< Genesis 42 >

1 Now when Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?
Forsothe Jacob herde that foodis weren seeld in Egipt, and he seide to hise sones, Whi ben ye necgligent?
2 And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt: go down there, and buy for us from there; that we may live, and not die.
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.
3 And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy grain in Egypt.
Therfor ten britheren of Joseph yeden doun to bie wheete in Egipt,
4 But Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest perhaps harm shall befall him.
and Beniamyn was withholdun of Jacob at hoome, that seide to hise britheren, Lest perauenture in the weie he suffre ony yuel.
5 And the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan.
Sotheli thei entriden in to the lond of Egipt, with othere men that yeden to bie; forsothe hungur was in the lond of Canaan.
6 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.
And Joseph was prince of Egipt, and at his wille whetis weren seeld to puplis. And whanne hise britheren hadden worschipid hym,
7 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, Where do you come from? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.
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.
8 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
And netheles he knewe the britheren, and he was not knowun of hem,
9 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.
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.
10 And they said to him, No, my lord, but to buy food have thy servants come.
Whiche seiden, Lord, it is not so, but thi seruauntis camen to bie metis;
11 We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men, thy servants are no spies.
alle we ben the sones of o man, we comen pesible, and thi seruauntis ymaginen not ony yuel.
12 And he said to them, No, but to see the nakedness of the land have ye come.
To `whiche he answeride, It is in other maner, ye camen to se the feble thingis of the lond.
13 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.
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.
14 And Joseph said to them, That is what I spoke to you, saying, Ye are spies:
This it is, he seide, that Y spak to you,
15 By this ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth from here, except your youngest brother shall come here.
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,
16 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.
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.
17 And he put them all together into prison three days.
Therfor he bitook hem to kepyng thre daies; sotheli in the thridde dai,
18 And Joseph said to them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God:
whanne thei weren led out of prisoun, he seide, Do ye that that Y seide, and ye schulen lyue, for Y drede God;
19 If ye are honest men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry grain for the famine of your houses:
if ye ben pesible, o brother of you be boundun in prisoun; forsothe go ye, and bere wheetis, whiche ye bouyten,
20 But bring your youngest brother to me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.
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,
21 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.
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.
22 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.
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.
23 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spoke to them by an interpreter.
Sotheli thei wisten not that Joseph vndirstood, for he spak to hem by interpretour.
24 And he turned himself away from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and spoke with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.
And he turnede awei hym silf a litil and wepte; and he turnede ayen, and spak to hem.
25 Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with grain, and to restore every man’s money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he to them.
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.
26 And they loaded their donkeys with the grain, and departed from there.
And thei `baren wetis on her assis, and yeden forth,
27 And as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the inn, he discovered his money; for, behold, it was in his sack’s mouth.
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,
28 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?
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.
29 And they came to Jacob their father to the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell them; saying,
And thei camen to Jacob, her fadir, in the loond of Canaan, and telden to hym alle thingis that bifelden to hem, and seiden,
30 The man, who is the lord of the land, spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.
The lord of the lond spak harde to vs, and gesside that we weren aspieris of the prouynce;
31 And we said to him, We are honest men; we are no spies:
to whom we answeriden, We ben pesible, nether we purposen ony tresouns;
32 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.
we ben twelue britheren, gendrid of o fadir, oon is not `on erthe, the leeste dwellith with the fadir in the lond of Canaan.
33 And the man, the lord of the country, said to us, By this shall I know that ye are honest men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and depart:
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,
34 And bring your youngest brother to me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are honest men: then will I deliver to you your brother, and ye shall trade in the land.
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.
35 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.
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,
36 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.
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.
37 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.
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.
38 And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if harm shall befall him by the way in which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. (Sheol h7585)
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)

< Genesis 42 >