< Genesis 45 >

1 Joseph myyte no lengere absteyne hym silf, while many men stoden bifore; wherfor he comaundide that alle men schulden go out, and that noon alien were present in the knowyng of Joseph and hise britheren.
Then could Joseph not refrain himself before all those that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there remained no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brothers.
2 And Joseph reiside the vois with wepyng, which Egipcians herden, and al the hows of Farao.
And he raised his voice in weeping; and the Egyptians heard it, and the house of Pharaoh heard it.
3 And he seide to hise britheren, Y am Joseph; lyueth my fadir yit? The brithren myyten not answere, and weren agast bi ful myche drede.
And Joseph said unto his brothers, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brothers could not answer him; for they were terrified at his presence.
4 To whiche he seide mekeli, Neiye ye to me. And whanne thei hadden neiyed nyy, he seide, Y am Joseph youre brother, whom ye selden in to Egipt;
And Joseph said unto his brothers, Come near to me, I pray you; and they came near; and he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt.
5 nyle ye drede, nether seme it to be hard to you, that ye seelden me in to these cuntreis; for God hath sent me bifore you in to Egipt for youre helthe.
But now be not grieved, nor be angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for in order to preserve life did God send me before you.
6 For it is twei yeer that hungur bigan `to be in the lond, yit fyue yeer suen, in whiche me schal not mow ere, nether repe;
For these two years hath the famine been already in the land; and there are yet five years, in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvesting.
7 and God bifor sente me, that ye be reserued on erthe, and moun haue metis to lyue.
And God hath thus sent me before you to prepare for you a permanence on the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
8 Y was sent hidur not bi youre counsel, but bi Goddis wille, which made me as the fadir of Farao, and the lord of al his hows, and prince in al the lond of Egipt.
So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God; and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and a lord for all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.
9 Haste ye, and `stie ye to my fadir, and ye schulen seie to hym, Thi sone Joseph sendith these thingis; God hath maad me lord of al the lond of Egipt; come doun to me, and tarie not, and dwelle in the lond of Gessen;
Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus hath said thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt; come down unto me, tarry not.
10 and thou schalt be bisidis me, thou, and thi sones, and the sones of thi sones, thi scheep, and thi grete beestis, and alle thingis whiche thou weldist,
And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that is thine.
11 and there Y schal fede thee; for yit fyue yeer of hungur ben residue, lest bothe thou perische, and thin hows, and alle thingis whiche thou weldist.
And I will maintain thee there; for there are yet five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.
12 Lo! youre iyen, and the iyen of my brother Beniamyn seen, that my mouth spekith to you;
And, behold, your own eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you.
13 telle ye to my fadir al my glorie, and alle thingis whiche ye sien in Egipt; haste ye, and brynge ye hym to me.
And ye shall tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall hasten and bring down my father hither.
14 And whanne he hadde biclippid, and hadde feld in to the necke of Beniamyn, his brother, he wepte, the while also Benjamin wepte in lijk maner on the necke of Joseph.
And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck.
15 And Joseph kisside alle hise britheren, and wepte on alle; aftir whiche thingis thei weren hardi to speke to hym.
And he kissed all his brothers, and wept upon them; and after that his brothers spoke with him.
16 And it was herd, and pupplischid bi famouse word in the halle of the kyng, The britheren of Joseph ben comun. And Farao ioiede, and al his meynee;
And the report thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brothers are come; and it was pleasing in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants.
17 and Farao seide to Joseph, that he schulde comaunde hise britheren, and `seie, Charge youre beestis, and go ye in to the lond of Canaan,
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brothers, This do ye; load your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;
18 and take ye fro thennus youre fadir, and kynrede, and come ye to me; and Y schal yyue to you alle the goodis of Egipt, that ye ete the merow of the lond.
And take your father and your households, and come unto me; and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.
19 Comaunde thou also, that thei take waynes of the lond of Egipt to the cariage of her litle children, and wyues, and seie thou, `Take ye youre fadir, and haste ye comynge soone,
And thou art commanded, This do ye, take unto yourselves out of the land of Egypt wagons for your little ones, and for your wives, and take up your father, and come.
20 nether leeue ye ony thing of the purtenaunce of youre hows, for alle the richessis of Egipt schulen be youre.
And do ye feel no concern on account of your household goods; for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.
21 The sones of Israel diden, as it was comaundid to hem; to whiche Joseph yaf waynes, bi the comaundement of Farao, and metis in the weie;
And the children of Israel did so; and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the command of Pharaoh; and he gave them provision for the way.
22 and he comaundide twei stoolis to be brouyt forth to ech; forsothe he yaf to Beniamyn thre hundrid platis of siluer, with fyue the beste stoolis;
To all of them he gave to each changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.
23 and sente to his fadir so myche of siluer, and of cloothis, and he addide to hem ten male assis, that schulden bere of alle richessis of Egipt, and so many femal assis, berynge wheete and looues in the weie.
And to his father he sent after this manner: ten asses laden with the best things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with corn and bread and other food for his father, for the journey.
24 Therfor he lefte hise britheren, and seide to hem goynge forth, Be ye not wrooth in the weie.
And he accompanied his brothers on the way, and they departed: and he said unto them, Do not fall out by the way.
25 Whiche stieden fro Egipt, and camen in to the lond of Canaan, to her fadir Jacob;
And they went out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan, unto Jacob their father.
26 and telden to hym, and seiden, Joseph, thi sone, lyueth, and he is lord in al the lond of Egipt. And whanne this was herd, Jacob wakide as of a greuouse sleep; netheles he bileuyde not to hem.
And they told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive; and that he is governor over all the land of Egypt. But his heart remained cold, for he believed them not.
27 Thei telden ayenward al the ordre of the thing; and whanne Jacob hadde seyn the waynes, and alle thingis whiche Joseph hadde sent, his spirit lyuede ayen,
But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them; and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him: the spirit of Jacob their father revived.
28 and he seide, It suffisith to me, if Joseph my sone lyueth yit, Y schal go and `Y schal se hym bifore that Y die.
And Israel said, Enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.

< Genesis 45 >