So Reu

fraid. Then Jacob their Father said to them, Ye have robb'd me: Jofeph is not, Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin: All these Stories are against me. ben spoke to his Father, and faid, Kill my two Sons, if I deliver him not to you: Give him into my Care, and I will bring him to you again. But he faid, My Son fhall not go down with you; for his Brother is dead, and he alone remains: If Mischief befal him, in the Way as ye go, ye fhall then bring down my grey Hairs with Sorrow to the Grave. But the Famine grew grievous in the Land.

W

CHAP. XLIII.

HEN the Corn was eaten, which they had brought out of Egypt, their Father faid to them, Return and buy us fome Food. Then Judah thus faid to him, The Man thus protesting affured us, Ye shall not fee my Face, unless your Brother is with you. If you will fend our Brother with us, we fhall go, down and buy Food for you; but if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the Man faid to us, Ye fhall not fee my Face, unless your Brother is with you.

Now

Now Ifrael fays, Wherefore dealt

ye

fo ill

by me, as to tell the Man if ye had yet a Brother? They answered, the Man thus enquired ftrictly concerning our Condition, and our Kindred; Is your Father as yet alive? Have ye ever a Brother? We fpoke to him according to the Purport of these Questions: Could we certainly know that he would fay, Bring down your Brother. So Judah faid to Ifrael his Father, Send the Youth with me, and we will get up and go; that we, and you, and our Little ones may live and not die; I fhall answer for him, from me you fhall require him : If I bring him not to you, and place him before you, I fhall always be guilty before you; for unless we had delayed, we might

now have come again the fecond Time. Then their Father Ifrael faid to them, If the Cafe is truly fo, now do this; Take of the best of the Land along with you, and carry down a little Balm, Honey, Spices, Myrrh, Nuts, and Almonds for a Prefent to the Man; take double Money with you, and carry again the Money that was brought back in the Mouths of your Sacks; perhaps it was a Mistake. Take your Brother alfo, and get ye up, and return to the Man: And may the Mighty give you Favour in the Prefence of this Man, that he may fend away your Brother and Benjamin; if I am robb'd, I am T 2 robb'd.

robb'd. Then the Men took the Prefent, and double Money with them, and Benjamin; and rofe up, went down to Egypt, and ftood before Jofeph; who as foon as he faw Benjamin with him, faid to the Overfeer of his own Houfe, Bring these three Men Home, and killing kill, and drefs it; for they fhall dine with me at Noon. The Man did as Jofeph appointed, and brought those Men into Jofeph's House. When they were brought into Jofeph's Houfe, they were afraid, and faid, We are brought in, becaufe of the Money that was returned in our Sacks at the first Time; that he may infult us, fall upon us, and feize us, in order to make Slaves of and take our Affes. Then they came nigh to the Overfeer of Jofeph's House, and spoke with him at the Door of the House, and faid, We came down indeed at first to buy Food; and when we came into the Inn, we opened our Sacks, and every Man's Money appeared in the Mouth of his Sack: Now we have brought our Money of full Weight in our Hands : We have alfo brought other Money with us to buy Food: We cannot tell who put our Money in our Sacks. He answered, Peace be to you; fear not: Your Gods and the Gods of your Fathers have given you Treafure in your Sacks; your Money came to me So he made Simeon come

us,

out

out to them. This Man brought them into Jofeph's Houfe, fet Water, that they might wash their Feet, and gave their Affes Provender; but they prepared a Present against Noon, when Jofeph came; for they heard that they fhould eat Bread. there. When Jofeph came Home, they brought him the Prefent that was with them in the Houfe, and bowed themselves towards the Earth before him. Then he afk'd them about Peace, and faid, Is your Father well? Is the old Man, of whom ye fpoke, yet alive? Then they answered, Your Servant, our Father, is in good Health; he is yet alive: And they bowed" down their Heads, and did him Honour, When he look'd about, he saw his Brother Benjamin, his Mother's Son, and faid, Is this your younger Brother, of whom ye fpoke to me? He also faid to him, May the Gods be favourable to you, my Son. Then Jofeph made hafte, and fought a Place where he might weep; because his Affection to his Brothers grew warm. So he washed his Face, came out, and de-. fifted from weeping, and faid, Bring Bread. They fet down for him by himfelf, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, who did eat with him, by themselves, because they could not eat with the Hebrews; this being an execrable Crime by the Laws of Egypt. So they

fat

fat before him the Eldest according to his Birth-right, and the Youngeft as became him, upon account of his Youth; but the Men look'd one at another like Perfons aftonish'd. He took Meffes for them from before himself; but Benjamin's Mefs was five times as much as any of theirs: So they drank plentifully with him.

H

É thus gave Inftructions to the Overfeer of his House, Fill each of these Mens Sacks with Food, as much as they can carry, but put each Man's Money in the Mouth of his Sack. Put my filver Cup alfo in the Mouth of the youngeft's Sack, along with his Market-Money: So he acted according to the Directions that Jofeph gave him. By the MorningLight, the Men themselves, and their Affes, were fent away. When they were gone out of the City, but not as yet far off, Jofeph faid to the Overfeer of his Houfe, Arife, pursue these Men, and when you have overtaken them, fay to them, Why have ye returned Evil for Good? Is not this the Cup in which my Lord drinketh, and whereby he indeed has trying tried

you?