41:48. And all the abundance of grain was laid up in every city.
41:49. And there was so great abundance of wheat, that it was equal to the sand of the sea, and the plenty exceeded measure.
41:50. And before the famine came, Joseph had two sons born: whom Aseneth, the daughter of Putiphare, priest of Heliopolis, bore unto him.
41:51. And he called the name of the firstborn Mana.s.ses, saying: G.o.d hath made me to forget all my labours, and my father"s house.
Mana.s.ses... That is, oblivion, or forgetting.
41:52. And he named the second Ephraim, saying: G.o.d hath made me to grow in the land of my poverty.
Ephraim... That is, fruitful, or growing.
41:53. Now when the seven years of plenty that had been in Egypt were pa.s.sed:
41:54. The seven years of scarcity, which Joseph had foretold, began to come: and the famine prevailed in the whole world, but there was bread in all the land of Egypt.
41:55. And when there also they began to be famished, the people cried to Pharao, for food. And he said to them: Go to Joseph: and do all that he shall say to you.
41:56. And the famine increased daily in all the land: and Joseph opened all the barns, and sold to the Egyptians: for the famine had oppressed them also.
41:57. And all provinces came into Egypt, to buy food, and to seek some relief of their want.
Genesis Chapter 42
Jacob sendeth his ten sons to buy corn in Egypt. Their treatment by Joseph.
42:1. And Jacob hearing that food was sold in Egypt, said to his sons: Why are ye careless?
42:2. I have heard that wheat is sold in Egypt: Go ye down, and buy us necessaries, that we may live, and not be consumed with want.
42:3. So the ten brethren of Joseph went down, to buy corn in Egypt:
42:4. Whilst Benjamin was kept at home by Jacob, who said to his brethren: Lest perhaps he take any harm in the journey.
42:5. And they entered into the land of Egypt with others that went to buy. For the famine was in the land of Chanaan.
42:6. And Joseph was governor in the land of Egypt, and corn was sold by his direction to the people. And when his brethren had bowed down to him,
42:7. And he knew them, he spoke as it were to strangers, somewhat roughly, asking them: Whence came you? They answered: From the land of Chanaan, to buy necessaries of life.
42:8. And though he knew his brethren, he was not known by them.
42:9. And remembering the dreams, which formerly he had dreamed, he said to them: You are spies. You are come to view the weaker parts of the land.
You are spies... This he said by way of examining them, to see what they would answer.
42:10. But they said: It is not so, my lord; but thy servants are come to buy food.
42:11. We are all the sons of one man: we are come as peaceable men, neither do thy servants go about any evil.
42:12. And he answered them: It is otherwise: you are come to consider the unfenced parts of this land.
42:13. But they said: We thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Chanaan: the youngest is with our father, the other is not living.
42:14. He saith, This is it that I said: You are spies.
42:15. I shall now presently try what you are: by the health of Pharao, you shall not depart hence, until your youngest brother come.
42:16. Send one of you to fetch him: and you shall be in prison, till what you have said be proved, whether it be true or false: or else by the health of Pharao you are spies.
Or else by the health of Pharao you are spies... That is, if these things you say be proved false, you are to be held for spies for your lying, and shall be treated as such. Joseph dealt in this manner with his brethren, to bring them by the means of affliction to a sense of their former sin, and a sincere repentance for it.
42:17. So he put them in prison three days.
42:18. And the third day he brought them out of prison, and said: Do as I have said, and you shall live: for I fear G.o.d.
42:19. If you be peaceable men, let one of your brethren be bound in prison: and go ye your ways, and carry the corn that you have bought, unto your houses.
42:20. And bring your youngest brother to me, that I may find your words to be true, and you may not die. They did as he had said.
42:21. And they talked one to another: We deserve to suffer these things, because we have sinned against our brother, seeing the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear: therefore is this affliction come upon us.
42:22. And Ruben, one of them, said: Did not I say to you: Do not sin against the boy; and you would not hear me? Behold his blood is required.
42:23. And they knew not that Joseph understood, because he spoke to them by an interpreter.
42:24. And he turned himself away a little while, and wept: and returning, he spoke to them.
42:25. And taking Simeon, and binding him in their presence, he commanded his servants to fill their sacks with wheat, and to put every man"s money again in their sacks, and to give them besides provisions for the way: and they did so.
42:26. But they having loaded their a.s.ses with the corn went their way.
42:27. And one of them opening his sack, to give his beast provender in the inn, saw the money in the sack"s mouth,
42:28. And said to his brethren: My money is given me again; behold it is in the sack. And they were astonished, and troubled, and said to one another: What is this that G.o.d hath done unto us?
42:29. And they came to Jacob their father in the land of Chanaan, and they told him all things that had befallen them, saying:
42:30. The lord of the land spoke roughly to us, and took us to be spies of the country.
42:31. And we answered him: We are peaceable men, and we mean no plot.
42:32. We are twelve brethren born of one father: one is not living, the youngest is with our father in the land of Chanaan.
42:33. And he said to us: Hereby shall I know that you are peaceable men: Leave one of your brethren with me, and take ye necessary provision for your houses, and go your ways,
42:34. And bring your youngest brother to me, that I may know you are not spies: and you may receive this man again, that is kept in prison: and afterwards may have leave to buy what you will.