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| [1]Forsothe Joseph comaundid the dispendere of his hous, and seide, Fille thou her sackis with wheete, as myche as tho moun take, and putte thou the money of ech in the hiynesse of the sak; |
[1]And he commaunded the ruler of his house, saying: fill the mens sackes with foode, as much as they can cary, & put euery mans mony in his sackesmouth |
| [2]forsothe put thou in the mouth of the sak of the yongere my silueren cuppe, and the prijs of wheete which he yaf; and it was doon so. |
[2]And put my cup, my siluer cup in the sackes mouth of the youngest, and his corne money also. And he did according to the worde that Ioseph had saide |
| [3]And whanne the morewtid roos, thei weren delyuered with her assis. |
[3]And in the morning assoone as it was lyght, the men were let go, they, and their asses |
| [4]And now thei hadden go out of the citee, and hadden go forth a litil; thanne Joseph seide, whanne the dispendere of his hous was clepid, Rise thou, pursue the men, and seye thou whanne thei ben takun, Whi han ye yolde yuel for good? |
[4]And when they were out of the citie, and not yet farre away, Ioseph sayde vnto the ruler of his house: vp, and folowe after the men, & when thou doest ouertake them, thou shalt say vnto them: wherfore haue ye rewarded euyl for good |
| [5]The cuppe, which ye han stole, is thilk in which my lord drynkith, and in which he is wont to dyuyne; ye han do a ful wickid thing. |
[5]Is not that the cuppe in the whiche my Lord drinketh? and for the which he consulteth with the propheciers? Ye haue euill done that ye haue done |
| [6]He dide as Joseph comaundid, and whanne thei weren takun, he spak bi ordre. |
[6]And when he ouertoke them, he sayd the same wordes vnto them |
| [7]Whiche answeriden, Whi spekith oure lord so, that thi seruauntis han do so greet trespas? |
[7]And they aunswered him: wherfore sayeth my Lorde suche wordes? God forbid that thy seruauntes should do so |
| [8]We brouyten ayen to thee fro the lond of Chanaan the monei which we founden in the hiynesse of sackis, and hou is it suynge that we han stole fro `the hows of thi lord gold ether siluer? |
[8]Beholde the money which we founde in our sackes mouthes, we brought agayne vnto thee, out of the land of Chanaan: howe then shoulde we steale out of thy Lordes house eyther siluer or golde |
| [9]At whom euere of thi seruauntis this that thou sekist is foundun, die he, and we schulen be seruauntis of my lord. |
[9]With whomsoeuer of thy seruauntes it be founde, let him dye, and we also wyll be my Lordes bondmen |
| [10]Which seide to hem, Be it doon bi youre sentence; at whom it is foundun, be he my seruaunt; forsothe ye schulen be gilteles. |
[10]And he said, Nowe also let it be according vnto your wordes: he with whom it is founde, shalbe my seruaunt, and ye shalbe blamelesse |
| [11]And so thei diden doun hastili the sackis on erthe, and alle openyden tho whiche he souyte; |
[11]And at once euery man toke downe his sacke to the ground, and euery man opened his sacke |
| [12]and bigan at the more til to the leeste, and foond the cuppe in `the sak of Beniamyn. |
[12]And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cuppe was founde in Beniamins sacke |
| [13]And whanne thei hadden `to-rent her clothis, and hadden chargid eft the assis, thei turneden ayen in to the citee. |
[13]Then they rent theyr clothes, and laded euery ma his asse, and went againe vnto the citie |
| [14]And Judas entride `the firste with brithren to Joseph; for he hadde not go yit fro the place; and alle felden togidere on erthe bifore hym. |
[14]And Iuda and his brethren came to Iosephes house (for he [was] yet there) and they fell before him on the ground |
| [15]To whiche he seide, Whi wolden ye do so? whether ye witen not, that noon is lijk me in the kunnyng of dyuinyng? |
[15]And Ioseph sayde vnto them: what deede is this that ye haue done? Wote ye not that suche a man as I do consult with propheciers |
| [16]To whom Judas seide, What schulen we answere to my lord, ether what schulen we speke, ether moun iustli ayenseie? God hath founde the wickidnesse of thi seruauntis; lo! alle we ben the seruauntis of my lord, bothe we and he at whom the cuppe is foundun. |
[16]Then saide Iuda: what shall we say vnto my lorde? What shall we speake? or howe shall we cleare our selues? God hath founde out the wickednes of thy seruauntes: beholde, we are my lordes seruauntes, both we, yea, and he also with whom the cup is founde |
| [17]Joseph answeride, Fer be it fro me, that Y do so; he be my seruaunt that stal the cuppe; forsothe go ye fre to youre fadir. |
[17]And he aunswered, God forbid that I shoulde do so: but the man with who the cup is found, he shalbe my seruaunt, and get ye hence vp in peace vnto your father |
| [18]Sotheli Judas neiyede neer, and seide tristili, My lord, Y preye, thi seruaunt speke a word in thin eeris, and be thou not wrooth to thi seruaunt; for aftir Farao thou art my lord. |
[18]Then Iuda went vnto him, and said: Oh my lorde, let thy seruaunt [I pray thee] speake a worde in my lordes eares, and be not inflamed with wrath agaynst thy seruaunt, for thou art euen as Pharao |
| [19]Thou axidist first thi seruauntis, Han ye a fadir, ether a brother? |
[19]My lorde asked his seruauntes, saying: haue ye a father, or a brother |
| [20]And we answeriden to thee, my lord, An eld fadir is to vs, and a litil child that was borun in his eelde, whos brother of the same wombe is deed, and his modir hath hym aloone; forsothe his fadir loueth hym tendirli. |
[20]And we aunswered my lorde: we haue a father that is olde, and a young lad, which he begat in his age: and the brother of the sayd lad is dead, and he is all that is left of his mother, and his father loueth him |
| [21]And thou seidist to thi seruauntis, Brynge ye hym to me, and Y schal sette myn iyen on hym. |
[21]And thou saidest vnto thy seruauntes: bryng him vnto me, that I may set my eyes vpon him |
| [22]We maden suggestioun to thee, my lord, the child may not forsake his fadir; for if he schal leeue the fadir, he schal die. |
[22]And we aunswered my Lorde, that the lad could not go from his father, for if he shoulde leaue his father, he were but dead |
| [23]And thou seidist to thi seruauntis, If youre leeste brother schal not come with you, ye schulen no more se my face. |
[23]Then saydest thou vnto thy seruauntes: except your youngest brother come with you, loke that ye see my face no more |
| [24]Therfor whanne we hadden stied to thi seruaunt, oure fadir, we telden to hym alle thingis whiche my lord spak; and oure fadir seide, |
[24]And when we came vnto thy seruaunt our father, we shewed hym the wordes of my Lorde |
| [25]Turne ye ayen, and bie ye to you a litil of wheete; |
[25]And our father sayde vnto vs: go agayne, and bye vs a litle foode |
| [26]to whom we seiden, We moun not go; if oure leeste brother schal go doun with vs, we schulen go forth togidere; ellis, if he is absent, we doren not se the `face of the lord. |
[26]And we aunswered, we can not go downe: neuerthelesse, if our youngest brother be with vs, then wyll we go downe, for we may not see the mans face, except our youngest brother be with vs |
| [27]To whiche thingis the fadir answeride, Ye witen that my wiif childide twei sones to me; |
[27]And thy seruaunt our father sayd vnto vs: ye knowe that my wyfe bare me two sonnes |
| [28]oon yede out, and ye seiden, a beeste deuouride hym, and hidir to he apperith not; |
[28]And the one went out from me, and I sayd, of a suretie he is torne in peeces, and I sawe him not since |
| [29]if ye taken also this sone, and ony thing bifallith to hym in the weye, ye schulen lede forth myn hoor heeris with morenyng to hellis. |
[29]And if ye take this also away from me, and destruction come vnto him, ye shall bryng my gray head with sorowe vnto the graue |
| [30]Therfor if Y entre to thi seruaunt, oure fadir, and the child faile, sithen his lijf hangith of the lijf of the child, |
[30]Nowe therefore when I come to thy seruaunt my father, and the lad be not with vs (seing that his life hangeth by the laddes life. |
| [31]and he se that the child is not with vs, he schal die, and thi seruauntis schulen lede forth hise hoor heeris with sorewe to hellis. |
[31]Then shall it come to passe, that assoone as he seeth that the lad is not come, he wyll dye: so shall we thy seruauntes bryng the gray head of thy seruaunt our father with sorowe vnto the graue |
| [32]Be Y propirli thi seruaunt, which resseyuede this child on my feith, and bihiyte, and seide, If Y schal not brynge ayen hym, Y schal be gilti of synne ayens my fadir in al tyme; |
[32]For I thy seruaunt became suretie for the lad before my father, and saide: If I bryng hym not vnto thee agayne, I shal beare the blame vnto my father all my lyfe long |
| [33]and so Y schal dwelle thi seruaunt for the child in to the seruyce of my lord, and the child stie with hise britheren; |
[33]Nowe therefore I pray thee, let me thy seruaunt byde here for the lad, and be my lordes bondman, and let the lad go vp with his brethren |
| [34]for Y may not go ayen to my fadir, if the child is absent, lest Y stonde a witnesse of the wretchidnesse that schal oppresse my fadir. |
[34]For howe can I go vp to my father, if the ladde be not with me? vnlesse I woulde see the wretchednesse that shall come on my father |