Genesis 42

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

Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?

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 have heard that there is corn in Egypt: go down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die.

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

And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.

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

But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren: for he said, Lest perhaps mischief shall 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 sons of Israel came to buy [corn] among those that came: for the famine was 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,

And Joseph [was] the governor over the land, [and] he [it was] that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed themselves before him [with] their faces to the earth.

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 Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange to them, and spoke roughly to them; and he said to them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.

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

And Joseph knew 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 Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said to them, Ye [are] spies; to see the nakedness of the land have ye come.

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

And they said to him, No, my lord, but to buy food have thy servants come.

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

We [are] all one man's sons; we [are] true [men]; thy servants are no spies.

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

And he said to them, No, but to see the nakedness of the land have ye come.

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

And Joseph said to them, That [is] what I spoke to 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,

By this ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother shall 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, and let him bring your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether [there is any] truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye [are] spies.

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

And he put them all together into custody three days.

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

And Joseph said to them the third day, This do, and live; [for] I fear 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 [are] 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 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 youngest brother to me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. 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 [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 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, Did I not speak to you, saying, Do not sin against the young man; and ye would not hear? therefore behold also his blood is required.

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

And they knew not that Joseph understood [them]; for he spoke to them by an interpreter.

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

And he turned himself away 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 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.

Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he to them.

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

And they loaded their asses with the corn, 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 sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money: for behold, it [was] in his sack's 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.

And he said to his brethren, My money is restored; and see [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 to us?

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 to Jacob their father to the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell 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] the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.

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

And we said to him, We [are] true [men]; we 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 [are] 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 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,

And the man, the lord of the country, said to us, By this 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 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 youngest brother to me: then shall I know that ye [are] no spies, but [that] ye [are] true [men]: then will I deliver to you your brother, and ye shall traffick 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 it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that behold, every man's bundle of money [was] in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.

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.

And Jacob their father said to them, Me have ye bereaved: Joseph [is] not, and Simeon [is] not, and ye will take Benjamin [away]: 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.

And Reuben spoke to 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 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)

And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief shall befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. (Sheol h7585)