Genesis 44

1 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;

And he commandeth him who [is] over his house, saying, 'Fill the bags of the men [with] food, as they are able to bear, and put the money of each in the mouth of his bag;

2 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.

and my cup, the silver cup, thou dost put in the mouth of the bag of the young one, and his corn-money;' and he doth according to the word of Joseph which he hath spoken.

3 And whanne the morewtid roos, thei weren delyuered with her assis.

The morning is bright, and the men have been sent away, they and their asses —

4 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?

they have gone out of the city — they have not gone far off — and Joseph hath said to him who [is] over his house, 'Rise, pursue after the men; and thou hast overtaken them, and thou hast said unto them, Why have ye recompensed evil for good?

5 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.

Is not this that with which my lord drinketh? and he observeth diligently with it; ye have done evil [in] that which ye have done.'

6 He dide as Joseph comaundid, and whanne thei weren takun, he spak bi ordre.

And he overtaketh them, and speaketh unto them these words,

7 Whiche answeriden, Whi spekith oure lord so, that thi seruauntis han do so greet trespas?

and they say unto him, 'Why doth my lord speak according to these words? far be it from thy servants to do according to this word;

8 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?

lo, the money which we found in the mouth of our bags we brought back unto thee from the land of Canaan, and how do we steal from the house of thy lord silver or gold?

9 At whom euere of thi seruauntis this that thou sekist is foundun, die he, and we schulen be seruauntis of my lord.

with whomsoever of thy servants it is found, he hath died, and we also are to my lord for servants.'

10 Which seide to hem, Be it doon bi youre sentence; at whom it is foundun, be he my seruaunt; forsothe ye schulen be gilteles.

And he saith, 'Now, also, according to your words, so it [is]; he with whom it is found becometh my servant, and ye are acquitted;'

11 And so thei diden doun hastili the sackis on erthe, and alle openyden tho whiche he souyte;

and they hasten and take down each his bag to the earth, and each openeth his bag;

12 and bigan at the more til to the leeste, and foond the cuppe in `the sak of Beniamyn.

and he searcheth — at the eldest he hath begun, and at the youngest he hath completed — and the cup is found in the bag of Benjamin;

13 And whanne thei hadden `to-rent her clothis, and hadden chargid eft the assis, thei turneden ayen in to the citee.

and they rend their garments, and each ladeth his ass, and they turn back to the city.

14 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.

And Judah — his brethren also — cometh in unto the house of Joseph, and he is yet there, and they fall before him to the earth;

15 To whiche he seide, Whi wolden ye do so? whether ye witen not, that noon is lijk me in the kunnyng of dyuinyng?

and Joseph saith to them, 'What [is] this deed that ye have done? have ye not known that a man like me doth diligently observe?'

16 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.

And Judah saith, 'What do we say to my lord? what do we speak? and what — do we justify ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants; lo, we [are] servants to my lord, both we, and he in whose hand the cup hath been found;'

17 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.

and he saith, 'Far be it from me to do this; the man in whose hand the cup hath been found, he becometh my servant; and ye, go ye up in peace unto your father.'

18 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.

And Judah cometh nigh unto him, and saith, 'O, my lord, let thy servant speak, I pray thee, a word in the ears of my lord, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant — for thou art as Pharaoh.

19 Thou axidist first thi seruauntis, Han ye a fadir, ether a brother?

My lord hath asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father or brother?

20 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.

and we say unto 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 hath loved him.

21 And thou seidist to thi seruauntis, Brynge ye hym to me, and Y schal sette myn iyen on hym.

'And thou sayest unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, and I set mine eye upon him;

22 We maden suggestioun to thee, my lord, the child may not forsake his fadir; for if he schal leeue the fadir, he schal die.

and we say unto my lord, The youth is not able to leave his father, when he hath left his father, then he hath died;

23 And thou seidist to thi seruauntis, If youre leeste brother schal not come with you, ye schulen no more se my face.

and thou sayest unto thy servants, If your young brother come not down with you, ye add not to see my face.

24 Therfor whanne we hadden stied to thi seruaunt, oure fadir, we telden to hym alle thingis whiche my lord spak; and oure fadir seide,

'And it cometh to pass, that we have come up unto thy servant my father, that we declare to him the words of my lord;

25 Turne ye ayen, and bie ye to you a litil of wheete;

and our father saith, Turn back, buy for us a little food,

26 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.

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.

27 To whiche thingis the fadir answeride, Ye witen that my wiif childide twei sones to me;

'And thy servant my father saith unto us, Ye — ye have known that two did my wife bare to me,

28 oon yede out, and ye seiden, a beeste deuouride hym, and hidir to he apperith not;

and the one goeth out from me, and I say, Surely he is torn — torn! and I have not seen him since;

29 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)

when ye have taken also this from my presence, and mischief hath met him, then ye have brought down my grey hairs with evil to sheol. (Sheol h7585)

30 Therfor if Y entre to thi seruaunt, oure fadir, and the child faile, sithen his lijf hangith of the lijf of the child,

'And now, at my coming in unto thy servant my father, and the youth not with us (and his soul is bound up in his soul),

31 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)

then it hath come to pass when he seeth that the youth is not, that he hath died, and thy servants have brought down the grey hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to sheol; (Sheol h7585)

32 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;

for thy servant obtained the youth by surety from my father, saying, If I bring him not in unto thee — then I have sinned against my father all the days.

33 and so Y schal dwelle thi seruaunt for the child in to the seruyce of my lord, and the child stie with hise britheren;

'And now, let thy servant, I pray thee, abide instead of the youth a servant to my lord, and the youth goeth up with his brethren,

34 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.

for how do I go up unto my father, and the youth not with me? lest I look on the evil which doth find my father.'