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20 the gate of the house saying, Sir, we came down for the first 21 time to purchase provisions, but when we came to the lodging place and opened our bags every man's money was in his bag. This money we have nowbrought back in our hands in full weight. And we have brought with us other money to buy provisions22 Who put the money into our bags we do not know. Upon 23 which he said to them, Peace be to you: fear not, your God and the God of your fathers hath given you treasures in your bags. But as for your money, with perfect good will I decline 24 receiving it. Then he brought out Symeon to them and brought them water to wash their feet and gave provender to 25 their asses. And they were employed in making ready the presents until Joseph came at noon, for they heard that he was to 26 dine there. So when Joseph came home they brought him the

presents which they had in their hands into the house and made 27 obeisance to him with their face on the ground. And he asked 28 them of their welfare and said to them, Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still living? And they said, Thy servant, our father is well. He is still alive. And he said, Blessed of God is that man. Whereupon they bowed 29 down and made obeisance to him. And when Joseph raised his eyes and saw Benjamin his brother by the same mother, he said, This is your youngest brother whom you promised to bring to me? Then he said, God be gracious to thee, my son. 30 And Joseph was discomposed, for his bowels yearned towards his brother; so he sought where to weep and went into his 31 chamber and wept there. And when he had washed his face and come out he restrained himself and said, Serve up dinner. 32 So they served up for him by himself and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians who dined with him, by themselves. For the Egyptians could not eat bread with the He33 brews. For that to the Egyptians is an abomination. And they sat before him, the first born according to his birth right and the youngest according to his youth. And the men were asto34 nished, one at another. And when they received their several messes from him, the mess of Benjamin was five times larger than any of theirs.

XLIV.

And when they had drank and been plentifully regaled with him Joseph gave orders to the steward of his house say

ing, Fill the bags of these men with corn, as much as they 2 can carry, and put every one's money in the mouth of his bag, and put my silver cup in the bag of the youngest along with 3 the price of his corn. And Joseph's orders being punctually

executed; the next morning as soon as it was light the men 4 were sent away they and their asses. And when they were gone

out of the city, but had not got far off, Joseph said to his steward, Arise and pursue those men; and when thou shalt over5 take them, say to them, Why have you returned evil for good? Why have you stolen my silver cup? Is not this it out of which lord drinketh. By it indeed he divineth. You have done 6 evil in so doing. So when he overtook them he spoke to them. 7 in these terms. Upon which they said to him, Why doth my

my

lord speak in such terms as these: Far be it from thy servants 8 to do such an act. If we indeed brought back to thee from the land of Chanaan the money which we found in our bags, how should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold? 9 With whomsoever of thy servants thou shalt find the cup, let 10 him die, and we will be our lord's slaves. And he said, Well;

Let it be as you say thus far-With whomsoever the cup be 11 found, he shall be my slave; but you shall be blameless. Then

they hasted, and set down, every one his bag on the ground, 12 and opened, every one his bag. And he searched beginning at

the eldest till he came to the youngest; and he found the cup 13 in Benjamin's bag. Whereupon they rent their cloaths and put 14 every one his bag on his ass and returned to the city. And

Judas with his brothers went in to Joseph who was still there; 15 and they fell on the ground before him. And Joseph said to them, What is this you have done? Did you not know that 16 such a man as I can divine? And Judas said, What answer can we make to my lord? Or what can we say? Or how can we justify ourselves? God hath indeed found out the iniquity of thy servants. Behold we are slaves to our lord-both 17 we and he with whom the cup was found. And Joseph said, Far be it from me to do such a thing. The man with whom the cup was found shall be my servant; but as for you go up 18 in peace to your father. Upon this Judas came near to him and said, O my lord, let thy servant speak a word in thy presence and be not angry with thy servant, for thou art next to

19 Pharao. Thou my lord didst ask thy servants saying, Have 20 you a father or a brother? And we said to my lord, We have

a father an old man; and he hath a younger son of his old age. His brother is dead, and as he is the only one of his mother 21 left; his father loveth him. Then thou saidst to thy servants, 22 Bring him down to me and I will take care of him. And we said to my lord, This son cannot leave his father; for if he 23 were to leave him, his father would die. Then thou saidst to thy servants, Unless your younger brother come down with 24 you, you shall no more be admitted to see my face. So when

we went up to thy servant our father, we told him the words 25 of our lord. And when our father said, Go again and buy for 26 us a little food; we said, We cannot go. If indeed our young

est brother will go down with us, we will go down. For we cannot see the man's face unless our youngest brother be with 27 us. Thereupon thy servant our father said to us, You know

that my wife bore me two sons; and that one went out from 28 me and you said he was devoured by a wild beast and I have 29 not seen him since. If therefore you take this one also from

me and any misfortune happen to him on the journey, you will 30 bring down my old age with sorrow to the grave. Now there

fore if I should go to thy servant our father and this son be not with us, as his life dependeth on the life of this son, it will come to pass that when he shall see that this son is not with 31 us he will die. Thus will thy servants bring down the old age 32 of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. Besides as

thy servant received this son from his father and said, If I bring him not back to thee and set him before thee, let me be as a 33 sinner against my father for ever; now therefore let me stay

with thee instead of him as a slave to my lord, and let this son 34 go up with his brothers (for how can I go up to my father and this son not with us?) that I may not see the evils which will befal my father.

XLV.

Upon this Joseph could not restrain himself before all his attendants, but said, Dismiss all from me. So there was 2 no attendant with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers, but in weeping he raised his voice so that all the Egyptians heard and the news was carried to Pharao's house. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph. Is my father

still alive? But his brothers could not answer him; for they 4 were confounded. Then Joseph said to his brothers, Come near to me? And when they came near; he said, I am Joseph 5 your brother whom you sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor let it afflict you that you sold me hither; 6 for God sent me before you for life. For this is but the second year of famine on the earth and there will be yet five years, in 7 which there will be neither tillage nor harvest, so that God hath sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on the earth 8 and to nourish your great remnant. Now therefore it was not you who sent me hither, but it was God. And he hath made me like a father to Pharao, and lord of all his house and governor of all 9 the land of Egypt. Haste therefore and go up to my father and say to him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me ruler of all the land of Egypt. Come down therefore to me and 10 tarry not. And thou shalt dwell in the land of Gesem-Arabia

and be near me; both thou and thy sons and thy grandsons, 11 thy flocks and thy herds and all that thou hast. And I will nourish thee there, (for the famine will continue five years longer) that thou and thy sons and all that belong to thee may 12 not be consumed. Behold your eyes and the eyes of my bro

ther Benjamin see that it is my mouth which speaketh to you. 13 Therefore tell my father all my glory in Egypt and all that you 14 see; and make haste and bring my father down hither. Then

he fell upon the neck of his brother Benjamin and wept upon 15 him. And Benjamin wept on his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. And after that his brothers conversed with him.

16

Now when the news spread to Pharao's house saying, Joseph's brothers are come, Pharao and his servants were re17 joiced. And Pharao said to Joseph, Say to thy brothers, Do 18 this, Load your beasts and go to the land of Chanaan and

take up your father and all that you have and come to me and I will give you of all the good things of Egypt, and ye shall eat 19 the fat of the land. And do thou issue these orders, Take

with you from the land of Egypt waggons for your children 20 and your wives and take up your father and come; and pay no regard to your furniture, for all the good things of Egypt 21 shall be yours. And the sons of Israel did so. And Joseph

22 gave them waggons as Pharao the king commanded. He gave them also provisions for the journey. And to all he gave two suits of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces 23 of gold and five distinguished suits of raiment. And he sent the like presents to his father together with ten asses which carried some of all the good things of Egypt, and ten mules 24 loaded with bread for his father on the journey. And he dismissed them: And as they were departing, he said to them, See that 25 you do not fall out by the way. So they went up out of Egypt

and came to the land of Chanaan to their father Jacob and told 26 him saying. Thy son Joseph is alive and he is the governor

of all the land of Egypt. Whereupon Jacob was absorpt in 27 thought, for he could not believe them. But when they told him all that Joseph had commanded them, and he saw the waggons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Ja28 cob their father revived. And Israel said, It is a great thing for me that my son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him, before I die.

XLVI. Then Israel removed with all that he had and went to

Well of the Oath, and offered a sacrifice to the God of his fa2 ther Isaak. And God spoke to Israel in a vision of the night 3 and said, Jacob! Jacob! And he said, Here I am. And God said to him, I am the God of thy fathers. Fear not to go down 4 into Egypt; for I will make thee there a great nation. I indeed will go down with thee into Egypt and I will at last cause thee to come up, when Joseph shall have put his hands on 5 thy eyes. Then Jacob arose from Well of the Oath and the sons of Israel put their father, and the baggage and their wives in the waggons which Joseph had sent to carry him; 6 and taking their stock and all their effects which they had 7 gotten in the land of Chanaan, Jacob and all his seed with him,

8

9

his sons and his grandsons, his daughters and his granddaughters with him went to Egypt. So he brought all his offspring to Egypt.

Now these are the names of Israel's children who went down to Egypt with their father Jacob.

Jacob and his Children.

The first born of Jacob was Reuben, and the sons of Reuben, Enoch and Phallus, Asron and Charmi.

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