1   In the meane time the famine did oppresse al the land very sore.

2   And the prouision being spent, which they had bronght out of Ægypt, Iacob said to his sonnes: Goe againe, and by vs a little victual.

3   Iudas answered: That same man denounced vnto vs vnder attestation of an oath, saing: You shal not see my face, vnlesse you bring your

Ioseph. youngest brother with you.

4   If therfore thou wilt send him with vs, we wil goe forward together, and wil bye necessaries for thee:

5   but if thou wilt not, we wil not goe: for the man, as we haue often said, denounced vnto vs saing: You shal not see my face without your youngest brother.

6   Israel said to them: You haue done this to my miserie, in that you told him that you had an other brother also.

7   But they answered: The man asked vs in order our progenie: if our father liued: if we had a brother: and we answered him consequently to that which he demanded: could we know that he would say: Bring hither your brother with you?

8   Iudas also said to his father: Send the boy with me, that we may set forwarde, and may liue: lest we and our litle ones die.

9   I take vpon me the boy: require him of my hand, vnlesse I bring him againe, and restore him to thee, I wil be ^noteguiltie of sinne against thee for euer.

10   If delay had not bene made, we had bene come now the second time.

11   Therfore Israel their father said to them: If it must nedes be so, do that you wil: take of the best fruites of the land in your vessels, and carie to the man for presents, a courtesie of rosen, and of honey, and of incense, of mirhe, of terebinth, and of almondes.

12   Duble money also carie with you: and recarie that you founde in your sackes, lest perhaps it was done by an errour:

13   but take also your brother, and goe to the man.

14   And my God almightie make him fauorable vnto you: and send backe with you your brother, whom he keepeth, and this Beniamin: as for me I shal be desolate without children.

15   The men therfore tooke the presentes, and the duble money, and Beniamin: and went downe inro Ægypt, and stood before Ioseph.

16   Whom when he had seene, and Beniamin withal, he commanded the steward of his house, saing: Bring in the men into the house, and kil victimes, and prepare a feast: because they shal eate with me at noone.

17   He did that which was commanded him, and brought the men into the house.

18   And there being fore afraied, they said one to an other: because of the money, which we caried backe the first time in our sackes, we are brought in: that he may turne vpon vs ^note a false accusation, and forceibly bring both vs, and our asses into bondage.

19   Wherfore in the verie dore stepping to the steward of the house,

20   they spake: Sir we desire thee to

Ioseph. heare vs. Now once before we came downe to bye prouision:

21   which being bought, when we were come to the Inne, we opened our sackes, and found our money in the mouthes of the sackes: which we haue now brought againe in the same weight.

22   But we haue brought other money besides, to bye the thinges that are necessarie for vs: our conscience is not priuie, who put it in our bagges.

23   But he answered: Peace be with you, feare you not: your God, and the God of your father hath geuen you treasures in your sackes. for the money, which you gaue me, I haue for good. And he brought forth Simeon vnto them.

24   And being brought into the house, he fetched water, and they washed their feete, and he gaue prouender to their asses.

25   But they made readie the presentes, til Ioseph should come in at noone: for they had heard that they should eate bread there.

26   Therfore Ioseph came in to his house, and they offered him presentes holding them in their handes, and ^note they adored prostrate to the ground.

27   But he curteously resaluting them, asked them saying: Is the old man your father in health, of whom you told me? Is he yet liuing?

28   Who answered: Thy seruant our father is in health, he is yet liuing. And bowing themselues, they adored him.

29   And Ioseph lifting vp his eyes, sawe Beniamin his brother of the same mother, and said: Is this your young brother, of whom you told me? And againe: God, saith he, be merciful vnto thee my sonne.

30   And he made hast because his hart was moued vpon his brother, and teares brake forth: and entring into his chamber he wept.

31   And when he had washed his face, comming forth againe, he refrained himselfe, and said: Set bread on the table.

32   Which being set downe, to Ioseph apart, and to his brethren apart, to the Ægyptians also that did eate with him apart (for it is vnlawful for the Ægyptians to eate with the Hebrewes, and ^note they thinke such a feast prophane)

33   they sate before him, the first begotten according to his first-birth, and the youngest according to his age. And they maruailed out of measure,

34   taking the portions that they receiued of him: and the greater portion came to Beniamin, so that it exceeded ^note by fiue partes. And they dranke and were09Q0095 in ebriated with him.

Ioseph.

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