On the 31st day of March
From the «Lives of the Saints» of St. Demetrius (Dimitri) of Rostov
Prologue: Joseph, the Type of Christ, Son of Jacob and Rachel
Since in the month of March our Lord, for our salvation, both took flesh and was pleased to be given over to death, and Joseph the Beautiful, the son of Jacob, whom his brothers betrayed in Egypt, was His type among the forefathers, therefore the life of that Joseph, who foreshadowed the Passion of the Saviour, was appointed to be added here, under March. And it is written thus. The blessed Joseph, beautiful in body and soul, was the son of Jacob, the patriarch of the Old Testament, the grandson of Isaac, and the great-grandson of Abraham. He was born of Jacob’s second wife Rachel, who at first was barren. And when God heard her and opened her womb for the bearing of children, she bore first this boy Joseph, who was the eleventh son to Jacob; and after him she bore a second, named Benjamin, who was the twelfth son of Israel. And after Benjamin’s birth Rachel died of sickness and was buried at Ephrathah, that is, at Bethlehem. And both the sons born of Rachel, Joseph and Benjamin, were very dear to Jacob, for God gave them to him in his old age, and in them he had the memory of his most beloved wife Rachel, being wounded by her death with a most strong sorrow. So much did he love her that for her sake he laboured fourteen years for Laban, his father-in-law. Moreover, both children were good in temper, chaste, and worthy of love.
His Father’s Love, the Grace in the Youth, and the Hatred of His Brothers
And the blessed Joseph was most of all such a one, in whom from his youth the grace of the Holy Spirit had settled. And when he was seventeen years old, he pastured his father’s sheep with his brothers, born of other mothers; and seeing the sins and iniquities of his brothers, he loathed their evil deeds, but loved their souls — and desiring their amendment, he told his father Jacob of a few of those many deeds, that he might chastise them as a father, and take away the wrath of God from his house. And Jacob, seeing in Joseph such sense and understanding, full of chastity and the fear of God, loved him most of all his sons, and made him a fine garment. And because of this his brothers hated Joseph exceedingly: both because he did not join in their evil deeds and reported them to his father, and because his father loved him above them. And they could not speak anything peaceable to him, but also cast evil reproach upon him, making slanders against him before his father. Yet Jacob did not believe them, knowing well Joseph’s innocence. And meanwhile the Holy Spirit, who dwelt in Joseph, began to reveal to him, as to a young prophet, his future in visions of sleep. And not hiding this, he foretold it to his father and his brothers. “Hear,” he said, “my dream, which I have seen. I seemed to be in the midst of the field, binding sheaves, and my sheaf stood upright, and your sheaves, standing around, bowed down to my sheaf.” And his brothers concluded that “one day, reigning, you will reign over us, or, ruling, you will rule over us.” And they began to hate him yet more for such a dream.
The Two Dreams, the Father’s Reproof, and the Journey to Shechem
Then he saw a second dream and told it to his father and his brothers. “I saw,” he said, “the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars bowing down to me.” And hearing this, his father rebuked him, saying: “What is this dream? Shall I and your mother [Leah, your stepmother] with your brothers come and bow down to the earth before you?” And though his father rebuked him on account of his brothers, that they might not rebel against him, yet he kept that saying in his heart, saying to himself: “What shall this be? I think the Lord wishes to grant His mercy to this virtuous boy.” And he rejoiced in spirit because of it. But his brothers were seized with great anger against him and thought evil of him. And once, when they were pasturing sheep at Shechem, it happened that Joseph was with his father in the valley of Hebron. And their father Jacob, as a man loving his children, took care for those who were at Shechem. And he said to Joseph, his beloved son: “Go, child, to your brothers and see whether they and their flocks are well. And return quickly to me.” And fulfilling his father’s command, Joseph went to his brothers, to bring them peace from his father’s presence. And Benjamin was still a small boy, and remained with his father. And walking through the wilderness of Shechem, Joseph did not find his brothers with their flocks. And being troubled by this, he met a certain man, who asked him: “What are you seeking, young man?” And he answered: “I am seeking my brothers; tell me of them, if you know where they are pasturing.” And the man said to him: “They have gone from here; I heard them say: let us go to Dothan. And I showed them the road there.” And Joseph went after his brothers and found them at Dothan. And seeing them from afar, he was joyful, loving them all. And they also saw him from afar. And before he came near to them, they raged against him like wild beasts, and devised evil against him: they resolved to kill him. And they said to one another: “Behold, that dreamer comes; today let us kill him and cast him into a pit. And we will say: ‘A beast has eaten him.’ And we shall see how his dreams come true.”
The Beating, the Plea, and the Adjuration by the God of the Fathers
And hearing this, Reuben, the eldest brother, wishing to save Joseph from the murderous hands of his brothers, said to them: “Do not kill him, do not shed your brother’s blood, but cast him into that pit in the wilderness, and let him die there by himself, and do not lay hands on him.” And Reuben said this, striving to save the innocent youth from death, and, having secretly drawn him out of the pit, to send him back to his father. And Joseph was then like an innocent lamb, knowing nothing of his brothers’ evil; he came to them and greeted them courteously, bringing peace from his father’s presence. And they at once, like beasts, rose up against him and stripped from him the many-coloured garment in which he was clothed. And each gnashed at him with his teeth, to devour him alive. And with their malice they showed a wild and merciless countenance towards the boy, beating him with their fists and abasing him with mockery. And seeing himself in trouble, having from them no mercy at all, Joseph began to plead. And beseeching them, he said: “Why are you angry, I beg you? Leave me a little, that I may pray, O my brothers! My mother is dead, and my father weeps for her to this day, every day. Do you wish also to add a second mourning to our father, like the first unceasing mourning? I beg you all, do not separate me from my father, that his old age may not go down with sorrow into hell.
The Waterless Pit, and the First Lament to His Father
I adjure you all by the God of our fathers — Abraham, Isaac and Jacob — the God who commanded Abraham to go out of his land and from his father’s house and to come into a good land, which He promised to give him, and to multiply his seed as the stars of heaven and the sand on the seashore, beyond number. By God the Most High I adjure you, who granted patience to Abraham, who offered Isaac his son as a sacrifice, and delivered Isaac from death, and gave Abraham a sheep in his place for the slaughter. By the holy God I adjure you: grant the blessing to Jacob our father from the mouth of Isaac his father — which went down with him to Haran in Mesopotamia, from where Abraham went out and delivered him from sorrow. I adjure you and beg you that I may not be separated from Jacob by death, as Rachel also was. Let not Jacob weep for me as he weeps for Rachel. Let not the eyes of Jacob grow dim, who waits for my coming to him. Send me to my father. Accept my tears, and let me go to him.” And when he so adjured them by the God of their fathers, the wicked brothers were not at all inclined to mercy, nor did they fear God — but dragged Joseph to the pit. And he, clinging to the feet of them all, wept and said: “My brothers, have mercy on me.” And they cast him into the pit in the wilderness. And that pit had once been a deep and dark well, but afterwards the water in it dried up, and the pit was empty.
The Dove, and the Earth that Cried Out for Abel
And sitting there, Joseph wept with bitter tears and great lamentation, and called upon his father: “Have compassion, father Jacob, on what has befallen your child; behold, I am cast into a pit, as though dead. You hope to see me returning to you, father — but I lie today in a pit, like a robber. You yourself, father, said to me: ‘Go and visit your brothers and their flocks, and return quickly.’ And behold, they, like wild wolves, beat me and in anger separated me from you, good father. You shall no longer see me, nor hear my voice, nor shall your old age ever rejoice for me, nor shall I see your venerable grey hairs, for I am buried worse than a dead man. Weep, father, for your child, as your child weeps for you, his father, for so have I been separated from your presence from my childhood. Who would give me a dove that could speak with human speech, that, flying here, it might tell your old age of my weeping? My tears are already spent, father, and my throat has fallen silent from sighing, for there is no one to help. O earth, O earth, that cried out to the holy God for righteous Abel, killed without justice, as the report is, older than our great-grandfathers! As you cried out then for the blood of the righteous one, O earth, so now cry out also for me to Jacob my father, telling him plainly what has befallen me from my brothers.” And so Joseph in the pit wept inconsolably, even to exhaustion.
The Feast of the Brothers, the Ishmaelites, and the Twenty Pieces of Silver
But the wild brothers, after they had cast Joseph into the pit, sat down to eat and drink with joy. And as those who have overcome an enemy or taken a city, so they triumphed and reclined with gladness. And eating and drinking in great joy, they lifted up their eyes and saw that Ishmaelite merchants were coming from Gilead to Egypt with camels, which carried spicery, and stacte, and other aromatics. And Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, said to his brothers: “What profit is there to us if we kill our brother and hide his blood? Let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let them take him far away. And he will die in a foreign land, and our hand will not be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.” And the other brothers listened to his words, and went and drew Joseph out of the pit. And when the Ishmaelite merchants passed by them, they sold him for twenty pieces of silver. And Joseph was led into a foreign land. And Reuben was not there when Joseph’s brothers sold him — he had gone somewhere. And when, returning, he came to the pit and did not see Joseph in the pit, he rent his clothes and went to his brothers, saying: “The boy is not in the pit, and where shall I go, and how shall I endure the lamentation of our father for him?” And Reuben mourned for Joseph.
The Tomb of Rachel at Ephrathah, and the Lament Over It
And the merchants, taking Joseph, went on. And they came to the place where the tomb of Rachel was at Ephrathah — for there she died, when Jacob was returning from Mesopotamia. And when Joseph saw the tomb of his mother Rachel, he ran and fell upon the tomb, and lifted up his voice, and began to weep with bitter tears, and cried out in the bitterness of his soul, saying thus: “Rachel, my mother, rise up from the earth and look upon Joseph, whom you loved. Look at what has befallen him! Behold, strangers lead him away into Egypt, to whom the hands of his brothers sold him, like a thief. My brothers sold me naked into slavery. And Jacob does not know that I am sold. Open to me, my mother, and receive me into your tomb. Let your tomb be a tomb for you and for me. O Rachel, receive your child, that I may not await another death in a foreign land. Receive, O Rachel, him who was unexpectedly separated from Jacob, as he was separated also from you. Hear, my mother, the sighing of my heart and my bitter weeping, and receive me into your tomb. For already my eyes cannot shed tears, and my soul is exhausted from weeping and sighing. O Rachel, Rachel, do you not hear the voice of your son Joseph? Behold, I am led away from you with difficulty, and you do not wish to keep me with you. I called upon Jacob — and he did not hear my voice. Behold, today I call upon you also, but you do not wish to hear me. Let me die here upon your tomb, that I may not go into a foreign land like a thief.” And when the Ishmaelites who had bought Joseph saw that he ran and fell upon the tomb, they said among themselves: “Behold, this young man works charms and wishes to bewitch us, that he may flee from us. Let us take him and bind him firmly, that he may do us no harm.” And coming up to him, they said in anger: “Rise up and cease from charming, lest we run you through over the tomb — for we shall lose the silver which we gave for you.” And when he rose up, they all saw his face, swollen from bitter weeping, and each began to ask him gently: “Why do you weep so strongly, ever since you saw the tomb that stands in this place? But now, having driven fear out of your heart, tell us boldly what your affair is, and why you were sold. For those shepherds who sold you to us said: ‘Watch him, lest he flee from you on the way; but if he flees — we are without guilt, for we have told you.’
The Questioning of the Merchants, and Joseph’s Account
Therefore tell us the truth: whose slave are you? Of those shepherds? Or of some other free man? And tell us why you fell upon this tomb with love. For we have bought you and are your masters; tell us, as a slave, everything about yourself. For if you hide anything from us, to whom are you to tell it, since you are our slave? And because those shepherds told us that you wish to flee from us, therefore we were troubled; but be comforted, and tell us plainly: who are you? You appear to us as though free, and do not wish to be taken for a slave, but as a beloved brother. We see in you great freedom and great understanding in a good disposition, and you are worthy to stand before a king and to have honour with the nobles. And your beauty shows this, that you are appointed to great authority. Be therefore a close friend to us there, where we are leading you, for who would not love such a boy, who shows nobility in his face, with fair and wise eyes?” And answering, Joseph said to them with a sigh: “I was neither a slave, nor a thief, nor a sorcerer, nor have I sinned in anything, that I should be sold to you. But I am the beloved son of my father, and also of my mother, when she was alive, her most beloved child. And those shepherds are my brothers, to whom our father sent me to see whether they were well — being a lover of his children, he cared for them, for they had tarried long in those mountains, and therefore he sent me to learn of them. And they took me and sold me to you into slavery, and in fierce envy cast me away from my father, for they could not bear to see the love with which my father loved me. And this tomb that stands is my mother’s. When my father was going from Haran to the place where he had lived before, my mother died here and was buried in this tomb.”
The Bloodied Garment, and the Lamentation of Jacob
And hearing this, they wept over him and said: “Do not fear, O young man. You go to great honour in Egypt, for your countenance is a witness of your nobility. Do not grieve, but rather rejoice, for you have been removed from your envious brothers, who hated you without cause.” And Joseph’s brothers, after they had sold him, brought a goat, and killed it, and having stained Joseph’s garment with blood, sent it to their father Jacob, saying: “This garment we found cast in the mountains, and we recognised it as the garment of Joseph our brother. And we are all in sorrow because of him, and therefore, father, we send you this many-coloured garment of Joseph, not having found our brother. Do you also discern whether this is your son’s garment, for we have all recognised it as Joseph’s.” And when Jacob saw his son’s garment, he cried out with weeping and bitter lamentation, saying: “This is my son’s garment; a fierce beast has eaten my son.” And Jacob rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon himself, and lamented with sighs, saying: “Why was I not eaten instead of my son? Why did that beast not meet me, to be filled with me, and leave you, my son? Why did that beast not tear me to pieces? Why did I not become food for it? Woe is me, woe is me, my inward parts are troubled for Joseph. Woe is me, woe is me, where is my son slain, that I might go and tear my grey hairs over his beauty? For I no longer wish to live, not seeing Joseph. I am the cause of your death, child; I, child, have killed you, by sending you into the wilderness to see your brothers with their flocks. I shall weep and grieve all the time, until I go down into hell, my son. Instead of your dead body I lay your garment, O Joseph, before my tearful eyes. But behold, your garment again leads me into new grief, my son — for it is whole, and, as I think, no beast has eaten you, but you have been stripped and beaten by human hands. For if, as your brothers say, a beast ate you, your garment would have been torn to pieces, for a beast does not wait first to strip and then to be filled with flesh. Or if he had first stripped the garment from you and then eaten you — your garment would have remained without blood. But on your garment there are no marks of tearing by claws or of seizing by teeth; then where does the blood on your garment come from?
Two Sorrows, Two Mournings, and Many Days of Lamentation
If it was only a beast in the wilderness, and not the hands of robbers, then I also would have had one sorrow and one lamentation, for your being eaten by a beast, and not for your being killed by the hands of robbers. Let me grieve over Joseph and lament over the garments. Two sorrows and two lamentations. I shall weep greatly for the garments that were stripped off, and for how my child was eaten or killed. Let me die, O Joseph, my light and my support; let your garment go down with me into hell, for I do not wish to see this world without you, my son Joseph.” And Jacob mourned for Joseph many days. And all his sons and daughters gathered and came to comfort him, and he would not be comforted, saying: “Let me go down to my son, grieving, into hell.” And he wept bitterly. And the Ishmaelites, leading Joseph swiftly to Egypt, hoped to take much gold from some nobleman for him, for his beauty. And as they passed through an Egyptian city, Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard, met them, and seeing Joseph, asked them, saying: “Tell me, merchants, where is this young man from, for he is not of your countenance. You are all Ishmaelites, but this one is beautiful.” And they answered, saying: “This boy is very noble and very intelligent.” And he, giving them the price they wanted, bought Joseph of them with love, and brought him into his house, and questioned him in every way, wishing to learn of his life.
Potiphar’s Purchase, and the Governance of the House
And a true branch of the venerable seed — of righteous Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob — he grew in the virtues and in great humility in the house of Potiphar, and the Lord was with him. And he lived purely and blamelessly, and one could know from his eyes and his words the chastity and the fear of God which he kept. For he always had before his eyes the all-seeing God of his fathers, who delivered him from the pit of death and from the hatred of his brothers. Yet his heart was in sorrow because of his father Jacob. And he found grace before his master, pleasing him. And Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph, and ordered all things well in his hands — and he set him as master, as himself, over all his house, and gave into his hands all that he had: his estates, his villages, and his slaves, and all the governance of the household. And Potiphar had charge of nothing at all, except the bread which he ate at his table: for he saw Joseph to be very faithful in everything, and saw that his estate was multiplied in Joseph’s hands — God blessed the house of the Egyptians for Joseph’s sake. And there was great joy among the male and female slaves, for by Joseph’s governance they lived well in full abundance. And Joseph was fair of countenance and beautiful of form, and his mistress, Potiphar’s wife, was wounded by his beauty, and her heart was kindled with a satanic love for him, and she greatly desired to be with him, and strove to draw the pure and chaste youth into the pit of fornication. And she made many wiles daily to seduce the young man, changing her clothes at every hour, and washing her face, and anointing it, and hanging necklaces upon her neck. And with satanic signs and abominable laughter, with amorous words, she flattered the soul of the venerable man — but she herself perished the sooner by those wiles of hers.
The Wiles of the Mistress, and Joseph’s Refusal
But Joseph, hedged about by the fear of God, neither looked with his eye at her adornments, nor thought of her with his mind, but set God before himself and was hedged about by His fear. And she saw that the work of her great adornments was in vain, and burned with a greater flame of fornication, and being greatly inflamed, did not know what more to do to the chaste youth. And afterwards she resolved to call him to the unseemly deed with shameless words: for the serpent’s poison of impurity was in her. And vomiting from her mouth, she spoke shamelessly thus: “Be with me, fear nothing, but dare with me, let me take my fill of your beauty. Do you also take your fill of my beauty, fear no one, for all the servants are under our hand, and you rule over all the house. No one dares to come in to us, nor to hear our conversation, nor to see our deed. And if, fearing my husband, you do not wish to do this, then I will kill him, giving him poison.” But the pure youth, guarding himself from sin, invincible in soul and body, did not sink into such a storm, but rejected from himself everything that she said, for the fear of God, and with a chaste disposition answered her with venerable words: “I am not to commit this sin with you, my mistress — I fear God. My master has committed all his estate to me: in the house and in the fields. And there is no thing that is not in my keeping, except you, my mistress. It is unrighteous to reject such love of my master and to do so evil a thing in his house. And also to provoke God, who sees all the secrets of men.”
Prayer to God, and the Calling Upon Jacob
These venerable words Joseph spoke to his mistress, teaching and forbidding her. But that serpent did not listen at all, but was the more inflamed with the passion of pleasure that boiled in her, and waited for an hour, and sought a convenient time, wishing to force Joseph into iniquity. And Joseph, seeing the woman who wished to seduce him, lifted up his eyes to the God of his fathers and often prayed, saying thus: “O God of my fathers, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, deliver me from this trouble, for You Yourself see the madness of the woman, who wishes to kill me secretly by an evil deed. O Master, who saved me from the murderous hands of my brothers, deliver me also here from this wicked beast, that I may not be estranged by evil deeds from my fathers, who love You greatly, O Lord.” And so praying and sighing, he called upon Jacob with love: “O Jacob, my father, pray earnestly for me to God. Pray, father, for a great struggle has risen up against me, which wishes to separate me from God. For this sinful death from the woman is worse than that which my brothers prepared for me. For that death wished to kill my body, but this death wishes to separate my soul from God. And I know, father, that your prayers went up to the holy God for me, and therefore I was saved from the pit of death; do you therefore pray again for me to the Most High, that I may be delivered from the sinful pit, which has befallen your child — from the woman, I say, who has neither shame nor the fear of God. When I came to my brothers, they were to me like beasts, and cast me away from you, like wild wolves; but behold, here again another fierce beast has met me. Pray, venerable father, for your son Joseph, that I may not die in soul before our God.” And every day the mistress flattered him, but Joseph would not listen to her; and she sought a convenient hour, to draw him to herself by force. And it came to pass one day: Joseph came into the house for certain necessary affairs, and such a time came about, when none of the household was at home.
The Garment in the Mistress’s Hands, the Flight, and the Slander
And the mistress seized him by the garment and dragged him to herself onto the bed, shamelessly baring herself before him and forcing him to unlawful mingling. And the chaste and holy youth, seeing the exceeding shamelessness of that woman, turned his face away from her shamelessness, and tore himself away by force from her, leaving his upper garment in her hands, and ran out, and so tore apart all the nets of the devil. For as an eagle, seeing the fowler, flies higher, so Joseph did, fleeing from the woman’s hands, that he might not die sinfully, caught in her nets. And the woman, seeing that Joseph had fled from her hands, was greatly ashamed, and also frightened, and was in great fear, and thought how she might lie against the righteous man, and with fierce words compose a slander against him before her husband, that, hearing it, the man might be kindled with jealousy and fury and kill Joseph. And the woman said to herself: “It is better that Joseph die, and I receive relief, for I cannot bear to see in my house such beauty, of the pleasure of which I am deprived, and by which I am despised.” And lifting up her voice loudly, the woman called the male and female slaves and said to them: “Do you see what that Hebrew slave has done? My husband set him over all the house, but he wished shamelessly to violate me also. It was not enough for him to have authority over my house, but he wished to take me also from my husband. He came to me, saying: ‘Be with me.’ And I cried out with a loud voice, as you heard. And he was frightened, and left his garment with me, and ran out.” And all who heard this marvelled at such an unexpected deed, for no one expected that Joseph was so shameless.
An Unjust Sentence, the Prison, and the Two Nobles
And when her husband came from the royal chambers, she, taking Joseph’s garment, showed it to her husband, accusing him as though she were chaste, and saying: “You have brought a Hebrew boy to mock us. Did you incite him, to do such a thing to me, your wife, for mockery and shame? Seeing me alone at home, he wished to violate me. And if I had not lifted up my voice, and if the household had not quickly run to me, he would have accomplished the lawless deed by force. I, being weak, could not have slipped out of his strong hands. But when he saw that I cried out loudly, and heard the tramp of the household running to me, then he fled from me and left his garment.” And hearing such lying words of his wife, Potiphar at once believed. And being filled with great anger, he commanded that Joseph be cast into prison in fetters, not even remembering the blessings of God which were in his house and in his fields because of Joseph. And he did not examine the words, whether what was said was true, but at once pronounced an unjust sentence upon the righteous and innocent boy. But the God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, testing the hearts of all men, was with Joseph, and sent upon him His mercies, that he might find grace before the keeper of the prison. And he lived at ease: for the Lord does not forsake those who fear Him. And Joseph was in the trust of the keeper of the prison, as he had been with Potiphar — for the keeper of the prison committed everything to him, seeing him faithful in all things. And after this two men who served Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, sinned before him — the chief of the bakers and the chief of the butlers. And Pharaoh was very angry with his servants, and commanded that they be cast into the prison where Joseph was.
The Dreams of the Butler and the Baker, and Their Interpretation
And having lived there a few days, both those men saw a dream in one night: each of them saw a dream, which foreshadowed what was soon to come to pass. And the venerable Joseph served them, for they were honourable men. And as was his custom, he went in to them in the morning, and seeing them troubled and sorrowful, asked, saying: “Why are my lords’ faces downcast today?” And they said to him: “This night we both, each of us, saw a dream, and we are in sorrow, for there is no one who could interpret the dreams which we saw.” And he said to them: “God alone can interpret dreams to those who fear Him, as He Himself wishes, for He is the Foreseer. Nevertheless, let each of you tell his dream, that my God may be able to speak to you through me.” And the chief of the wine-makers told Joseph his dream, saying: “I saw a vine before me, and in the vine three branches sprouted, and it was a vine, and it brought ripe clusters, and Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I pressed the cluster into the cup, and gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.” And Joseph said to him: “This is the interpretation of your dream. The three branches are three days, and Pharaoh will remember you, and will have mercy on you, and, bringing you out from here, will restore you to your former office. And you shall give the cup into Pharaoh’s hand, according to your former rank. But remember me, my lord, when it is well with you. And show me mercy, speak a word for me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this stronghold, for by theft I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here I have done nothing evil, but through malice I have been cast into this prison.” And the chief of the bakers saw that Joseph had interpreted his companion’s dream well, and said to Joseph: “I also saw a dream. It seemed that I held upon my head three baskets of bread, and the birds of the air, flying down, ate out of the baskets that were on my head.” And Joseph answered, saying to him: “This is the interpretation of your dream. The three baskets are three days, and Pharaoh shall take your head from you, and shall hang you upon a tree, and the birds of the air shall eat your flesh.”
Pharaoh’s Feast, the Forgotten Favour, and the King’s Dreams
And three days passed, and the day of Pharaoh’s birth came, and Pharaoh made a great feast for his nobles, and his servants, and all his slaves. And he remembered the chief of the bakers and the chief of the butlers, and brought them both, and having examined their cases, gave the chief of the bakers to death — and they hanged him. And to the chief of the butlers he restored his office and his former honour. But that chief forgot Joseph and did not remember him at all. And two years later, by the Providence of God, Pharaoh saw a strange dream. It seemed that he stood on the bank of the river, and out of it came seven cows, fair in appearance, fat and well-favoured in body. And they fed on the bank. And after them seven other cows came up out of the river, evil in appearance and thin in body, and they fed with the first, the fair cows, on the bank of the river. And the evil cows ate up the seven good, well-favoured cows. And Pharaoh awoke from sleep and, sleeping again, saw another dream: seven ears of corn grew up on one stalk, choice, full and good; then after them appeared seven other ears, withered and blasted by the wind. And the withered ears devoured the full, good ears. And when Pharaoh rose from sleep, his soul was troubled within him by the vision of sleep, and he sent and summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt, and told them his dream. And not one of them could interpret that vision of sleep to Pharaoh. For how could the magicians, who served demons, comprehend the unknown mystery of the heavenly God? And the king was in great sorrow.
The Butler’s Remembrance, and the Bringing Forth from Prison
Then the chief of the butlers remembered Joseph, who had interpreted his dream in the prison, and said to Pharaoh: “I remember my sin today, my lord. When you were angry with your servants and cast us into prison, me and the chief of the bakers, we saw a dream in one night, each his own, about what was to befall us. And there was there a Hebrew youth, the servant of Potiphar, and we told him our visions, which were in our sleep. And he interpreted them to us, and as he interpreted, so it came to pass: me you pardoned, O king, and restored to my office, but him you commanded to be given to death.” And hearing this, Pharaoh was glad and commanded that Joseph be quickly brought out of prison. And they shaved him and changed his clothes, for, as a prisoner, he had grown very shaggy and was clothed in old rags. And they brought him before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and before his nobles. And Pharaoh said to him: “I have heard of you, that you are very wise and quick of understanding, and can interpret dreams. And I have seen a dream, which no one can interpret to me. Therefore tell it to me.” And Joseph answered: “The Most High God, if He wishes, is able to reveal unknown mysteries to His servants; but without God it is impossible to declare anything of the things pertaining to salvation.” And the king began to tell Joseph, before all his nobles, what he had seen in sleep concerning the fat and the lean cows, and the full and the withered ears of corn, how the evil ate the good and the withered the full, as has been said above.
The Interpretation of the Seven Years, and the Counsel to Gather Grain
And righteous Joseph, full of the prophetic Spirit, interpreted, prophesying of the future, that there would be seven years of the abundance of the land and of plentiful fruit in all the land of Egypt, which is signified by the seven fat cows and the seven full ears. Then after them there would be a great famine, which is signified by the lean cows, which ate the good ones, and by the seven withered ears, which devoured the full ones and were not satisfied. For fullness shall be forgotten throughout all the land, and the famine shall destroy the whole land, and the known abundance of the land shall not be remembered, because of the famine which shall be for seven years; and it shall be very great. And what is to come shall certainly come. And it is evident from this, that concerning the same thing by two dreams, concerning the cows and the ears, God has revealed it to you, O king. Now therefore accept the counsel of your poor servant: seek a wise and quick-witted man, and set him over all the land of Egypt, to gather the fruit of grain of those seven abundant years, of which the first year now begins. And let him gather wheat and every kind of food into the royal storehouses. And also in all the cities let them gather and keep every kind of produce, that food may be preserved in the land for the seven years which shall be years of famine, and that the land of Egypt may not perish in the famine.” And Pharaoh and his nobles marvelled at Joseph’s prophetic words and at his most wise counsel. And the king said to his nobles: “Truly we shall not find among us such a man, who has the Spirit of God in himself.” Then he said to Joseph: “Since God has shown us such a man, and there is none wiser or more quick-witted than you, therefore be first in my house and in all my kingdom after me, and let all the land of Egypt obey your mouth; only in the throne shall I be greater than you.”
The Ring, the Purple, the Chain, and the Wondrous Change
And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in purple, and put a golden chain upon his neck, and said: “Behold, I set you this day as second king over all the land of Egypt, and without you I shall not lift up my hand, and no one in all the land of Egypt shall dare to do anything without your command.” And Pharaoh called Joseph in Egyptian Zophnath-Panach, that is, the saviour of the world. And he set him upon his second chariot and commanded that he be driven through the city, and that heralds proclaim that a second king had been set over Egypt. And all the king’s nobles walked around the chariot, before and after it, giving honour to the second king, as to Pharaoh himself. O wondrous change, accomplished in one hour for the righteous youth by the Right Hand of God, which knows how to raise up the poor from the earth and from the dunghill, to set him with kings and princes! O the righteous judgements of God: how You so cleanse an innocence that has been slandered! How You so comfort an injured righteous man! And if even in this world You grant so glorious a reward for purity and patience, how much more will You render in the life to come to Your beloved servants! And Potiphar the captain, one of Pharaoh’s nobles, who had cast Joseph into prison, seeing that most glorious thing, that Joseph sat on Pharaoh’s chariot with great glory, was greatly frightened, and separated himself from the nobles — and ran in haste to his house, and going inside with fear and trembling, began to speak to his wife: “Do you not know, O wife, what a most glorious deed has come to pass this day for Egypt, and for us great fear! For Joseph, our slave, is now lord over us and over all the land of Egypt, and behold, he sits with glory upon Pharaoh’s chariot, and all honour him with honour; but I cannot, for fear and trembling, appear before his face, and have secretly separated myself from the nobles.”
The Confession of Potiphar’s Wife, and Asenath
And hearing this, Potiphar’s wife said to her husband thus: “Do not fear, for today I will confess my sin to you. I, loving Joseph beyond measure, and adorning myself daily and hourly, seduced him, that I might be with him and take my fill of his beauty. And being quite unable to obtain anything, for he did not agree even in word to my desire, I dragged him by force to lie with me. But he, being chaste, fled utterly from my hands, leaving his garment with me, which I showed to you, and slandered him, as though he wished to violate me. So it is I who have been the cause of his kingdom and his great glory. For if I had not loved Joseph, he would not have been cast into prison; and if he had not been in prison, but in our house — his virtues and his wisdom, such as they are, would not have been made manifest and glorified: for praise belongs to me from him, since I became the cause of such glory and honour to him. Therefore do not fear, for Joseph is righteous and venerable, and because he has told no one until now of that secret which was between him and me, so also he will forgive us by his freedom from malice. Let us go and bow down to him with the other nobles.” And rising up, though with shame, they went and bowed down to Joseph. And he neither recalled to them the wrong he had suffered from them, nor told anyone else of it. And Pharaoh gave Joseph Asenath the maiden as a wife, the daughter of Potiphar — but not of that Potiphar for whom Joseph had worked, but of another. For the one was a captain, but the other was the chief priest at Heliopolis, that is, the City of the Sun.
The Seven Years of Plenty, the Famine, and the Journey of the Brothers to Egypt
And Joseph was thirty years old when he began to reign in Egypt. And there were seven years of abundant harvest, according to his prophecy, and Joseph went through the land of Egypt, gathering grain, and wheat, and every kind of fruit of the earth, and laid them up in the cities. And he gathered wheat in very great quantity, like the sand of the sea, so that he could not number it: for it was beyond number. And there were born to Joseph of Asenath two sons before the years of famine, the name of the first Manasseh, and of the other Ephraim. Then the seven years of plenty ended, and the seven years of famine began. And day by day the famine grew stronger throughout all the land. And there was no bread in all the land of Egypt, except the royal grain, and all the land of Egypt famished. And the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh sent them to Joseph. Then Joseph opened the royal granaries and began to sell grain to the Egyptians, and all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy bread: for the famine had beset the whole earth. And there was a great famine also in the land of Canaan, where Jacob lived. And the old man was exhausted by hunger with his sons. And hearing that there was plenty of bread in Egypt, he said to his sons: “Why do you do nothing? Behold, I have heard that wheat is sold plentifully in Egypt. Go there and buy us a little food, that we may not die of hunger.” And Joseph’s brothers went to Egypt, ten in number. And Benjamin, the younger brother, remained with his father, for Jacob did not let him go with his brothers, saying: “Lest something befall him on the way, as it did with his brother Joseph.” And the sons of Israel came to Egypt with others, who went there from all countries to buy wheat, which Joseph, the prince of all the land of Egypt, sold to all the people who came. And coming up to Joseph, they bowed down to him face to the earth. And Joseph saw his brothers and at once recognised them, but they did not recognise him. And Joseph said to them, as though in anger, asking sternly: “Where have you come from?” And they said: “We have come from the land of Canaan to buy food.” And Joseph remembered his dreams of sleep, which he had once had. And seeing the beginning of their fulfilment, he glorified God in his heart. Then again, as though in anger, he spoke to them, saying: “You are spies; you have come to search out the ways of this land.”
The Accusation of Spying, the Ward, and Simeon Bound
And they answered: “No, my lord, we are your peaceful servants; we have come here peaceably, to buy food. We are all sons of one man, and not spies.” And Joseph said to them again fiercely: “No, you have come to search out the ways of this land.” And they were greatly frightened, and began, in proof of their innocence, to tell of their house and their father, saying: “We have a righteous father in the land of Canaan. There were once twelve of us brothers, but now eleven; and here we are ten; one of us died — the beasts ate him in the wilderness, and our father weeps for him to this day, for he loved him greatly; and the other, the younger, remained at home to comfort our father.” And Joseph said to them: “I said truly that you are spies, for you have yourselves disclosed that you are such. But I swear by the health of Pharaoh, you shall not go out from here until you bring your younger brother here. Send one of yourselves, and let him bring that brother, and you wait, until he is brought. And your word shall be made clear, whether you speak the truth or not. And if you do not bring the younger brother here, then you are indeed spies.” And having said this, Joseph put them in ward for three days. And on the third day he brought them before himself and said to them: “I fear God, and do not question you with cruel trials. But you, if you are truly peaceable and not spies, and if you wish to live, then do this: let one brother of you be kept here, in prison, and you go, and carry the wheat you have bought to your father, and your brother, of whom you speak, taking him from there, bring to me. And your word shall be true. But if not, you shall die.”
The Punishment for Sin, the Silver in the Sacks, and «You Have Made Me Childless»
And they agreed to this, and spoke to one another, saying in Hebrew: “We deserve this trouble; the punishment has found us for our sin, by which we sinned against our brother, for we despised the sorrow of his soul when he pleaded with us. We did not listen to him, therefore sorrow has come upon us.” And their eldest brother Reuben answered them, saying: “Did I not say to you then: do not wrong the child? But you did not listen to me, and behold, his blood is upon you.” And so conversing among themselves, they did not know that Joseph understood their language. And turning away from them, Joseph wept. Then he returned to them, and commanded that Simeon be taken from them and bound before them, for he hated him most of all, and he had been the most wicked of all when they cast him into the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites. And Simeon, bound, was put into prison; and to the other brothers they were told to fill their sacks full of wheat, and to put each man’s price secretly into their sacks. And he gave them food enough for the journey and let them go. And they, laying the wheat upon their asses, went on their way to the land of Canaan. And when they rested somewhere on the road, one of them untied his sack, wishing to feed his ass, and saw the bundle of his silver at the top of the sack. And he said to his brothers: “My silver has been returned, for behold, I have found it in my sack.” And their heart was afraid, and they were troubled, saying: “What has God done to us?” And when they came to their father, they told him everything that had befallen them in Egypt. And, pouring out the wheat from the sacks, each found his silver in his sack, and seeing it, they were afraid.
Reuben’s Offer, Judah’s Pledge, and the Second Journey
And their father said to them with grief: “You have made me childless. Joseph is not, Simeon is not, and now you wish to take Benjamin also from me. All this evil has come upon me.” And Reuben said to Jacob: “Father, kill both the sons that I have, if I do not bring Benjamin back to you; only give him into my hands.” And Jacob answered: “I will not let Benjamin go with you, for his brother Joseph is dead, and he alone is left to me; and where shall he go from me? I fear lest something evil befall him on the way, as with his brother. And you will bring my old age down with sorrow into hell.” And when they had finished eating the wheat bought in Egypt, and the famine had greatly overcome the lands of Canaan, Jacob said to his sons: “Go again to Egypt, and buy us a little food, that we may not die of hunger.” And Judah said to him: “The prince of Egypt said to us under oath, saying: ‘You shall not appear before my face, unless you bring your younger brother to me.’ Therefore, if you will let Benjamin go with us, we will go to Egypt to buy food; but if you will not let him go, then neither will we go, for that prince said to us: ‘You shall not see my face, unless your younger brother comes with you.’” And Jacob said: “Why did you do so ill, telling the lord of Egypt that you have a brother?” And his sons said to him: “He asked us carefully about our kindred, saying: is your father still alive, and have you another brother? And we told him everything according to his questions; how should we have known that he would say to us: ‘Bring your brother’?” Then Judah said to his father: “Let the child go with me, and let us go, and we shall live and not die of hunger — both we, and you, and all our house. And I will take the child upon my hands, and you shall require him at my hands.
The Gifts, the Double Silver, and the Meal in Joseph’s House
And if I do not bring him to you and set him before your face, then let me be guilty before you all my days. For if we had not delayed on account of Benjamin, we would already twice have returned with food from Egypt.” And Jacob said: “If it must be so, then do as you wish. Take of the fruit of the land, such as we have: honey, and thyme, and stacte, and resin, and pistachio nuts — carry them as a gift to the lord of Egypt. And take double silver in your hands, that you may give back there also that which you found in your sacks. Take your brother Benjamin, and rise up and go. And may my God grant you to find grace before the prince, that he may release Simeon and Benjamin with you. And I, until you return to me with them, shall be as one childless.” And the sons of Jacob took the gifts, and double silver, and Benjamin, and went to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. And seeing them and Benjamin his brother, Joseph said to the steward of his house: “Bring these men into my house, and kill of the cattle, and prepare a meal; I wish that these men dine with me today.” And the steward did as Joseph commanded, and brought the men into Joseph’s house. And they saw that they were brought into the prince’s house, and said to themselves: “Because of the silver returned in our sacks they are bringing us in, to slander us and take us for slaves.” And they said to the steward: “We beg you, sir, hear us. When we came at first to buy wheat here, we returned and untied our sacks, and the silver was found in each man’s sack. And we do not know who put it there. Therefore we have brought double silver today, that we may return what was found, and buy wheat again with other silver.” And the steward said to them: “Peace to you, do not fear; your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks.” And he brought Simeon to them, and brought them water to wash their feet, and gave food to their asses. And they prepared the gift, until Joseph should come into the house, for they heard that they were to dine with him.
Benjamin Before His Brothers’ Eyes, and the Secret Weeping
And Joseph came into the house, and they bowed down to him face to the earth, and brought the gifts which they had from home. And Joseph asked them: “Are you well, and is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke, is he still alive?” And they said: “Your servant our father is alive and well.” And Joseph said: “That man is blessed of God.” And again the brothers bowed down to him. And Joseph looked with his eyes and saw Benjamin, his brother by the same mother, and said: “Is this your younger brother, of whom you spoke?” And they said: “This is he, sir.” And Joseph said to Benjamin: “God have mercy on you, child.” And Joseph was troubled, and his inward parts lamented for his brother, and he wished to weep. And he went into his own private chamber and wept in secret, remembering his father Jacob and saying to himself: “Blessed are the eyes that see the face of your old age, good father; for not even my whole kingdom is worthy of your God-beloved old age. And I would ask Benjamin: ‘Do you remember me, and do you love me with your heart, as I love you?’ And therefore I compelled my brothers to bring Benjamin my brother with them, for I did not believe them when they said that they had a healthy father and a living younger brother, but I thought that out of envy they had killed this younger son of yours also, beloved Benjamin, for we are of one mother, and they hated both me and Benjamin. And I know, father, that you are greatly sorrowful because of us, and your old age aches, but I have multiplied your sorrows today, and I understand your grief, that not one of us helps your old age. Was not the first grief for me enough for you, but a second grief has been added to you, O father. I am the cause of your pains and lamentations, having brought Benjamin here; I did this without mercy. I heard of this and had to do so, for I wished to learn for certain whether you are truly alive, my good father. Who would grant me again to take my fill of the sight of your angelic countenance?”
The Sounding Cup, and the Seating by Order of Birth
And when he had so wept in his chamber soundlessly, he washed his face, that his weeping might not be known, and went out. And restraining himself from tears, he commanded that the meal be set: for himself separately, for the Hebrew men separately, and for the Egyptians separately, for the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, since every shepherd of sheep was an abomination to the Egyptians. And when it was time to eat, Joseph commanded his brothers to sit in order, according to who was born first, and called them by name, as though divining with the silver cup which he held in his hand. And taking the cup, he laid it on his left hand, and striking it with a finger of his right hand, he made a sound. And having struck it first, he said, so that all in front might hear: “Reuben is the name of the eldest brother; let him sit first.” And striking it again, he said: “Simeon was born after him.” And he commanded him also to sit. And striking it again, he commanded the third to sit, and commanded all to sit by name, according as they had been born. And by that sign he cast them all into fear, so that all thought and said to themselves: “Truly this man knows everything.” But, to lessen their fear somewhat, he gave them portions from his own table; and to Benjamin his brother he gave a larger portion, five times greater than the others’. And they ate and drank and were filled. And after this Joseph commanded his steward to give them wheat in plenty without payment, to put into Benjamin’s sack secretly that cup with which he had shown that he divined, and to let them go. And they went out of the city at dawn, rejoicing.
The Search for the Cup, Benjamin’s Lament, and the Return to the City
And when they had gone not far, Joseph’s steward met them, reproving them with harsh words and threats, calling them thieves and unworthy of honour, who repay evil for good, and have stolen the cup of the lord of Egypt, out of which he drinks and in which he practises divination. And they said: “If we brought back a second time to your lord the former silver, which we found in our sacks, how should we steal your lord’s cup? And if the cup is found with any one of us, let him die, and we shall be your lord’s slaves.” And Joseph’s steward said: “Let it be as you say: cast down your sacks, that I may search them.” And they hastened to cast the sacks down from the asses, and he searched in their sacks for that cup, beginning from the eldest even to the youngest; and behold, in Benjamin’s sack the cup was unexpectedly found. And seeing this, the brothers rent their clothes, and each of them began with great threats to reproach Benjamin and Rachel, saying: “Joseph wished to reign over us, therefore the beasts ate him; he was worthy of it. But you again think of that — you have stolen the royal vessel. Did not you, the sons of Rachel, steal your father’s idols, and denying it, say: ‘We have stolen nothing’?” And Benjamin lifted up his voice with weeping, saying: “The God of my father Himself, who took Rachel from the living, as He willed, and is witness of my brother’s death, and comforts Jacob, who grieves in sorrow for his separation from Rachel and her children, and today invisibly looks upon us all, testing our hearts — He knows that I did not steal the cup, as you say, nor had any thought of it at all. So may I see Jacob’s grey hairs and hear his voice, that I did not steal the cup. Woe is me, woe is me! Rachel, what has become of your children! Joseph, as they say, was eaten by beasts, and I, O my mother, have appeared as a thief in a foreign land and remain in slavery. Joseph, eaten by beasts in the wilderness, found no help, and behold, again, my mother, I speak to my brothers, and there is no one to listen to me and believe your child.”
Joseph’s Reproof, and Judah’s Answer
And taking Benjamin, they returned to the city to Joseph, having nothing to answer in return. And they stood before Joseph with fear and trembling, and fell to the ground before him. And Joseph said to them in anger: “So have you repaid me for my kindness to you? Did I honour you for this, that you should steal my cup, by which I practise divination? Are these not my words, that you are not peaceable, but spies?” And Judah answered, saying: “What shall we answer to my lord, or what shall we say, or how shall we justify ourselves? We do not know. God has found out the iniquity of your servants, and for it He punishes us; and behold, we are all, my lord, let us be your slaves — both we, and he with whom the cup was found, before you.” And Joseph answered: “It shall not be that I do according to your word; I fear God. But let the young man with whom the cup was found be my slave, and you go in peace to your father.” And Judah came near and fell at Joseph’s feet, beseeching him and saying: “My lord, do not be angry that I speak thus: you yourself asked us, my lord, your servants, whether we had a father or a brother, and we said: ‘Our father your servant had two sons, very dear to him, above us, and one a beast tore to pieces in the mountains, and our father mourns for him to this day, but the other he keeps with him always and takes comfort in him instead of his elder son.’ And you, my lord, commanded, and we brought to you this younger brother of ours; and now unexpectedly sin has happened among us your servants. Therefore I beg you, my lord, let me be a slave to you, my lord; let me remain here instead of the boy, and let only the boy return with his brothers to his father, for I became surety for him before his father, and therefore I cannot return, lest I see the bitter death of our father, who, if he does not see this younger son of his, will die at once of immeasurable grief.”
«I Am Joseph Your Brother», and a Fear Like Death
And hearing these moving words, and seeing them all standing with shame and fear, and seeing Benjamin in torn clothing, who with weeping fell at the feet of the nobles who stood in front, that they might entreat Joseph for him, that he would let him go with his brothers — Joseph was troubled in his inward parts and could not restrain himself, and commanded the Egyptian nobles to go out. And when all had gone out and only his brothers remained, Joseph lifted up his voice with weeping, saying to them in the Hebrew tongue: “I am Joseph your brother; is my father still alive?” And his brothers could not answer his words, for they were filled with fear. And Joseph said to them: “Come near to me.” And they came near. And he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. And no beasts ate me, as you told our father, but you sold me to the Ishmaelites, and I clung then to the feet of you all and pleaded with you, but not one of you had mercy on me in my sorrow. And now today, my brothers, let none of you be sorrowful; do not fear nor grieve for this, but rather rejoice, for I reign. And as you told our father at first that Joseph was eaten in the mountains, so now, going with joy, tell him, saying: ‘Your son Joseph is alive, and reigns, sitting on the royal throne, and holds in his hand the sceptre of the kingdom of Egypt.’” And when this word of Joseph was spoken to his brothers, they became as though dead from fear and trembling, thinking how much evil they had done him. And Joseph said to them again: “Let there be no fear in you because you sold me: God brought me here before you for the preservation of your life, that I might feed you in the famine, for behold, the famine has been on the land two years, and there will be five years more, in which there shall be neither ploughing, nor sowing, nor harvest. For it was not you who sent me here, but God, and He has made me as a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and prince of all the land of Egypt.
The Gifts, the Wagons, and the Tidings to the Father
Hasten therefore, and go to your father, and tell him everything about me, and tell of all my glory, and bring him here quickly with all his house, and let him be fed here.” And Joseph fell on Benjamin’s neck and wept for joy, and Benjamin also embraced his neck and wept. And coming near, Joseph kissed all his brothers, each of them, with unangered love, as became him, the guileless one. And Pharaoh heard, and all his house, that Joseph’s brothers had come to Joseph, and he commanded him to bring all his kindred to Egypt, and gave them the best land. And Joseph gave his brothers many great gifts: gold, and silver, and fine clothing. And he gave also wagons, and horses and asses, that Jacob might come by them with all his house to Egypt, and gave them food enough for the journey. And to his father also he sent rich gifts, and sent them all away with joy to Jacob. And he charged them, saying: “Do not quarrel at all on the way, but go peaceably in haste to your father and say: ‘Thus says your son Joseph: God has made me king of the land of Egypt. Come, father, in the joy of your heart, that I may see the angel-like face of your old age.’” And they went quickly and reached the land of Canaan, and told their father everything about Joseph, and recounted his words. And hearing the name of Joseph, Jacob sighed and wept with pain, and said to them sorrowfully: “Why do you trouble my spirit, that I should again remember the beauty of Joseph, who is dear to me? Why do you wish again to kindle in my soul the sorrow of my heart, which was quenched in me?” And Jacob did not believe their words.
The Meeting, the Sceptre, and the Bow to His Father
And Benjamin came near and kissed the knees of his father and said to him: “Their words are true.” And he showed him the letters which Joseph had sent, and the gifts — and then Jacob believed, and marvelled, and his spirit revived within him, and he said: “It is great enough for me, if Joseph my son is still alive; I will go and see him, before I die.” And rising up, Jacob went with all his house in haste and joy to Egypt, to Joseph his son. And hearing of his father’s coming, Joseph harnessed the royal chariot and went out to meet his father. And when Jacob saw Joseph coming, he laid aside his old age and got down from the chariot, and went to meet Joseph. And Joseph also, rising from his chariot, went on foot himself, and all the nobles with him. And when Joseph drew near to his father, he let the royal sceptre, which he held in his hands, fall to the ground, as though unwillingly. And, bowing as it were over the sceptre, he bowed down to his father Jacob, and took up the royal sceptre. And he did this so that there should be no disgrace to the Egyptians, that this man in royal purple bowed down to Israel. And Jacob ran the faster, and fell upon his neck and wept long. And Joseph also wept, embracing and kissing his father’s grey hairs, and Jacob said to Joseph, saying: “Let me die now, for I have seen my child.” And Joseph brought Jacob with great honour into the royal city of Egypt, and presented him to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to him: “How many are the days of the years of your life?” And Jacob answered: “The days of the years of my life are a hundred and thirty years; but small and evil have been the days of the years of my life, for I have not attained to the days of my fathers.”
Seventeen Years in Egypt, the Death of Jacob, and the Burial
And Pharaoh commanded Joseph to settle his father and his brothers in a good land. And Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and died, and was gathered to his fathers. And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept over him, and kissed him with love. And Jacob, dying, charged Joseph not to bury him in Egypt, but to carry his remains into the land of Canaan and lay them in the tomb of his fathers. And Joseph said to Pharaoh’s nobles: “If I have found grace before you, say in the ears of Pharaoh that my father asked to be buried in the tomb which he dug for himself in the land of Canaan. Let me go there and bury my father. And I will return here again.” And Pharaoh commanded it. And Joseph went, and with him went all the servants of Pharaoh, and the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, and all the household of Joseph, and his brothers, and all his father’s house — and there was a very great host. And they came to Goren-Atad, which is beyond the Jordan. And there they mourned for Jacob with a very great mourning seven days, and buried him in the double cave, which Abraham had bought to make a tomb. And Joseph returned to his house in Egypt, himself, and his brothers also, and all who went with him.
The Forgiveness of the Brothers, a Hundred and Ten Years, and Glory to the Type of Christ
And after the burial of their father, Joseph’s brothers said to themselves: “What if Joseph should remember our evil, and repay us for all the evil that we did to him?” And coming to Joseph, they said to him: “Your father before his death asked you, saying: ‘Forgive the iniquity and the sin of your brothers, for they did you evil. Now therefore forgive us the evil done to you by us.’” And hearing this, Joseph wept greatly. And his brothers said to him again: “Behold, we are your slaves, my lord.” And Joseph said to them: “Do not fear, my brothers, for I am God’s. You devised evil against me, but God devised good concerning me; do not fear, I will feed you and your houses.” And they were comforted, for he spoke to them according to their heart. And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, himself, and his brothers, and all his father’s house. And Joseph lived a hundred and ten years, and saw the sons of Ephraim, and the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh. And Joseph said to his brothers: “Behold, I am dying; but when God visits you, to bring you out of this land into the land which He swore to our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, carry my bones up with you from here.” And Joseph died, being a hundred and ten years old. And they put him in a coffin in Egypt. And for all these things we glorify the type of Christ our Lord — Joseph, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now, and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. THE END OF THE SEVENTH BOOK