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

CAP. XLIII.

[verse 1] The meene tyme hungur al the loond [verse 2] greetly bare doun; and, the meetis brouȝt to ende, that fro Egipte thei hadden brouȝt, Jacob seide to his sones, Turne ȝe aȝen, and bigge ȝe to vs a litil of meetis. [verse 3] Judas answerde, Thilke man denounside to vs vndur witnessyng of othe, seiynge, Ȝe shulen not se my face, but ȝoure leest bro|ther [verse 4] ȝe bryngen with ȝow; if thanne thow wolt sende hym with vs, we shulen goon togidere, and to thee we shulen bye nede|ful [verse 5] thingis; if forsothe thou wolt not, we wolen not goon; the man forsothe, as we han ofte seide, denounside to vs, seiynge, Ȝe shulen not se my face with outen ȝoure leest brother. [verse 6] And Israel seide, This ȝe han doon in to [in A.] my wrecchidnes, that ȝe wolden shewe to hym and another ȝow to han a brother. [verse 7] And thei answerden, The man askide vs bi ordre oure progenye, if the fader lyued, if we hadden a brother; and we answerden to hym sewyngly, aftir that that he askide; whether we myȝten wite that he was to seyn, Bryngith with ȝow ȝoure brother? [verse 8] And Judas seide to his fader, Send the child with me, that we goon forth, and we mowen lyue, [verse 9] lest dien we and oure children; I take

the child, of myn hoond aȝen aske hym; but if I come [brynge BDFH.] aȝen and take hym to thee, Y shal be gilti of synne in thee al tyme; [verse 10] if tariyng hadde not falle bitwix, now eftsones we hadden comen. [verse 11] Thanne Yrael, the fader of hem, seide to hem, If so it is nede, doth what ȝe wolen; take ȝe of the beste fruytis of the loond in ȝoure vessils, and berith ȝiftis to the man, a litil of precious licoure of swete gumme, and of hony, and of licoure [the lycour BDEFH.] of the tree of storax, and of stactes, the licoure of myrre tree, [verse 12] and of therebynt, and of almaundis; and dowble money bere ȝe with ȝow, and that that ȝe han foundun in the sackis bere ȝe aȝen, lest perauenture thurȝ errour it be [verse 13] doon; but and ȝoure brother takith, and [verse 14] goth to the man; and my God Almyȝti make hym plesable to ȝow, and send he aȝen with ȝow ȝoure brother, that he holdith in boondis, and this Beniamyn; Y forsothe as priued with outen free chil|dren shal be. [verse 15] Thanne the men token ȝiftis, and dowble money, and Beniamyn, and descendiden into Egipte, and stoden [stonden D.] bifore Joseph. [verse 16] Whom whanne he hadde seen, and Beniamyn togidere, he co|maundide to the dispensatowr of his hows, seiynge, Lede yn the men hoom, and slee the beestis of sacrifice, and ordeyne a feeste; for with me thei ben to etun to day. [verse 17] And he dide as it was comaundid, [verse 18] and brouȝte in the men hoom; and there thei agast seiden to gideres, For the money that we brouȝten bifore in oure sackis we ben lad yn, that chalengyng he turne in vs, and violently sugette to thraldom and vs and our assis. [verse 19] Wherfore in thilke ȝatis goynge to, speken to the dispensa|tour, [verse 20] Syre, we preyen thee, that thow here vs; now bifore we descenden [descendeden BDEFH.] that [verse 21] we biggen meetis; the whiche bouȝt, whanne we comen to the place of turn|yng

into reste, we opnyden oure sackis, and we fonden money in the mouth of the [Om. BDEF sec. m. H.] sackis, that now in the same peyse [verse 22] we han brouȝt aȝen; but and other money we han brouȝt, that we biggen thilke thingis, that ben necessarye to vs; it ys not in oure conscience, who it putte in oure bagges. [verse 23] And he answerde, Pees with ȝow, wole ȝe not drede; ȝoure God and the God of ȝoure fader hath ȝyue to ȝow tresours in ȝoure sackis; for the money that ȝe ȝyuen to me, I haue it aproued [proued A pr. m.] . And he ladde out to hem Sy|meon; [verse 24] and thei in lad hoom, brouȝt wa|tir, and thei weschen her feet, and he ȝaue fodder to the asses of hem. [verse 25] Thei forsothe greithiden ȝiftis to the tyme that Joseph shulde come yn at mydday, thei hadden herde forsothe, that there thei weren to etun breed. [verse 26] Thanne Joseph cam into his hows, and thei holdynge ȝiftis in her hondis, offerden to hym, and lowtiden bowid into the erthe. [verse 27] And he goodly hem aȝen salutid, askide hem, sei|ynge, Whether ȝoure oold fader is saaf, of whom ȝe spaken to me? ȝit lyueth he? [verse 28] The whiche answerden, He ys al hool, thi seruaunt oure fader ȝit lyueth; and thei bowid lowtiden hym. [verse 29] And Joseph heuynge vp the eyen, sawȝ Beniamyn, his brother of o wombe, and seith, This is ȝoure litil brother, of whom ȝe speken to me? And eft, God, he seith, haue mercy of thee, sone myne. [verse 30] And he hiȝede into the hows, for the entrayls of hym weren moued vpon his brother, and teeris bristen oute, and he, goynge in to the bed place, wepte. [verse 31] And eft his face waishun, goon oute, stillide hym self, and seith, Settith looues. [verse 32] The whiche sett forth, Joseph bi hym self, and the bri|theren bi hem seluen, and the Egipciens togideres [that to githers BDEFH.] eetun bi hem seluen; forsothe it is vnleueful to Egipciens to etun with

Ebrews, and a fowle thing thei wenen sich a manere feeste. [verse 33] Thei setten bifore hym the first geten, aftir the riȝtis [ȝiftis H.] of his first getyng, and the leeste aftir his [verse 34] age; and thei wondreden mych, the par|tise takun that thei token of hym, and the more party cam to Beniamin, so that bi fyue partis he passide; and thei drunken, and ben fulfillid with hym.