CHAPTER IX.

GENESIS, xliii.-1.

JOSEPH, THE PATRIARCH (2d).

The Meeting with Benjamin—The Feast-The Divining Cup-Joseph Makes Himself Known-Israel in Egypt-Jacob Blesses Pharaoh-Egyptians Sell Themselves for Corn-Death of JacobFear of the Brothers-Death of Joseph.

Now the famine was sore in the land. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said to them: Go again, buy us a little food. And Judah spake to him, saying: The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food; but if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. And Israel said: Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? And they said: The man asked straitly concerning ourselves, and concerning our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye a brother? And we answered him accordingly. Could we in any wise know that he would say, Bring your brother down? And Judah said to Israel his father: Send the lad with me, and let us arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and our little ones. I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him. If I bring him not unto thee, and.set

him before thee, then let me bear the blame with thee for ever. Except we had lingered, surely we had now returned a second time. And their father Israel said to them: If it must be so, do this; take of the fruits of the land in your vessels, and carry down a present to the man, a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and myrrh, nuts and almonds and take double money in your hand; and the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks carry again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight. Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man; and God Almighty (El Shaddai) give you mercy before the man, that he may release unto you your other brother and Benjamin. And I-if I be bereaved, I am bereaved.

Then the men took the present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house: Bring the men home, and slay, and make ready; for they shall dine with me at noon. And the man did as Joseph bade, and brought the men into Joseph's house. But they were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said: Because of the money that was returned in our sacks the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. And they came near to the steward-of Joseph's house, and spake to him at the door of the house, and said: O my lord, we came indeed down the first time to buy food; and it came to pass, when we were come to the lodging-place, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: but we have

brought it again in our hand. And other money have we brought down in our hand to buy food. We know not who put our money in our sacks. And he said: Peace be to you, fear not; your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks. I had your money.

Then he brought Simeon out unto them. And the man brought them into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender. And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon; for they heard that they should eat bread there. And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth. And he asked them of their welfare, and said: Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive? And they said: Thy servant our father is well, he is yet alive. And they bowed the head, and made obeisance. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother's son, and said: Is this your youngest brother, of whom ye spake to me? And he said: God be gracious unto thee, my son. And Joseph made haste-for his heart did yearn upon his brother,and sought where to weep, and entered into his chamber, and wept there. Then he washed his face, and came out, and refrained himself, and said: Set on bread. And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, who did eat with him, by themselves; because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. And when they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth, they marvelled one with an

other. Then were brought unto them special portions from before him; and Benjamin's portion was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.

Then Joseph commanded the steward of his house, saying: Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And the steward did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. When they were gone out of the city, but were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward: Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? Why have ye stolen my cup, the silver cup? Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby he also divineth? Ye have done evil in so doing. So the steward overtook them, and spake to them these words. And they said to him: Wherefore speaketh my lord such words as these! Far be it from thy servants to do such a thing. Behold the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan; how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold? With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, let him die, and we will be my lord's bondmen. And he said: Yea, according to your words, so let it be; he with whom it is found shall be my bondman; but ye shall be blameless. Then they hasted and took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. And he searched, beginning at the eldest, and leaving at the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

THE DIVINING CUP.

71

Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city. And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; and he was yet there and they fell before him on the ground. And Joseph said to them: What deed is this that ye have done? Know ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine? And Judah said: What shall we say unto my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants. Behold, we are my lord's bondmen, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup was found. But Joseph said: Far be it from me to deal thus. The man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my bondman: but as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.

Then Judah came near unto him, and said: Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant; for thou art even as Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father or a brother? And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a little child of his old age; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. And we said to my lord, The lad cannot leave his father; if he should leave him, his father would die. But thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. And it came to pass when we were come up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. said, Go again, buy us a little food.

Then our father And we said, We

cannot go down. If our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down ; for we may not see the man's face,