Page:The Holy Bible faithfvlly translated into English ovt of the authentical Latin, diligently conferred with the Hebrew, Greek, & other Editions in diuers languages.pdf/140

 

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CHAP. XLIII.

 

The famine pressing the land, Iacob willeth his sonnes to goe againe into Ægypt to buy more corne: 3. Who refusing to goe without Beniamin, 11. he is sent with them, and presents and double money, lest the former were brought back by errour. 16. Ioseph seeing Beniamin, 23. deliuereth Simeon, and entertaineth them al at dinner.

 

IN THE meane time the famine did oppresse al the land very sore. ²And the prouision being spent, which they had brought out of Ægypt, Iacob said to his sonnes: Goe againe, and buy vs a little victual. ⁴Iudas answered: That same man denounced vnto vs vnder attestation of an oath, saying: You shal not see my face, vnlesse you bring your yongest brother with you. ⁴If therfore thou wilt send him with vs, we wil goe forward together, and wil buy necessaries for thee: ⁵but if thou wilt not, we wil not goe: for the man, as we haue often said, denounced vnto vs saying: You shal not see my face without your yongest brother. ⁶Israel said to them: You haue done this to my miserie, in that you told him that you had an other brother also. ⁷But they answered: The man asked vs in order our progenie: if our father liued; if we had a brother: and we answered him consequently to that which he demanded: could we know that he would say: Bring hither your brother with you? ⁸Iudas also said to his father: Send the boy with me, that we may set forward, and may liue: lest we and our litle ones die. ⁹I take vpon me the boy: require him of my hand, vnlesse I bring him againe, and restore him to thee, I wil be ^[1] guiltie of sinne against thee for euer. ¹⁰If delay had not been made, we had been come now the second time. ¹¹Therfore Israel their father said to them: If it must needs be so, do that you wil: take of the best fruits of the land in your vessels, and carie to the man for presents, a courtesie of rosen, & of honey, & of incense, of mirhe, of terebinth, and of almonds. ¹²Double money also carie with you: and recarie that you found in your sackes, lest perhaps it was done by an errour: ¹³but take also your brother, and goe to the man. ¹⁴And my God almightie make him fauourable vnto you: and send backe with you your brother, whom he keepeth, and this Beniamin: as for me I shal be desolate without children. ¹⁵The men therfore tooke the presents, & the double money, & Beniamin: & went downe into Ægypt, & stood before Ioseph. ¹⁶Whom when he had seen, & Beniamin withal

1. Guilt of sinne is a greater bond then the life of Rubens sonnes, which he offered, and Iacob yealded on therto; & yet granted to this offer of Iudas.