In the meanwhile famine and hunger oppressed all the land greatly.  And when the corn that they brought from Egypt was consumed, Jacob said to his sons:  Return ye into Egypt and buy for us some meat, that we may live.  Judah answered:  That man said to us, under swearing of great oaths, that:  Ye shall not see my face ne come into my presence, but if ye bring your youngest brother with you.  Therefore if thou wilt send him with us, we shall go together and shall buy for us that shall be necessary, and if thou wilt not we shall not go.  The man said as we oft have said to thee, that if we bring him not we shall not see his visage.  Israel said to them:  This have ye done into my misery, that ye told to him that ye had another brother.  And they answered:  The man demanded of us by order our progeny, if our father lived, if we had any brother.  And we answered him consequently after that he demanded, we wist not what he would say, ne that he said bring your brother with you.  Send the child with us that we may go forth and live, and that we ne our children die not for hunger.  I shall receive thy son, and require him of my hand.  If I lead him not thither and bring him again, I shall be guilty to thee of the sin ever after.  If there had been no delay of this, we had been there and come again by this time.

Then Israel their father said to them:  If it be so necessary as ye say, do ye as ye will; take with you of the best fruits of this land in your vessels, and give ye and present to that man gifts, a little raisins, and honey, storax, stacten, terebinthe, and dates, and bear with you double money, and also the same money that ye found in your sacks, lest there be any error therefore; and take with you Benjamin, your brother.  My God, that is almighty, make him pleasant unto you, and that ye may return in safety with this your brother and him also that he holdeth in prison; I shall be as a man barren therewhiles, without children.  Then the brethren took the gifts and double money and Benjamin, and went forth into Egypt, and came and stood tofore Joseph; whom when he had seen, and Benjamin, he commanded to the steward of his house that he should do slay sheep and calves and make a feast, for these brethren shall dine with me this day.  He did as he was commanded and brought the men unto his lord’s house.

Then were they all afeard and said softly together:  Because of the money that we had in our sacks we be brought in that he take us with the default, and shall by violence bring us and our asses into servitude.  Wherefore they said to the steward of the house, in the gate of the house ere they entered, saying:  We pray thee to hear us:  the last time that we came to buy victual, which when we had bought and departed, and were on our way, for to give our beasts meat we opened our sacks, and we found in the mouth of our sacks our money that we had paid, which we now bring again of the same weight, and we have more other for