< Genesis 43 >

1 And the famine [is] severe in the land;
Now great famine was in the land.
2 and it cometh to pass, when they have finished eating the corn which they brought from Egypt, that their father saith unto them, 'Turn back, buy for us a little food.'
And when they had eaten vp the vitaile, which they had brought from Egypt, their father sayd vnto them, Turne againe, and bye vs a little foode.
3 And Judah speaketh unto him, saying, 'The man protesting protested to us, saying, Ye do not see my face without your brother [being] with you;
And Iudah answered him, saying, The man charged vs by an othe, saying, Neuer see my face, except your brother be with you.
4 if thou art sending our brother with us, we go down, and buy for thee food,
If thou wilt sende our brother with vs, we will goe downe, and bye thee foode:
5 and if thou art not sending — we do not go down, for the man said unto us, Ye do not see my face without your brother [being] with you.'
But if thou wilt not send him, we wil not go downe: for the man said vnto vs, Looke me not in the face, except your brother be with you.
6 And Israel saith, 'Why did ye evil to me, by declaring to the man that ye had yet a brother?'
And Israel sayd, Wherefore delt ye so euill with me, as to tell the man, whether ye had yet a brother or no?
7 and they say, 'The man asked diligently concerning us, and concerning our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye a brother? and we declare to him according to the tenor of these things; do we certainly know that he will say, Bring down your brother?'
And they answered, The man asked straitly of our selues and of our kinred, saying, Is your father yet aliue? haue ye any brother? And wee tolde him according to these wordes: could we knowe certainely that he would say, Bring your brother downe?
8 And Judah saith unto Israel his father, 'Send the youth with me, and we arise, and go, and live, and do not die, both we, and thou, and our infants.
Then sayde Iudah to Israel his father, Send the boy with mee, that we may rise and goe, and that we may liue and not dye, both we, and thou, and our children.
9 I — I am surety [for] him, from my hand thou dost require him; if I have not brought him in unto thee, and set him before thee — then I have sinned against thee all the days;
I wil be suertie for him: of mine hand shalt thou require him. If I bring him not to thee, and set him before thee, then let me beare the blame for euer.
10 for if we had not lingered, surely now we had returned these two times.'
For except we had made this tarying, doutlesse by this we had returned the second time.
11 And Israel their father saith unto them, 'If so, now, this do: take of the praised thing of the land in your vessels, and take down to the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds;
Then their father Israel sayd vnto them, If it must needes be so now, do thus: take of the best fruites of the lande in your vessels, and bring the man a present, a little rosen, and a little hony, spices and myrrhe, nuttes, and almondes:
12 and double money take in your hand, even the money which is brought back in the mouth of your bags, ye take back in your hand, it may be it [is] an oversight.
And take double money in your hande, and the money, that was brought againe in your sackes mouthes: cary it againe in your hand, lest it were some ouersight.
13 'And take your brother, and rise, turn back unto the man;
Take also your brother and arise, and go againe to the man.
14 and God Almighty give to you mercies before the man, so that he hath sent to you your other brother and Benjamin; and I, when I am bereaved — I am bereaved.'
And God almightie giue you mercie in the sight of the man, that hee may deliuer you your other brother, and Beniamin: but I shall be robbed of my childe, as I haue bene.
15 And the men take this present, double money also they have taken in their hand, and Benjamin; and they rise, and go down to Egypt, and stand before Joseph;
Thus the men tooke this present, and tooke twise so much money in their hande with Beniamin, and rose vp, and went downe to Egypt and stoode before Ioseph.
16 and Joseph seeth Benjamin with them, and saith to him who [is] over his house, 'Bring the men into the house, and slaughter an animal, and make ready, for with me do the men eat at noon.'
And whe Ioseph saw Beniamin with them, he sayde to his stewarde, Bring these men home and kill meate, and make ready: for the men shall eate with me at noone.
17 And the man doth as Joseph hath said, and the man bringeth in the men into the house of Joseph,
And the man did as Ioseph bad, and brought the men vnto Iosephs house.
18 and the men are afraid because they have been brought into the house of Joseph, and they say, 'For the matter of the money which was put back in our bags at the commencement are we brought in — to roll himself upon us, and to throw himself on us, and to take us for servants — our asses also.'
Nowe when the men were brought into Iosephs house, they were afrayd, and sayd, Because of the money, that came in our sackes mouthes at the first time, are we brought, that hee may picke a quarrell against vs, and lay some thing to our charge, and bring vs in bondage and our asses.
19 And they come nigh unto the man who [is] over the house of Joseph, and speak unto him at the opening of the house,
Therefore came they to Iosephs stewarde, and communed with him at the doore of ye house.
20 and say, 'O, my lord, we really come down at the commencement to buy food;
And said, Oh syr, we came in deede down hither at the first time to bye foode,
21 and it cometh to pass, when we have come in unto the lodging-place, and open our bags, that lo, each one's money [is] in the mouth of his bag, our money in its weight, and we bring it back in our hand;
And as wee came to an ynne and opened our sackes, behold, euery mans money was in his sackes mouth, euen our money in full weight, but we haue brought it againe in our handes.
22 and other money have we brought down in our hand to buy food; we have not known who put our money in our bags.'
Also other money haue we brought in our handes to bye foode, but we cannot tell, who put our money in our sackes.
23 And he saith, 'Peace to you, fear not: your God and the God of your father hath given to you hidden treasure in your bags, your money came unto me;' and he bringeth out Simeon unto them.
And he said, Peace be vnto you, feare not: your God and the God of your father hath giuen you that treasure in your sackes, I had your money: and he brought forth Simeon to them.
24 And the man bringeth in the men into Joseph's house, and giveth water, and they wash their feet; and he giveth provender for their asses,
So the man led them into Iosephs house, and gaue them water to wash their feete, and gaue their asses prouender.
25 and they prepare the present until the coming of Joseph at noon, for they have heard that there they do eat bread.
And they made ready their present against Ioseph came at noone, (for they heard say, that they should eate bread there)
26 And Joseph cometh into the house, and they bring to him the present which [is] in their hand, into the house, and bow themselves to him, to the earth;
When Ioseph came home, they brought the present into the house to him, which was in their handes, and bowed downe to the grounde before him.
27 and he asketh of them of peace, and saith, 'Is your father well? the aged man of whom ye have spoken, is he yet alive?'
And he asked them of their prosperitie, and sayd, Is your father the olde man, of whome ye tolde me, in good health? is he yet aliue?
28 and they say, 'Thy servant our father [is] well, he is yet alive;' and they bow, and do obeisance.
Who answered, Thy seruant our father is in good health, he is yet aliue: and they bowed downe, and made obeysance.
29 And he lifteth up his eyes, and seeth Benjamin his brother, his mother's son, and saith, 'Is this your young brother, of whom ye have spoken unto me?' and he saith, 'God favour thee, my son.'
And he lifting vp his eyes, beheld his brother Beniamin his mothers sonne, and sayde, Is this your yonger brother, of whome ye tolde me? And he said, God be merciful vnto thee, my sone.
30 And Joseph hasteth, for his bowels have been moved for his brother, and he seeketh to weep, and entereth the inner chamber, and weepeth there;
And Ioseph made haste (for his affection was inflamed towarde his brother, and sought where to weepe) and entred into his chamber, and wept there.
31 and he washeth his face, and goeth out, and refraineth himself, and saith, 'Place bread.'
Afterward he washed his face, and came out, and refrained himselfe, and sayd, Set on meate.
32 And they place for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians who are eating with him by themselves: for the Egyptians are unable to eat bread with the Hebrews, for it [is] an abomination to the Egyptians.
And they prepared for him by himselfe, and for them by themselues, and for the Egyptians, which did eate with him, by themselues, because the Egyptians might not eate bread with the Ebrewes: for that was an abomination vnto the Egyptians.
33 And they sit before him, the first-born according to his birthright, and the young one according to his youth, and the men wonder one at another;
So they sate before him: the eldest according vnto his age, and the yongest according vnto his youth. and the men marueiled among themselues.
34 and he lifteth up gifts from before him unto them, and the gift of Benjamin is five hands more than the gifts of all of them; and they drink, yea, they drink abundantly with him.
And they tooke meases from before him, and sent to them: but Beniamins mease was fiue times so much as any of theirs: and they drunke, and had of the best drinke with him.

< Genesis 43 >