Genesis 44

CHAPTER 44

1Forsooth Joseph commanded the dispenser of his house, and said, Fill thou their sacks with wheat, as much as they may take, and put thou the money of each in the height [or the top] of the sack;

2forsooth put thou in the sack’s mouth of the youngest my silver cup, and the price of the wheat which he gave; and it was done so.

3And when the morrowtide arose, they were delivered with their asses.

4And now they had gone out of the city, and had gone forth a little; then Joseph said, when the dispenser of his house was called, Rise thou, pursue the men, and say thou when they be taken, Why have ye yielded evil for good?

5The cup, which ye have stolen, is that in which my lord drinketh, and in which he is wont to divine; ye have done a full wicked thing.

6He did as Joseph commanded, and when they were overtaken, he spake by order these things;

7the which answered, Why speaketh our lord so, that thy servants have done so great a trespass?

8We brought again to thee from the land of Canaan the money that we found in the height [or the top] of our sacks, and how is it pursuing [or following] that we have stolen from thy lord’s house gold or silver?

9At whomever of thy servants this that thou seekest is found, die he, and we shall be servants of my lord.

10Which said to them, Be it done by your sentence; at whom it is found, be he my servant; forsooth ye shall be guiltless.

11And so they did down hastily their sacks on the earth, and all they opened them,

12the which he sought through; and he began at the most till to the least, and he found the cup in Benjamin’s sack.

13And when they had rent their clothes, and had charged again their asses, they turned again into the city.

14And Judah entered with his brethren to Joseph; for Joseph had not gone yet from the place; and all they fell together on the earth before him.

15To whom he said, Why would ye do so? whether ye wot not, that none is like me in the knowing of divining?

16To whom Judah said, What shall we answer to my lord, or what shall we speak, either what may we justly against-say? God hath found the wickedness of thy servants; lo! all we be the servants of my lord, both we and he at whom the cup is found.

17Joseph answered, Far be it from me, that I do so; he be my servant that stole the cup; forsooth go ye free to your father.

18Soothly Judah nighed near, and said trustily, My lord, I pray thee, thy servant speak a word in thine ears, and be thou not wroth to thy servant; for after Pharaoh thou art my lord.

19Thou askedest first thy servants, Have ye a father, or a brother?

20And we answered to my lord, An eld [or old] father is to us, and a little child that was born in his eld age, whose brother of the same womb is dead, and his mother hath him alone; forsooth his father loveth him tenderly.

21And thou saidest to thy servants, Bring ye him to me, and I shall set mine eyes on him.

22We made suggestion to thee, my lord, the child may not forsake his father; for if he shall leave his father, his father shall die.

23And thou saidest to thy servants, If your youngest brother shall not come down with you, ye shall no more see my face.

24Therefore when we had gone up to thy servant, our father, we told to him all things which my lord spake to us;

25and our father said, Turn ye again, and buy ye to you a little of wheat;

26to whom we said, We may not go; only if our least brother shall go down with us, we shall go forth together; else, if he is absent, we dare not see the lord’s face.

27To which things our father answered, Ye know that my wife childed two sons to me;

28one went out, and ye said, A beast [hath] devoured him, and hither-to he appeareth not;

29if ye take also this son, and anything befall to him in the way, ye shall lead forth mine hoar hairs with mourning to hells [or to hell].

30Therefore if I enter again to thy servant, our father, and the child fail to be with us, since his life hangeth of the life of the child,

31and he see that the child is not with us, he shall die, and thy servants shall lead forth his hoar hairs with sorrow to hells [or to hell].

32Be I properly thy servant, which received this child on my faith, and I promised, and said, If I shall not bring again him to thee, I shall be guilty of sin against my father in all time;

33and so I shall dwell thy servant for the child into the service of my lord, and the child go up with his brethren;

34for I may not go again to my father, if the child be absent, lest I stand a witness of the wretchedness that shall oppress my father.

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Genesis 44

1And 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;

2and 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.

3The morning is bright, and the men have been sent away, they and their asses —

4they 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?

5Is not this that with which my lord drinketh? and he observeth diligently with it; ye have done evil [in] that which ye have done.’

6And he overtaketh them, and speaketh unto them these words,

7and 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;

8lo, 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?

9with whomsoever of thy servants it is found, he hath died, and we also are to my lord for servants.’

10And he saith, ‘Now, also, according to your words, so it [is]; he with whom it is found becometh my servant, and ye are acquitted;’

11and they hasten and take down each his bag to the earth, and each openeth his bag;

12and 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;

13and they rend their garments, and each ladeth his ass, and they turn back to the city.

14And Judah — his brethren also — cometh in unto the house of Joseph, and he is yet there, and they fall before him to the earth;

15and Joseph saith to them, ‘What [is] this deed that ye have done? have ye not known that a man like me doth diligently observe?’

16And 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;’

17and 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.’

18And 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.

19My lord hath asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father or brother?

20and 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 sayest unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, and I set mine eye upon him;

22and we say unto my lord, The youth is not able to leave his father, when he hath left his father, then he hath died;

23and thou sayest unto thy servants, If your young brother come not down with you, ye add not to see my face.

24‘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;

25and our father saith, Turn back, buy for us a little food,

26and 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‘And thy servant my father saith unto us, Ye — ye have known that two did my wife bare to me,

28and the one goeth out from me, and I say, Surely he is torn — torn! and I have not seen him since;

29when 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.

30‘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),

31then 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;

32for 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 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,

34for 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.’

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