Genesis 43:1-10 ▼

1 And the dearth was great in the lande.

2 And it came to passe when they had eaten vp the corne which they had brought out of the lande of Egypt, theyr father sayde vnto them: go agayne and bye vs a litle foode.

3 Iuda aunswered him, and sayd, The man did solemply protest vnto vs saying: ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

4 If thou wylt sende our brother with vs, we wyll go downe, and bye thee foode.

5 But yf thou wylt not sende hym, we wyll not go downe: for the man sayde vnto vs, ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

6 And Israel sayd: wherefore dealt ye so cruelly with me, as to tell the man that ye had yet a brother?

7 They aunswered, The man asked vs straytely of our state and of our kinrede, saying: Is your father yet aliue? haue ye not another brother? And we tolde hym accordyng to the tenour of these wordes: Could we by any meane knowe, that he would say, bryng your brother downe with you?

8 The said Iuda vnto Israel his father: send the lad with me, that we may arise and go, and that we may liue, & not dye, yea both we & thou, & also our meany.

9 I wylbe suretie for hym, of my handes shalt thou require hym: yf I bryng hym not to thee agayne, and set him before thine eyes, then let me beare the blame for euer.

10 Truely except we had made this tarying, by this we had returned the seconde tyme.