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The 42nd Chapter
When Jacob saw that there was
corn to be sold in Egypt, he said unto his sons: why are ye
negligent? Behold, I have heard that there is corn to be sold in
Egypt. Get you there and buy us corn from there, that we may live
and not die. So went Josephs ten brethren down to buy corn in Egypt,
for Ben Jamin Josephs brother would not Jacob send with his other
brethren: for he said: some misfortune might happen him.
And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among others that
came, for there was *dearth also in the land of Canaan. And Joseph
was governor in the land, and sold corn to all the people of the
land. And his brethren came, and fell flat on the ground before him.
When Joseph saw his brethren, he knew them: But made strange unto
them, and spoke roughly unto them saying: Whence come ye? And they
said: out of the land of Canaan, to buy victual. Joseph knew his
brethren, but they knew not him.
And Joseph remembered his dreams which he dreamed of them, and
said unto them: ye are spies, and to see where the land is weak is
your coming. And they said unto him: nay, my lord: but to buy
victual thy servants are come. We are all one mans sons, and mean
truly, and thy servants are no spies. And he said unto them: nay
verily, but even to see where the land is weak is your coming. And
they said: we thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man
in the land of Canaan. The youngest is yet with our father, and one
no man knows where he is. Joseph said unto them, that is it that I
said unto you, that ye are surely spies. Here by ye shall be proved.
For by the life of Pharao, ye shall not go from here, until your
youngest brother be come hither. Send therefore one of you and let
him fetch your brother, and ye shall be in prison in the mean
season. And thereby shall your words be proved, whether there be any
truth in you: or else by the life of Pharao, ye are but spies. And
he put them in ward three days.
And Joseph said unto them the third day: This do and live, for
I fear God. If ye mean no hurt, let one of your brethren be bound in
the prison, and go ye and bring the necessary food unto your
households, and bring your youngest brother unto me: that your words
may be believed, and that ye die not. And they did so.
Then they said one to another: we have verily sinned against
our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought
us, and would not hear him: therefore is this trouble come upon us.
Ruben answered them saying: said I not unto you that ye should not
sin against the lad? But ye would not hear. And now verily see, his
blood is required. They were not aware that Joseph understood them,
for he spoke unto them by an interpreter. And he turned from them
and wept, and then turned to them again and communed with them, and
took out Simeon from among them and bound him before their eyes, and
commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to put every mans money
in his sack, and to give them victual to spend by the way. And so it
was done to them. And they laddened their asses with the corn and
departed there. And as one of them opened his sack, for to give his
ass provender in the Inn, he spied his money in his sacks mouth. And
he said unto his brethren: my money is restored me again, and is
even in my sacks mouth. Then their hearts failed them, and were
astonished and said one to another: how cometh it that God dealeth
thus with us. And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of
Canaan, and told him all that had happened them saying: The lord of
the land spoke roughly to us, and took us for spies to search the
country. And we said unto him: we mean truly and are no spies. We be
twelve brethren sons of our father, one is away, and the youngest is
now with our father in the land of Canaan. And the lord of the
country said unto us: hereby shall I know if ye mean truly: leave
one of your brethren here with me, and take food necessary for your
households and get you away, and bring your youngest brother unto
me. And thereby shall I know that ye are no spies, but mean truly:
So will I deliver you your brother again, and ye shall occupy in the
land.
And as they emptied their sacks, behold: every mans bundle of
money was in his sack. And when both they and their father saw the
bundles of money, they were afraid.
And Jacob their father said unto them: Me have ye robbed of my
children: Joseph is away, and Simeon is away, and ye will take Ben
Jamin away. All these things fall upon me. Ruben answered his father
saying: Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee again. Deliver
him therefore to my hand, and I will bring him to thee again: And he
said: my son shall not go down with you. For his brother is dead,
and he is left alone. Moreover some misfortune might happen upon him
by the way which ye go. And so should ye bring my gray head with
sorrow unto the grave.
*dearth (famine)
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The 43rd Chapter
And the *dearth waxed sore in
the land. And when they had eaten up that corn which they brought
out of the land of Egypt, their father said unto them: go again and
buy us a little food. Then said Juda unto him: the man did testify
unto us saying: look that ye see not my face except your brother be
with you. Therefore if thou wilt send our brother with us, we will
go and buy the food. But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go:
for the man said unto us: look that ye see not my face, except your
brother be with you. And Israel said: wherefore dealt ye so cruelly
with me, as to tell the man that ye had yet another brother? And
they said: The man asked us of our kindred saying: is your father
yet alive? Have ye not another brother? And we told him according to
these words. How could we know that he would bid us bring our
brother down with us? Then said Juda unto Israel his father: Send
the lad with me, and we will rise and go, that we may live and not
die: both we, thou and also our children. I will be surety for him,
and of my hands require him. If I bring him not to thee and set him
before thine eyes, then let me bear the blame for ever. For except
we had made this tarrying: by this we had been there twice and come
again.
Then their father Israel said unto them: if it must needs be
so now: then do thus, take of the best fruits of the land in your
vessels, and bring the man a present, a courtesy balm, and a
courtesy of honey, spices and myrrh, dates and almonds. And take as
much money more with you. And the money that was brought again in
your sacks, take it again with you, peradventure it was some
oversight.
Take also your brother with you, and arise and go again to the
man. And God almighty give you mercy in the sight of the man and
send you your other brother and also Ben Jamin, and I will be as a
man robbed of his children.
Thus took they the present and twice so much more money with
them, and Ben Jamin. And rose up, went down to Egypt, and presented
themselves to Joseph. When Joseph saw Ben Jamin with them, he said
to the ruler of his house: bring these men home, and slay and make
ready: for they shall dine with me at noon. And the man did as
Joseph bade, and brought them in to Josephs house.
When they were brought to Josephs house, they were afraid and
said: because of the money that came in our sacks mouths at the
first time, are we brought, to pick a quarrel with us and to lay
some thing to our charge to bring us in bondage and our asses also.
Therefore came they to the man that was the ruler over Josephs
house, and communed with him at the door and said:
Sir, we came hither at the first time to buy food, and as we
came to an inn and opened our sacks: behold, every mans money was in
his sack with full weight: But we have brought it again with us, and
other money have we brought also in our hands, to buy food, but we
cannot tell who put our money in our sacks. And he said: be of good
cheer, fear not: Your God and the God of your fathers hath put you
that treasure in your sacks, for I had your money. And he brought
Simeon out to them and led them into Josephs house, and gave them
water to wash their feet, and gave their asses provender: And they
made ready their present against Joseph came at noon, for they heard
say that they should dine there. When Joseph came home, they brought
the present into the house to him, which they had in their hands,
and fell hat on the ground before him. And he welcomed them
courteously saying: is your father that old man which ye told me of,
in good health? And is he yet alive? They answered: thy servant our
father is in good health, and is yet alive. And they bowed
themselves and fell to the ground.
And he lifted up his eyes and beheld his brother Ben Jamin his
mother's son, and said: is this your youngest brother of whom ye
said unto me? And said: God be merciful unto thee my son. And Joseph
made haste (for his heart did melt upon his brother) and sought
where to weep, and entered into his chamber, for to weep there. And
he washed his face and came out and refrained himself, and bade set
bread on the table.
And they prepared for him by himself, and for them by
themselves, and for the Egyptians which ate with him by themselves,
because the Egyptians may not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that
is an abomination unto the Egyptians. And they sat before him: the
eldest according unto his age, and the youngest according unto his
youth. And the men marveled among themselves. And they brought
rewards unto them from before him: but Ben Jamins part was five
times so much as any of theirs. And they ate and they drank, and
were drunk with him.
*dearth (famine)
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The 44th Chapter
And he commanded the ruler
of his house saying: fill the mens sacks with food, as much as they
can carry, and put every mans money in his bag mouth, and put my
silver cup in the sacks mouth of the youngest and his corn money
also. And he did as Joseph had said. And in the morning as soon as
it was light, the men were let go with their asses. And when they
were out of the city and not yet far away, Joseph said unto the
ruler of his house: up and follow after the men and overtake them,
and say unto them: wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? Is that
not the cup of which my lord drinketh, and doth he not prophesy
therein? Ye have evil done that ye have done.
And he overtook them and said the same words unto them. And
they answered him: wherefore saith my lord such words? God forbid
that thy servants should do so. Behold, the money which we found in
our sacks mouths, we brought again unto thee, out of the land of
Canaan: how then should we steal out of my lords house, either
silver or gold? With whosoever of thy servants it be found let him
die, and let us also be my lords bondmen. And he said: Now therefore
according unto your words, he with whom it is found, shall be my
servant: but ye, shall be harmless.
And at once every man took down his sack to the ground, and
every man opened his sack. And he searched, and began at the eldest
and left at the youngest. And the cup was found in Ben Jamins sack.
Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass and went
again unto the city. And Juda and his brethren came to Josephs
house, for he was yet there, and they fell before him on the ground.
And Joseph said unto them: what deed is this which ye have done?
Knew ye not that such a man as I can prophesy?
Then said Juda: what shall we say unto my lord, what shall we
speak or what excuse can we make? God hath found out the wickedness
of thy servants. Behold, both we and he with whom the cup is found,
are thy servants. And he answered: God forbid that I should do so,
the man with whom the cup is found, he shall be my servant: but go
ye in peace unto your father.
Then Juda went unto him and said: oh my lord, let thy servant
speak a word in my lords ear, and be not wroth with thy servant: for
thou art even as Pharao. My lord asked his servant saying: have ye a
father or a brother? And we answered my lord, we have a father that
is old, and a young lad which he begat in his age: and the brother
of the said lad is dead, and he is all that is left of that mother.
And his father loveth him. Then said my lord unto his servants bring
him unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. And we answered my
lord, that the lad could not go from his father, for if he should
leave his father, he were but a dead man. Then saidest thou unto thy
servants: except your youngest brother come with you, look that ye
see my face no more.
And when we came unto thy servant our father, we showed him
what my lord had said. And when our father said unto us, go again
and buy us a little food: we said, that we could not go.
Nevertheless if our youngest brother go with us then will we go, for
we may not see the mans face, except our youngest brother be with
us. Then said thy servant our father unto us. Ye know that my wife
bare me two sons. And the one went out from me and it is said of a
surety that he is torn in pieces of wild beasts, and I saw him not
since. If ye shall take this also away from me and some misfortune
happen upon him, then shall ye bring my gray head with sorrow unto
the grave.
Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, if the lad
be not with me: seeing that his life hangeth by the lads life, then
as soon as he seeth that the lad is not come, he will die. So shall
we thy servants bring the gray head of thy servant our father with
sorrow unto the grave. For I thy servant became surety for the lad
unto my father and said: if I bring him not unto thee again. I will
bear the blame all my life long. Now therefore let me thy servant
bide here for the lad, and be my lords bondman: and let the lad go
home with his brethren. For how can I go unto my father, and the lad
not with me: lest I should see the wretchedness that shall come on
my father.
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The 45th Chapter
And Joseph could no longer
refrain before all them that stood about him, but commanded that
they should go all out from him, and that there should be no man
with him, while he uttered himself unto his brethren. And he wept
aloud, so that the Egyptians and the house of Pharao heard it. And
he said unto his brethren: I am Joseph, doth my father yet live? But
his brethren could not answer him, for they were abashed at his
presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren: come near to me, and
they came near. And he said: I am Joseph your brother whom ye sold
into Egypt. And now be not grieved therewith, neither let it seem a
cruel thing in your eyes, that ye sold me here. For God did send me
before you to save life. For this is the second year of *dearth in
the land, and five more are behind in which there shall neither be
earing nor harvest.
Wherefore God sent me before you to make provision, that ye
might continue in the earth and to save your lives by a great
deliverance. So now it was not ye that sent me here, but God: and he
hath made me father unto Pharao and lord over all his house, and
ruler in all the land of Egypt. Haste you and go to my father and
tell him, this sayeth thy son Joseph: God hath made me lord over all
Egypt. Come down unto me and tarry not. And thou shalt dwell in the
land of Gosan and be by me: both thou and thy children, and thy
childrens children: and thy sheep, and beasts and all that thou
hast. There will I make provision for thee: for there remain yet
five years of *dearth, lest thou and thy household and all that thou
hast perish.
Behold, your eyes do see, and the eyes also of my brother Ben
Jamin, that I speak to you by mouth. Therefore tell my father of all
my honor which I have in Egypt and of all that ye have seen, and
make haste and bring my father here. And he fell on his brother Ben
Jamins neck and wept, and Ben Jamin wept on his neck. Moreover he
kissed all his brethren and wept upon them. And after that, his
brethren talked with him. And when the tidings was come unto Pharaos
house that Josephs brethren were come, it pleased Pharao well and
all his servants.
And Pharao spake unto Joseph: say unto thy brethren, this do
ye: lade your beasts and get you hence, And when ye be come unto the
land of Canaan, take your father and your households and come unto
me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and ye shall
eat the fat of the land. And commanded also. This do ye: take
chariots with you out of the land of Egypt, for your children and
for your wives: and bring your father and come. Also, regard not
your stuff, for the goods of all the land of Egypt shall be yours.
And the children of Israel did even so, And Joseph gave them
chariots at the commandment of Pharao, and gave them victual also to
spend by the way. And he gave unto each of them change of raiment:
but unto Ben Jamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five
changes of raiment. And unto his father he sent after the same
manner: ten he asses laden with goods out of Egypt, and ten she
asses laden with corn, bread and meat: to serve his father by the
way. So sent he his brethren away, and they departed. And he said
unto them: see that ye fall not out by the way.
And they departed from Egypt and came into the land of Canaan
unto Jacob their father, and told him saying. Joseph is yet alive
and is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacobs heart
wavered, for he believed them not. And they told him all the words
of Joseph which he had said unto them. But when he saw the chariots
which Joseph had sent to carry him, then his spirits revived. And
Israel said: I have enough, if Joseph my son be yet alive: I will go
and see him, before that I die.
*dearth (famine)
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The 46th Chapter
Israel took his journey
with all that he had, and came unto Berseba and offered offerings
unto the God of his father Isaac. And God said unto Israel in a
vision by night, and called unto him: Jacob, Jacob. And he answered:
here am I. And he said: I am that mighty God of thy father, fear not
to go down into Egypt. For I will make of thee there a great people.
I will go down with thee into Egypt, and I will also bring thee up
again, and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. And Jacob rose
up from Berseba. And the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father,
and their children and their wives in the chariots which Pharao had
sent to carry him. And they took their cattle and the goods which
they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt: both
Jacob and all his seed with him, his sons and his sons sons with
him: his daughters and his sons daughters and all his seed brought
he with him into Egypt.
These are the names of the children of Israel which came into
Egypt, both Jacob and his sons: Ruben Jacobs first son. The children
of Ruben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Charmi. The children of Simeon:
Jemuel, Jami, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar and Saul the son of a Cananitish
woman. The children of Levi: Gerson, Kahath and Merari. The children
of Juda: Er, Onan, Sela, Pharez and Zerah, but Er and Onan died in
the land of Canaan. The children of Pharez, Hezron, and Hamul. The
children of Isachar: Tola, Phua, Job and Semson. The children of
Zabulon: Sered, Elon and Jaheleel. These be the children of Lea
which she bare unto Jacob in Mesopotamia with his daughter Dina. All
these souls of his sons and daughters make thirty and three.
The children of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Suni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi
and Areli. The children of Asser: Jemna, Jesua, Jesui, Bria and
Serah their sister. And the children of Bria were Heber and Malchiel.
These are the children of Silpha whom Laban gave to Lea his
daughter. And these she bare unto Jacob in number sixteen souls.
The children of Rahel Jacobs wife: Joseph and Ben Jamin. And
unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born: Manasses and Ephraim
which Asnath the daughter of Putiphar priest of On bare unto him.
The children of Ben Jamin: Bela, Becher, Asbel, Gera, Naeman, Ehi,
Ros, Mupim, Hupim and Ard. These are the children of Rahel which
were born unto Jacob: fourteen souls altogether. The children of
Dan: Husim. The children Nepthali: Jahezeel, Guni, Jezer and Sillem.
These are the sons of Bilha which Laban gave unto Rahel his
daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob, altogether seven souls. All
the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt which came out of his
loins (besides his sons wives) were all together sixty and six
souls. And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt were:
two souls. So that all the souls of the house of Jacob which came
into Egypt are seventy.
And he sent Juda before him unto Joseph that the way might be
showed him unto Gosan, and they came into the land of Gosan. And
Joseph made ready his chariot and went to meet Israel his father
unto Gosan, and presented himself unto him, and fell on his neck and
wept upon his neck a good while. And Israel said unto Joseph: Now I
am content to die, insomuch I have seen thee, that thou art yet
alive.
And Joseph said unto his brethren and unto his fathers house:
I will go and show Pharao and tell him: that my brethren and my
fathers house which were in the land of Canaan are come unto me, and
how they are shepherds (for they were men of cattle) and they have
brought their sheep and their oxen and all that they have with them.
If Pharao call you and ask you what your occupation is, say: thy
servants have been occupied about cattle, from our childhood unto
this time: both we and our fathers, that ye may dwell in the land of
Gosan. For the Egyptians abhor all shepherds.
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The 47th Chapter
And Joseph went and told Pharao
and said: my father and my brethren their sheep and their beasts and
all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan and are in
the land of Gosan. And Joseph took a part of his brethren: even five
of them, and presented them unto Pharao. And Pharao said unto his
brethren: what is your occupation? And they said unto Pharao:
shepherds are thy servants, both we and also our fathers. They said
moreover unto Pharao: for to sojourn in the land are we come, for
thy servants have no pasture for their sheep so sore is the
famishment in the land of Canaan. Now therefore let thy servants
dwell in the land of Gosan.
And Pharao said unto Joseph: thy father and thy brethren are
come unto thee. The land of Egypt is open before thee: In the best
place of the land make both thy father and thy brethren dwell: And
even in the land of Gosan let them dwell. Moreover if thou know any
men of activity among them, make them rulers over my cattle. And
Joseph brought in Jacob his father and set him before Pharao. And
Jacob blessed Pharao. And Pharao asked Jacob, how old art thou? And
Jacob said unto Pharao: the days of my pilgrimage are an hundred and
thirty years. Few and evil have the days of my life been, and have
not attained unto the years of the life of my fathers in the days of
their pilgrimages. And Jacob blessed Pharao and went out from him.
And Joseph prepared dwellings for his father and his brethren, and
gave them possessions in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land:
even in the land of Rameses, as Pharao commanded. And Joseph made
provision for his father, his brethren and all his fathers
household, as young children are fed with bread.
There was no bread in all the land, for the *dearth was
exceeding sore: so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan,
were famished by the reason of the dearth. And Joseph brought
together all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and of
Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and he laid up the money in
Pharaos house. When money failed in the land of Egypt and of Canaan,
all the Egyptians came unto Joseph and said: give us sustenance:
wherefore sufferest thou us to die before thee: for our money is
spent. Then said Joseph: bring your cattle, and I will give you for
your cattle, if ye be without money. And they brought their cattle
unto Joseph. And he gave them bread for horses and sheep, and oxen
and asses: so he fed them with bread for all their cattle that year.
When that year was ended, they came unto him the next year and
said unto him: we will not hide it from my lord, how that we have
neither money nor cattle for my lord: there is no more left for my
lord, but even our bodies and our lands. Wherefore lettest thou us
die before thine eyes, and the land to go to nought? buy us and our
lands for bread: and let both us and our lands be bond to Pharao.
Give us seed, that we may live and not die, and that the land go not
to waste.
And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharao. For the
Egyptians sold every man his land because the *dearth was sore upon
them: and so the land became Pharaos. And he appointed the people
unto the cities, from one side of Egypt unto the other: only the
land of the Priests bought he not. For there was an ordinance made
by Pharao for the priests, that they should eat that which was
appointed unto them: which Pharao had given them wherefore they sold
not their lands.
Then Joseph said unto the folk: behold I have bought you this
day and your lands for Pharao. Take there seed and go sow the land.
And of the increase, ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharao, and
four parts shall be your own, for seed to sow the field: and for
you, and them of your households, and for your children, to eat. And
they answered: Thou hast saved our lives. Let us find grace in the
sight of my lord, and let us be Pharaos servants. And Joseph made it
a law over the land of Egypt unto this day: that men must give
Pharao the fifth part, except the land of the priests only, which
was not bond unto pharao.
And Israel dwelt in Egypt: even in the country of Gosan. And
they had their possessions therein, and they grew and multiplied
exceedingly. Moreover Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen
years, so that the whole age of Jacob was an hundred and forty seven
years.
When the time drew nigh, that Israel must die: he sent for his
son Joseph and said unto him: If I have found grace in thy sight,
put thy hand under my thigh and deal mercifully and truly with me,
that thou bury me not in Egypt: but let me lie by my fathers, and
carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their burial. And he answered:
I will do as thou hast said. And he said: swear unto me. And he
sware unto him. And then Israel bowed him unto the beds head.
*dearth (famine)
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Chapters 1-7 |
8-16 |
17-23 |
24-29 |
30-36 |
37-41 |
42-47 |
48-50
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