Præcepit autem Joseph dispensatori domus suæ, dicens: Imple saccos eorum frumento, quantum possunt capere: et pone pecuniam singulorum in summitate sacci.

And Joseph commanded the steward of his house, saying: Fill their sacks with corn, as much as they can hold: and put the money of every one in the top of his sack.

And Joseph gave orders to his steward; Fill their sacks with corn, as full as they can hold, and enclose in each man’s sack the money he has paid.

Scyphum autem meum argenteum, et pretium quod dedit tritici, pone in ore sacci junioris. Factumque est ita.

And in the mouth of the younger’s sack put my silver cup, and the price which he gave for the wheat. And it was so done.

And when it comes to the youngest, enclose in his sack not only the money he paid for his corn, but my silver cup as well. His command was obeyed;

Et orto mane, dimissi sunt cum asinis suis.

And when the morning arose, they were sent away with their asses.

and now morning came, and they were given leave to depart, with their asses.

Jamque urbem exierant, et processerant paululum: tunc Joseph accersito dispensatore domus, Surge, inquit, et persequere viros: et apprehensis dicito: Quare reddidistis malum pro bono?

And when they were now departed out of the city, and had gone forward a little way; Joseph sending for the steward of his house, said: Arise, and pursue after the men: and when thou hast overtaken them, say to them: Why have you returned evil for good?

They had left the city and passed on a little further, when Joseph summoned his steward; Bestir thyself, he said, and go in pursuit of these men. When thou overtakest them, say, This is a poor return to make for the kindness you have received;

scyphus, quem furati estis, ipse est in quo bibit dominus meus, et in quo augurari solet: pessimam rem fecistis.

The cup which you have stolen is that in which my lord drinketh, and in which he is wont to divine: you have done a very evil thing.

you have stolen my master’s cup, the one from which he drinks, and takes omens; you have done him a great wrong.

Fecit ille ut jusserat: et apprehensis per ordinem locutus est.

He did as he had commanded him. And having overtaken them, he spoke to them the same words.

The steward obeyed, and as soon as he overtook them, delivered his message by rote.

Qui responderunt: Quare sic loquitur dominus noster, ut servi tui tantum flagitii commiserint?

And they answered: Why doth our lord speak so, as though thy servants had committed so heinous a fact?

What a charge is this, my lord, they answered, to bring against thy servants! That we should have been guilty of such a shameful deed!

pecuniam, quam invenimus in summitate saccorum, reportavimus ad te de terra Chanaan: et quomodo consequens est ut furati simus de domo domini tui aurum vel argentum?

The money, that we found in the top of our sacks, we brought back to thee from the land of Chanaan: how then should it be that we should steal out of thy lord’s house, gold or silver?

When we found our money enclosed in the mouths of our sacks, we brought it back to thee all the way from Chanaan; is it likely we would rob thy master’s house of gold or silver?

apud quemcumque fuerit inventum servorum tuorum quod quæris, moriatur, et nos erimus servi domini nostri.

With whomsoever of thy servants shall be found that which thou seekest, let him die, and we will be the bondmen of my lord.

If the cup that is missing should be found in possession of any of us, let him pay for it with his life; and we, too, will be slaves in our lord’s service.

Qui dixit eis: Fiat juxta vestram sententiam: apud quemcumque fuerit inventum, ipse sit servus meus, vos autem eritis innoxii.

And he said to them: Let it be according to your sentence: with whomsoever it shall be found, let him be my servant, and you shall be blameless.

I accept this test of yours, said he; the man in whose possession it is found, shall be my slave, and the rest of you go clear.

Itaque festinato deponentes in terram saccos, aperuerunt singuli.

Then they speedily took down their sacks to the ground, and every man opened his sack.

So, with all haste, they lowered their sacks to the ground, and began opening them one by one.

Quos scrutatus, incipiens a majore usque ad minimum, invenit scyphum in sacco Benjamin.

Which when he had searched, beginning at the eldest and ending at the youngest, he found the cup in Benjamin’s sack.

And he began with the eldest, and examined each in turn, till at last he found the cup in Benjamin’s sack.

At illi, scissis vestibus, oneratisque rursum asinis, reversi sunt in oppidum.

Then they rent their garments, and loading their asses again, returned into the town.

And now they tore their garments about them, loaded their asses again, and went back to the city.

Primusque Judas cum fratribus ingressus est ad Joseph (necdum enim de loco abierat) omnesque ante eum pariter in terram corruerunt.

And Juda at the head of his brethren went in to Joseph, (for he was not yet gone out of the place,) and they altogether fell down before him on the ground.

Joseph was awaiting them there, and Juda led his brethren into Joseph’s presence, where they all bowed face to the earth before him.

Quibus ille ait: Cur sic agere voluistis? an ignoratis quod non sit similis mei in augurandi scientia?

And he said to them: Why would you do so? know you not that there is no one like me in the science of divining.

What moved you, said he, to do this? Surely you must know that I have powers of divining such as no other man has?

Cui Judas: Quid respondebimus, inquit, domino meo? vel quid loquemur, aut juste poterimus obtendere? Deus invenit iniquitatem servorum tuorum: en omnes servi sumus domini mei, et nos, et apud quem inventus est scyphus.

And Juda said to him: What shall we answer my lord? or what shall we say, or be able justly to allege? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are all bondmen to my lord, both we, and he with whom the cup was found.

My lord, said Juda, what answer can we make? What plea can we offer in our defence? We are guilty men, and God would not let it pass unnoticed; and now all of us, not only he in whose possession the cup was found, will be thy slaves.

Respondit Joseph: Absit a me ut sic agam: qui furatus est scyphum, ipse sit servus meus: vos autem abite liberi ad patrem vestrum.

Joseph answered: God forbid that I should do so: he that stole the cup, he shall be my bondman: and go you away free to your father.

God forbid I should ask that, answered Joseph; no, the thief who stole the cup shall be my slave; the rest of you may go back to your father as free men.

Accedens autem propius Judas, confidenter ait: Oro, domine mi, loquatur servus tuus verbum in auribus tuis, et ne irascaris famulo tuo: tu es enim post Pharaonem

Then Juda coming nearer, said boldly: I beseech thee, my lord, let thy servant speak a word in thy ears, and be not angry with thy servant: for after Pharao thou art.

At this, Juda made bold to draw nearer him; My lord, he said, let thy servant speak a word for thy own hearing, without earning thy displeasure, Pharao’s viceroy though thou art, and my sovereign lord.

dominus meus. Interrogasti prius servos tuos: Habetis patrem aut fratrem?

My lord. Thou didst ask thy servants the first time: Have you a father or a brother?

When thou didst ask us whether we had a father or a brother living,

et nos respondimus tibi domino meo: Est nobis pater senex, et puer parvulus, qui in senectute illius natus est: cujus uterinus frater mortuus est: et ipsum solum habet mater sua, pater vero tenere diligit eum.

And we answered thee, my lord: We have a father an old man, and a young boy, that was born in his old age; whose brother by the mother is dead: and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him tenderly.

our answer was, My lord, we have a father well advanced in years, and one of his sons is still with him, the youngest, who was born to him in his old age. There was another son by the same mother, but he is dead, and now only this one recalls his mother’s memory, so that his father loves him dearly.

Dixistique servis tuis: Adducite eum ad me, et ponam oculos meos super illum.

And thou saidst to thy servants: Bring him hither to me, and I will set my eyes on him.

Upon this, thou didst bid us bring the boy to thee and let thee have sight of him.

Suggessimus domino meo: Non potest puer relinquere patrem suum: si enim illum dimiserit, morietur.

We suggested to my lord: The boy cannot leave his father: for if he leave him, he will die.

My lord, we urged, our father cannot do without the boy; the parting would kill him.

Et dixisti servis tuis: Nisi venerit frater vester minimus vobiscum, non videbitis amplius faciem meam.

And thou saidst to thy servants: Except your youngest brother come with you, you shall see my face no more.

But thou didst warn thy servants, You shall never have audience of me again, unless you bring your youngest brother with you.

Cum ergo ascendissemus ad famulum tuum patrem nostrum, narravimus ei omnia quæ locutus est dominus meus.

Therefore when we were gone up to thy servant our father, we told him all that my lord had said.

Then we went back to our father, and told him of the warning which thou, his master and ours, hadst given us.

Et dixit pater noster: Revertimini, et emite nobis parum tritici.

And our father said: Go again, and buy us a little wheat.

And when our father bade us come here again and buy a little bread,

Cui diximus: Ire non possumus: si frater noster minimus descenderit nobiscum, proficiscemur simul: alioquin illo absente, non audemus videre faciem viri.

And we said to him: We cannot go: if our youngest brother go down with us, we will set out together: otherwise, without him we dare not see the man’s face.

we told him we could not, unless our youngest brother was allowed to come down with us. In his company, we said, we will go willingly enough, but we dare not face the man we told thee of without him.

Ad quæ ille respondit: Vos scitis quod duos genuerit mihi uxor mea.

Whereunto he answered: You know that my wife bore me two.

You know, he answered, that my own wife only bore me two sons;

Egressus est unus, et dixistis: Bestia devoravit eum: et hucusque non comparet.

One went out, and you said: A beast devoured him: and hitherto he appeareth not.

I let one of them go out of my sight, and your news was, that some beast had made a prey of him; he was never seen again.

Si tuleritis et istum, et aliquid ei in via contigerit, deducetis canos meos cum mœrore ad inferos.

If you take this also, and any thing befall him in the way, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow unto hell.

If you take this one too, and any harm befalls him on the way, you will send an old man sorrowing to the grave.

Igitur si intravero ad servum tuum patrem nostrum, et puer defuerit (cum anima illius ex hujus anima pendeat),

Therefore if I shall go to thy servant our father, and the boy be wanting, (whereas his life dependeth upon the life of him,)

My lord, shall I present myself before my father, and the boy not with me? His life is bound up with his son’s,

videritque eum non esse nobiscum, morietur, et deducent famuli tui canos ejus cum dolore ad inferos.

And he shall see that he is not with us, he will die, and thy servants shall bring down his gray hairs with sorrow unto hell.

and if he finds we have not brought him with us, it will be the death of him; must we bring an old man to the grave in sorrow?

Ego proprie servus tuus sim qui in meam hunc recepi fidem, et spopondi dicens: Nisi reduxero eum, peccati reus ero in patrem meum omni tempore.

Let me be thy proper servant, who took him into my trust, and promised, saying: If I bring him not again, I will be guilty of sin against my father for ever.

Enslave me instead; with full justice, I made myself answerable for him. If I do not bring him back, I said, I will never claim my own father’s forgiveness.

Manebo itaque servus tuus pro puero in ministerio domini mei, et puer ascendat cum fratribus suis.

Therefore I thy servant will stay instead of the boy in the service of my lord, and let the boy go up with his brethren.

I, therefore, my lord, would be left here as thy servant, to wait upon thee in his stead; let the boy go home with his brethren.

Non enim possum redire ad patrem meum, absente puero: ne calamitatis, quæ oppressura est patrem meum, testis assistam.

For I cannot return to my father without the boy, lest I be a witness of the calamity that will oppress my father.

Should I go back to my father without him, and witness the blow that strikes my father down?