The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, with the Apocryphal books,

CAP. XXXVII.

Joseph whanne he was of sextene ȝeer fedde a flok with his bretheren, ȝit a childe, and he was with the sones of Bale and of Zelphe, wyues of his fader; and he accuside his bretheren anentis the fa|der

of the werst synne. [verse 3] Yrael forsothe louede Joseph ouer alle his sones, ther|thurȝ that in elde he hadde getun hym; and he made hym a coote of dyuerse co|lours. [verse 4] And the bretheren of hym seynge that of the fader more than alle the sones was loued, hatiden hym, and myȝten not to hym eny thing pesebli speken. [verse 5] And it felle, that a seen sweuen he tolde to his britheren, the which cause was seed of more haat. [verse 6] And Joseph seide to his britheren, Here ȝe my sweuen that Y [verse 7] sawȝ, I wenede vs to bynden hondfullis in the feelde, and myn hondful as to ryse, and stonde, and ȝoure hondfullis stond|ynge al aboute to loute myn hondful. [verse 8] And the britheren of hym answeriden, Whether thow shalt be oure kyng, oither we shal be vndirloute [sugett BDEFH.] to thi bidding? This thanne cause of sweuenes and of wordis mynystride norishynge of enuye and of haate. [verse 9] And another sweuen he sawȝ, that tellynge to his britheren, seith, I sawe bi dreem as the sunne, and the mone, and the elleuen sterrys to lowtun me. [verse 10] That whan to his fader and bri|theren he hadde tolde, blamede hym his fader, and seide, What to it silf wole this sweuen that thow hast seen? Whether Y, and thi moder, and thi britheren shulen lowt thee vpon erthe? [verse 11] Thanne enuyeden to hym his britheren. The fader forsothe [verse 12] the thing stilli bihelde, and whanne the britheren of hym in the flockis of the fader to ben fedde dwelliden in Sichem, [verse 13] Yrael seide to hym, Thi britheren feden sheep in Sichemys; come, Y shal sende thee to hem. [verse 14] Who answerynge, Y am redi, he seith, Go, and se if alle thingis be welsum anentis thi britheren, and beestis, and aȝen tel thow to me what is doon. He, sent fro the valey of Ebron, [verse 15] cam into Sichym; and a man fonde hym

in the feelde errynge, and askide, what he souȝte. [verse 16] And he answeride, My bretheren Y seche, shew thow to me where thei feden the flockis. [verse 17] And the man seide to hym, Thei wenten a wey fro this place, forsothe I herde hem seiynge, Go we into Dothaym. And Joseph ȝede after his bri|theren, and fonde hem in Dothaym. [verse 18] The whiche whanne thei seyen hym `a ferre [o feer DEH.] , or he neiȝede to hem, thouȝten to sleen [verse 19] hym, and togidere thei speken, Loo! the [verse 20] dremer cometh, go we, and sle we hym, and putte we hym [Om. BDFH.] in an olde sistern, and we shulen seye, The werst wiylde beest hath deuowrid hym; and thanne it shal apere what profiten to hym hys dremes. [verse 21] Thes thingis forsothe herynge Ruben, enforside to delyuere hym of the hondis [verse 22] of hem, and seide, Slee we not the lijf of hym, ne shede we blood, but throw ȝe him into the olde sisterne, that is in wil|dernes, and kepe ȝe ȝoure hondes vngilti. That forsothe he seide, wilnynge to de|lyuer hym fro the hondes of hem, and to ȝelde to his fader. [verse 23] Thanne anoon as he cam to his britheren, thei nakiden hym the side coote to the hele, and of manye [verse 24] colowrs, and puttiden into an olde sis|terne, that hadde no watyr. [verse 25] And sit|tynge for to eet breed, thei seen Ysmael|itis weiegoers to comen fro Galaad, and camels of hem berynge swete spyces, and swete gumme, and myrre, into Egipte. [verse 26] Thanne Judas seide to his britheren, What shal it profit vs if we sleen oure brother, and we hiden the blood of hym? [verse 27] It is betere that he be sold to Ismaelitis, and our hondes ben not defoulid; for|sothe the brother and oure flesh he is. The britheren assentiden to thes wordes; [verse 28] and the marchaundes Madyanytes goynge bisides, thei, drawynge hym oute of the sis|terne, solden hym to Ysmaelytis for thretti siluer pens; the whiche ladden hym into Egipte. [verse 29] And Ruben turned aȝen to the

[verse 30] sisterne, fonde not the child; and the clothis to-rent goynge to his bretheren, seith, The childe not aperith, and whider Y shal go? [verse 31] Forsothe thei token the coote of hym, and in the blood of a kyde that [verse 32] thei hadden slayn steyneden; the which sendynge shulden bere to fader [the fader E.] , and seyn, This we han foundun, loke whether the coote of thi sone it be or noon. [verse 33] The which whanne the fader knowith [had knowen BDEH. knowen F.] , seith, The coote of my sone it is, the [and E.] moost yuel wiylde beest hath etun hym, a beest hath deuowrid Joseph. [verse 34] And the clothis to-rent, was [and was D.] clothid with an heyr, weil|ynge his sone myche tyme. [verse 35] And alle his free children gedered to gideres, that thei myȝten swage the sorow of the fader, he nolde coumfortyng take, but seith, Y shal descende to my sone weilynge into helle. And hym stedfastli dwellynge in [verse 36] wepyng, Madenytis solden Joseph in E|gepte, to Putiphar, the geldyng of Pha|rao, the mayster of chyualrye [the chyual|rye E sec. m.] .