Genesis 42–45

Chapter 42

And Jacob hearing that food was sold in Egypt, said to his sons: Why are ye careless?

²I have heard that wheat is sold in Egypt: Go ye down, and buy us necessaries, that we may live, and not be consumed with want.

³So the ten brethren of Joseph went down, to buy corn in Egypt:

⁴Whilst Benjamin was kept at home by Jacob, who said to his brethren: Lest perhaps he take any harm in the journey.

⁵And they entered into the land of Egypt with others that went to buy. For the famine was in the land of Chanaan.

⁶And Joseph was governor in the land of Egypt, and corn was sold by his direction to the people. And when his brethren had bowed down to him,

⁷And he knew them, he spoke as it were to strangers, somewhat roughly, asking them: Whence came you? They answered: From the land of Chanaan, to buy necessaries of life.

⁸And though he knew his brethren, he was not known by them.

⁹And remembering the dreams, which formerly he had dreamed, he said to them: You are spies. You are come to view the weaker parts of the land.

¹⁰But they said: It is not so, my lord; but thy servants are come to buy food.

¹¹We are all the sons of one man: we are come as peaceable men, neither do thy servants go about any evil.

¹²And he answered them: It is otherwise: you are come to consider the unfenced parts of this land.

¹³But they said: We thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Chanaan: the youngest is with our father, the other is not living.

¹⁴He saith, This is it that I said: You are spies.

¹⁵I shall now presently try what you are: by the health of Pharao, you shall not depart hence, until your youngest brother come.

¹⁶Send one of you to fetch him: and you shall be in prison, till what you have said be proved, whether it be true or false: or else by the health of Pharao you are spies.

¹⁷So he put them in prison three days.

¹⁸And the third day he brought them out of prison, and said: Do as I have said, and you shall live: for I fear God.

¹⁹If you be peaceable men, let one of your brethren be bound in prison: and go ye your ways, and carry the corn that you have bought, unto your houses.

²⁰And bring your youngest brother to me, that I may find your words to be true, and you may not die. They did as he had said.

²¹And they talked one to another: We deserve to suffer these things, because we have sinned against our brother, seeing the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear: therefore is this affliction come upon us.

²²And Ruben, one of them, said: Did not I say to you: Do not sin against the boy; and you would not hear me? Behold his blood is required.

²³And they knew not that Joseph understood, because he spoke to them by an interpreter.

²⁴And he turned himself away a little while, and wept: and returning, he spoke to them.

²⁵And taking Simeon, and binding him in their presence, he commanded his servants to fill their sacks with wheat, and to put every man’s money again in their sacks, and to give them besides provisions for the way: and they did so.

²⁶But they having loaded their asses with the corn went their way.

²⁷And one of them opening his sack, to give his beast provender in the inn, saw the money in the sack’s mouth,

²⁸And said to his brethren: My money is given me again; behold it is in the sack. And they were astonished, and troubled, and said to one another: What is this that God hath done unto us?

²⁹And they came to Jacob their father in the land of Chanaan, and they told him all things that had befallen them, saying:

³⁰The lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us to be spies of the country.

³¹And we answered him: We are peaceable men, and we mean no plot.

³²We are twelve brethren born of one father: one is not living, the youngest is with our father in the land of Chanaan.

³³And he said to us: Hereby shall I know that you are peaceable men: Leave one of your brethren with me, and take ye necessary provision for your houses, and go your ways,

³⁴And bring your youngest brother to me, that I may know you are not spies: and you may receive this man again, that is kept in prison: and afterwards may have leave to buy what you will.

³⁵When they had told this, they poured out their corn, and every man found his money tied in the mouth of his sack: and all being astonished together,

³⁶Their father Jacob said: You have made me to be without children: Joseph is not living, Simeon is kept in bonds, and Benjamin you will take away: all these evils are fallen upon me.

³⁷And Ruben answered him: Kill my two sons, if I bring him not again to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will restore him to thee.

³⁸But he said: My son shall not go down with you: his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if any mischief befall him in the land to which you go, you will bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to hell.

Chapter 43

In the mean time the famine was heavy upon all the land.

²And when they had eaten up all the corn, which they had brought out of Egypt, Jacob said to his sons: Go again, and buy us a little food.

³Juda answered: The man declared unto us with the attestation of an oath, saying: You shall not see my face, unless you bring your youngest brother with you.

⁴If therefore thou wilt send him with us, we will set out together, and will buy necessaries for thee.

⁵But if thou wilt not, we will not go: for the man, as we have often said, declared unto us, saying: You shall not see my face without your youngest brother.

⁶Israel said to them: You have done this for my misery, in that you told him you had also another brother.

⁷But they answered: The man asked us in order concerning our kindred: if our father lived: if we had a brother: and we answered him regularly, according to what he demanded: could we know that he would say: Bring hither your brother with you?

⁸And Juda said to his father: Send the boy with me, that we may set forward, and may live: lest both we and our children perish.

⁹I take the boy upon me, require him at my hand: unless I bring him again, and restore him to thee, I will be guilty of sin against thee for ever.

¹⁰If delay had not been made, we had been here again the second time.

¹¹Then Israel said to them: If it must needs be so, do what you will: take of the best fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down presents to the man, a little balm, and honey, and storax, myrrh, turpentine, and almonds.

¹²And take with you double money, and carry back what you found in your sacks, lest perhaps it was done by mistake.

¹³And take also your brother, and go to the man.

¹⁴And may my almighty God make him favourable to you: and send back with you your brother, whom he keepeth, and this Benjamin: and as for me I shall be desolate without children.

¹⁵So the men took the presents, and double money, and Benjamin: and went down into Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

¹⁶And when he had seen them, and Benjamin with them, he commanded the steward of his house, saying: Bring in the men into the house, and kill victims, and prepare a feast: because they shall eat with me at noon.

¹⁷He did as he was commanded, and brought the men into the house.

¹⁸And they being much afraid, said there one to another: Because of the money, which we carried back the first time in our sacks, we are brought in: that he may bring upon us a false accusation, and by violence make slaves of us and our asses.

¹⁹Wherefore, going up to the steward of the house, at the door,

²⁰They said: Sir, we desire thee to hear us. We came down once before to buy food:

²¹And when we had bought, and were come to the inn, we opened our sacks, and found our money in the mouths of the sacks: which we have now brought again in the same weight.

²²And we have brought other money besides, to buy what we want: we cannot tell who put it in our bags.

²³But he answered: Peace be with you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks. For the money, which you gave me, I have for good. And he brought Simeon out to them.

²⁴And having brought them into the house, he fetched water, and they washed their feet, and he gave provender to their asses.

²⁵But they made ready the presents, against Joseph came at noon: for they had heard that they should eat bread there.

²⁶Then Joseph came in to his house, and they offered him the presents, holding them in their hands; and they bowed down with their face to the ground.

²⁷But he courteously saluting them again, asked them, saying: Is the old man your father in health, of whom you told me? Is he yet living?

²⁸And they answered: Thy servant our father, is in health; he is yet living. And bowing themselves, they made obeisance to him.

²⁹And Joseph lifting up his eyes, saw Benjamin, his brother by the same mother, and said: Is this your young brother, of whom you told me? And he said: God be gracious to thee, my son.

³⁰And he made haste, because his heart was moved upon his brother, and tears gushed out: and going into his chamber, he wept.

³¹And when he had washed his face, coming out again, he refrained himself, and said: Set bread on the table.

³²And when it was set on, for Joseph apart, and for his brethren apart, for the Egyptians also that ate with him apart, (for it is unlawful for the Egyptians to eat with the Hebrews, and they think such a feast profane):

³³They sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his age. And they wondered very much;

³⁴Taking the messes which they received of him: and the greater mess came to Benjamin, so that it exceeded by five parts. And they drank, and were merry with him.

Chapter 44

And Joseph commanded the steward of his house, saying: Fill their sacks with corn, as much as they can hold: and put the money of every one in the top of his sack.

²And in the mouth of the younger’s sack put my silver cup, and the price which he gave for the wheat. And it was so done.

³And when the morning arose, they…