CHAPTER 44
1 Forsooth 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 of the sack; (And Joseph commanded to the steward of his house, and said, Fill up their sacks with as much corn, or as much grain, as they can take, and put the money of each in the top of his sack;)
2 forsooth 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. (and put my silver cup in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and also the money which he gave for his corn, or his grain; and it was done so.)
3 And when the morrowtide (a)rose, they were delivered with their asses. (And when the morning came, they were let go with their donkeys.)
4 And 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? (And when they had gone out of the city, and had gone forth a little; then Joseph said, when the steward of his house was called, Rise thou up, and pursue the men, and say thou when they be taken, Why have ye given back evil for good?)
5 The 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.
6 He did as Joseph commanded, and when they were (over)taken (or and when he had overtaken them), he spake by order these things;
7 the which answered, Why speaketh our lord so, (saying) that thy servants have done so great a trespass?
8 We brought again to thee from the land of Canaan the money that we found in the height of our sacks, and how is it following that we have stolen from thy lord’s house gold or silver? (We brought back to thee from the land of Canaan the money that we found in the top of our sacks, so how followeth it, that we would steal gold or silver from thy lord’s house?)
9 At whomever of thy servants this that thou seekest is found, die he, and we shall be servants of my lord. (With whomever of thy servants that the cup which thou seekest is found, let him die, and the rest of us shall be my lord’s slaves.)
10 Which said to them, Be it done by your sentence; at whom it is found, be he my servant; forsooth ye shall be guiltless. (And the steward said to them, So be it done by your own sentence; with whomever it is found, he shall be my slave; but the rest of you shall go free.)
11 And so they did down hastily their sacks on the earth, and all they opened them, (And so they hastily did down their sacks onto the ground, and they all opened them,)
12 the which he sought (through); and he began at the most till to the least, and he found the cup in Benjamin’s sack. (and then the steward searched through all the sacks; and he began at the eldest, and worked down to the youngest, and he found the cup in Benjamin’s sack.)
13 And when they had rent their clothes, and had charged again their asses, they turned again into the city. (And when they had torn their clothes, and had loaded up their donkeys again, they returned to the city.)
14 And 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. (And Judah came in with his brothers to Joseph; for Joseph was still in his house; and they all fell down together on the ground before him.)
15 To whom he said, Why would ye do so? whether ye wot not, that none is like me in the knowing of divining? (To whom Joseph said, Why have ye done this? do ye not know that there is no one like me with such a knowledge of divination? Of course I would find you out!)
16 To 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. (To whom Judah said, What shall we answer to my lord, or what shall we speak, or what can we justly say against thy words? God hath found out the wickedness of thy servants; behold! we shall all be my lord’s slaves, both we and he with whom the cup was found.)
17 Joseph 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. (Joseph answered, Far be it from me, that I would do such a thing; no, only he who stole the cup shall be my slave; the rest of you be free to go back to your father.)
18 Soothly Judah nighed near, and said trustily (or and plaintively said), My lord, I pray thee, (let) thy servant speak a word in thine ears, and be thou not wroth to thy servant; for after Pharaoh thou art my lord.
19 Thou askedest first thy servants (or Thou first askedest thy servants), Have ye a father, or a brother?
20 And we answered to my lord, An eld 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. (And we answered to my lord, We have an old father, and he hath a young son who was born in his old age, whose brother from the same womb is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children; and his father tenderly loveth him.)
21 And thou saidest to thy servants, Bring ye him (down) to me, and I shall set mine eyes on him.
22 We made (the) suggestion to thee, my lord, the child may not forsake his father (or that the youngest son cannot leave his father); for if he shall leave his father, his father shall die.
23 And thou saidest to thy servants, If your youngest brother shall not come (down) with you, ye shall no more see my face (or ye shall not see my face again).
24 Therefore when we had gone up to thy servant, our father, we told to him all things which my lord spake to us;
25 and our father said, Turn ye again, and buy ye to you a little of wheat; (and later our father said to us, Return ye there, and buy ye some corn, or some grain, for us;)
26 to 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. (to whom we said, We cannot go down there; only if our youngest brother shall go down with us, then shall we go forth together; for if he is absent, we shall not be able to see our lord’s face.)
27 To which things our father answered, Ye know that my wife childed two sons to me;
28 one went out (from me), and ye said, A beast [hath] devoured him, (or and it was said, A beast hath devoured him), and hitherto he appeareth not;
29 if ye take also this son, and anything befall to him in the way, ye shall lead forth mine hoar hairs with mourning to hells. (and now if ye take also this son from me, and if anything should befall him on the way, ye shall lead forth my hoar hairs in sorrow to the grave or unto Sheol.)
30 Therefore if I enter again to thy servant, our father, and the child fail (to come back with us), since his life hangeth of the life of the child, (And so if I return again to thy servant, our father, and his youngest son faileth to come back with us, since his life hangeth on the life of his youngest son,)
31 and 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. (and he see that his youngest son is not with us, he shall die, and thy servants shall have led forth his hoar hairs in sorrow to the grave or unto Sheol.)
32 Be 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; (So let me be thy slave, for I received his youngest son on my pledge, and I promised, and said, If I shall not bring him back to thee, I shall be guilty of sin against my father for all time;)
33 and so I shall dwell thy servant for the child into the service of my lord, and the child go up with his brethren; (and so let me stay here in my lord’s service as thy slave in place of the youngest son, and let him go back with his brothers;)
34 for I may not go again to my father, if the child be absent (or if his youngest son be absent), lest I stand a witness of the wretchedness that shall oppress my father.