And the lorde of the countre sayde vnto us: hereby shall I knowe yf ye meane truely: leaue one of youre brethern here with me/ and take foode necessary for youre housholdes and get you awaye/ and brynge youre yongest brother vnto me And thereby shall I knowe that ye are no spyes/ but meane truely: So will I delyuer you youre brother agayne/ and ye shall occupie in the lande.
And as they emptied their sackes/ beholde: euerymans bundell of money was in his sacke And when both they and their father sawe the bundells of money/ they were afrayde.
And Iacob their father sayde vnto them: Me haue ye robbed of my childern: Ioseph is away/ and Simeon is awaye/ and ye will take Ben Iamin awaye. All these thinges fall vpon me. Ruben answered his father saynge: Slee my two sonnes/ yf I bringe him not to the agayne. Delyuer him therfore to my honde/ and I will brynge him to the agayne: And he sayde: my sonne shall not go downe with you. For his brother is dead/ and he is left alone Moreouer some mysfortune myght happen vpon him by the waye which ye goo. And so shuld ye brynge my gray head with sorowe vnto the graue.
¶ The .xliij. Chapter.
ANd the derth waxed sore in the lande. And when they had eate vp that corne which they brought out of the lande of Egipte/ their father sayde vnto them: goo agayne and by vs a litle food. Than sayde Iuda vnto him: the man dyd testifie vnto vs saynge: loke that ye see not my face excepte youre brother be with you. Therfore yf thou wilt sende oure brother with vs/ we wyll goo and bye the food. But yf thou wylt not sende him/ we wyll not goo: for the man sayde vnto vs: loke that ye see not my face/ excepte youre brother be with you.
And Israell sayde: wherfore delt ye so cruelly with me/ as to tell the man that ye had yet another brother? And they sayde: The man asked vs of oure kynred saynge: is youre father yet alyue? haue ye not another brother? And we tolde him acordynge to these wordes. How cowd we knowe that he wolde byd vs brynge oure brother downe with vs? Than sayde Iuda vnto Israell his father: Send the lad with me/ and we wyll ryse and goo/ that we maye lyue and not dye: both we/ thou and also oure childern. I wilbe suertie for him/ and of my handes requyre him. Yf I brynge him not to the and sett him before thine eyes/ than let me bere the blame for euer. For except we had made this tariẽg: by this we had bene there twyse and come agayne.
Than their father Israel sayde vnto thẽ: Yf it must nedes be so now: than do thus/ take of the best frutes of the lande in youre vesselles/ and brynge the man a present/ a curtesie bawlme/ and a curtesie of hony/ spyces and myrre/ dates and almondes. And take as moch money more with you. And the money that was brought agayne in youre sackes/ take it agayne with you in youre handes/ peraduenture it was some ouersyghte.
Take also youre brother with you/ and aryse and goo agayne to the man. And God almightie geue you mercie in the sighte of the man and send you youre other brother and also Bẽ Iamin/ and I wilbe as a mã robbed of his childern.
Thus toke they the present and twise so moch more money with them/ and Ben Iamim. And rose vp/ went downe to Egipte/ and presented them selfe to Ioseph. When Ioseph sawe Ben Iamin with them/ he sayde to the ruelar of his house: brynge these men home/ and sley and make redie: for they shall dyne with me at none. And the man dyd as Ioseph bad/ and brought them in to Iosephs house.