1 Now Jacob, hearing that there was grain in Egypt, said to his sons, Why are you looking at one another?2 And he said, I have had news that there is grain in Egypt: go down there and get grain for us, so that life and not death may be ours.3 So Joseph's ten brothers went down to get grain from Egypt.4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with them, for fear, as he said, that some evil might come to him.5 And the sons of Israel came with all the others to get grain: for they were very short of food in the land of Canaan.6 Now Joseph was ruler over all the land, and it was he who gave out the grain to all the people of the land; and Joseph's brothers came before him and went down on their faces to the earth.7 And when Joseph saw his brothers, it was clear to him who they were, but he made himself strange to them, and talking roughly to them, said, Where do you come from? And they said, From the land of Canaan, to get food.8 Now though Joseph saw that these were his brothers, they had no idea who he was.9 Then the memory of his dreams about them came back to Joseph, and he said to them, You have come secretly to see how poor the land is.10 And they said to him, Not so, my lord: your servants have come with money to get food.11 We are all one man's sons, we are true men; we have not come with any secret purpose.12 And he said to them, No, but you have come to see how poor the land is.13 Then they said, We your servants are twelve brothers, sons of one man in the land of Canaan; the youngest of us is now with our father, and one is dead.14 And Joseph said, It is as I said; you have come with some secret purpose;15 But in this way will you be put to the test: by the life of Pharaoh, you will not go away from this place till your youngest brother comes here.16 Send one of your number to get your brother, and the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are true; if not, by the life of Pharaoh, your purpose is certainly secret.17 So he put them in prison for three days.18 And on the third day Joseph said to them, Do this, if you would keep your lives: for I am a god-fearing man:19 If you are true men, let one of you be kept in prison, while you go and take grain for the needs of your families;20 And come back to me with your youngest brother, so that your words may be seen to be true, and you will not be put to death. This is what you are to do.21 And they said to one another, Truly, we did wrong to our brother, for we saw his grief of mind, and we did not give ear to his prayers; that is why this trouble has come on us.22 And Reuben said to them, Did I not say to you, Do the child no wrong? but you gave no attention; so now, punishment has come on us for his blood.23 They were not conscious that the sense of their words was clear to Joseph, for he had been talking to them through one who had knowledge of their language.24 And turning away from them, he was overcome with weeping; then he went on talking to them again and took Simeon and put chains on him before their eyes.25 Then Joseph gave orders for their bags to be made full of grain, and for every man's money to be put back into his bag, and for food to be given them for the journey: which was done.26 Then they put the bags of grain on their asses and went away.27 Now at their night's resting-place one of them, opening his bag to give his ass some food, saw his money in the mouth of the bag.28 And he said to his brothers, My money has been given back: it is in my bag; then their hearts became full of fear, and turning to one another they said, What is this which God has done to us?29 So when they came to Jacob their father, in the land of Canaan, they gave him an account of all their experiences, saying,30 The man who is the ruler of the country was rough with us and put us in prison, saying that we had come with a secret evil purpose.31 And we said to him, We are true men, we have no evil designs;32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is dead, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.33 And the ruler of the land said, In this way I may be certain that you are true men; let one of you be kept here with me, while you go and take grain for the needs of your families;34 And come back to me with your youngest brother: then I will be certain that you are true men, and I will give your brother back to you and let you do trade in the land.35 And when they took the grain out of their bags, it was seen that every man's parcel of money was in his bag; and when they and their father saw the money, they were full of fear.36 And Jacob their father said to them, You have taken my children from me: Joseph is gone and Simeon is gone, and now you would take Benjamin away; all these things have come on me.37 And Reuben said, Put my two sons to death if I do not come back to you with him; let him be in my care and I will give him safely back to you.38 And he said, I will not let my son go down with you; for his brother is dead and he is all I have: if evil overtakes him on the journey, then through you will my grey head go down to the underworld in sorrow.39 \43:1\Now the land was in bitter need of food.

1 Audiens autem Jacob quod alimenta venderentur in gypto, dixit filiis suis : Quare negligitis ? 2 audivi quod triticum venundetur in gypto : descendite, et emite nobis necessaria, ut possimus vivere, et non consumamur inopia. 3 Descendentes igitur fratres Joseph decem, ut emerent frumenta in gypto, 4 Benjamin domi retento a Jacob, qui dixerat fratribus ejus : Ne forte in itinere quidquam patiatur mali : 5 ingressi sunt terram gypti cum aliis qui pergebant ad emendum. Erat autem fames in terra Chanaan. 6 Et Joseph erat princeps in terra gypti, atque ad ejus nutum frumenta populis vendebantur. Cumque adorassent eum fratres sui, 7 et agnovisset eos, quasi ad alienos durius loquebatur, interrogans eos : Unde venistis ? Qui responderunt : De terra Chanaan, ut emamus victui necessaria. 8 Et tamen fratres ipse cognoscens, non est cognitus ab eis. 9 Recordatusque somniorum, qu aliquando viderat, ait ad eos : Exploratores estis : ut videatis infirmiora terr venistis. 10 Qui dixerunt : Non est ita, domine, sed servi tui venerunt ut emerent cibos. 11 Omnes filii unius viri sumus : pacifici venimus, nec quidquam famuli tui machinantur mali. 12 Quibus ille respondit : Aliter est : immunita terr hujus considerare venistis. 13 At illi : Duodecim, inquiunt, servi tui, fratres sumus, filii viri unius in terra Chanaan : minimus cum patre nostro est, alius non est super. 14 Hoc est, ait, quod locutus sum : exploratores estis. 15 Jam nunc experimentum vestri capiam : per salutem Pharaonis non egrediemini hinc, donec veniat frater vester minimus. 16 Mittite ex vobis unum, et adducat eum : vos autem eritis in vinculis, donec probentur qu dixistis utrum vera an falsa sint : alioquin per salutem Pharaonis exploratores estis. 17 Tradidit ergo illos custodi tribus diebus. 18 Die autem tertio eductis de carcere, ait : Facite qu dixi, et vivetis : Deum enim timeo. 19 Si pacifici estis, frater vester unus ligetur in carcere : vos autem abite, et ferte frumenta qu emistis, in domos vestras, 20 et fratrem vestrum minimum ad me adducite, ut possim vestros probare sermones, et non moriamini. Fecerunt ut dixerat, 21 et locuti sunt ad invicem : Merito hc patimur, quia peccavimus in fratrem nostrum, videntes angustiam anim illius, dum deprecaretur nos, et non audivimus : idcirco venit super nos ista tribulatio. 22 E quibus unus Ruben, ait : Numquid non dixi vobis : Nolite peccare in puerum : et non audistis me ? en sanguis ejus exquiritur. 23 Nesciebant autem quod intelligeret Joseph, eo quod per interpretem loqueretur ad eos. 24 Avertitque se parumper, et flevit : et reversus locutus est ad eos.25 Tollensque Simeon, et ligans illis prsentibus, jussit ministris ut implerent eorum saccos tritico, et reponerent pecunias singulorum in sacculis suis, datis supra cibariis in viam : qui fecerunt ita. 26 At illi portantes frumenta in asinis suis, profecti sunt. 27 Apertoque unus sacco, ut daret jumento pabulum in diversorio, contemplatus pecuniam in ore sacculi, 28 dixit fratribus suis : Reddita est mihi pecunia, en habetur in sacco. Et obstupefacti, turbatique, mutuo dixerunt : Quidnam est hoc quod fecit nobis Deus ? 29 Veneruntque ad Jacob patrem suum in terram Chanaan, et narraverunt ei omnia qu accidissent sibi, dicentes : 30 Locutus est nobis dominus terr dure, et putavit nos exploratores esse provinci. 31 Cui respondimus : Pacifici sumus, nec ullas molimur insidias. 32 Duodecim fratres uno patre geniti sumus : unus non est super, minimus cum patre nostro est in terra Chanaan. 33 Qui ait nobis : Sic probabo quod pacifici sitis : fratrem vestrum unum dimittite apud me, et cibaria domibus vestris necessaria sumite, et abite, 34 fratremque vestrum minimum adducite ad me, ut sciam quod non sitis exploratores : et istum, qui tenetur in vinculis, recipere possitis : ac deinceps qu vultis, emendi habeatis licentiam. 35 His dictis, cum frumenta effunderent, singuli repererunt in ore saccorum ligatas pecunias, exterritisque simul omnibus, 36 dixit pater Jacob : Absque liberis me esse fecistis : Joseph non est super, Simeon tenetur in vinculis, et Benjamin auferetis : in me hc omnia mala reciderunt. 37 Cui respondit Ruben : Duos filios meos interfice, si non reduxero illum tibi : trade illum in manu mea, et ego eum tibi restituam. 38 At ille : Non descendet, inquit, filius meus vobiscum : frater ejus mortuus est, et ipse solus remansit : si quid ei adversi acciderit in terra ad quam pergitis, deducetis canos meos cum dolore ad inferos.