, and take ye metis nedeful to youre housis, and go ye, and brynge ye to me youre leeste brother,

Then the Lord of the countrey sayde vnto vs, Hereby shall I knowe if ye be true men: Leaue one of your brethren with me, and take foode for the famine of your houses and depart,

34 that Y wite that ye ben not aspieris, and that ye moun resseyue this brother which is holdun in boondis, and that fro thennus forth ye haue licence to bie what thingis ye wolen.

And bring your yongest brother vnto me, that I may knowe that ye are no spies, but true men: so will I deliuer you your brother, and yee shall occupie in the land.

35 While these thingis weren seide, whanne alle schedden out wheetis, thei founden money boundun in `the mouth of sackis. And whanne alle togidere weren aferd,

And as they emptied their sacks, behold, euery mans bundel of money was in his sacke: and when they and their father sawe the bundels of their money, they were afrayde.

36 the fadir Jacob seide, Ye han maad me to be with out children; Joseph is not alyue, Symeon is holdun in bondis, ye schulen take a wey fro me Beniamyn; alle these yuels felden in me.

Then Iaakob their father said to them, Ye haue robbed me of my children: Ioseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Beniamin: all these things are against me.

37 To whom Ruben answeride, Sle thou my twei sones, if Y shal not brynge hym ayen to thee; take thou hym in myn hond, and Y schal restore hym to thee.

Then Reuben answered his father, saying, Slay my two sonnes, if I bring him not to thee againe: deliuer him to mine hand, and I will bring him to thee againe.

38 And Jacob seide, My sone schal not go doun with you; his brother is deed, he aloone is left; if ony aduersite schal bifalle `to hym in the lond to which ye schulen go, ye schulen lede forth myn hoore heeris with sorewe to hellis. (Sheol h7585)

But he said, My sonne shall not go downe with you: for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if death come vnto him by the way which ye goe, then ye shall bring my gray head with sorow vnto the graue. (Sheol h7585)