Fathers of the world, Abraham, Izhak, and Jakob, the children of whose sons will be enslaved in the land of Mizraim, and will be delivered by the hand of three faithful pastors,7 who may be likened to the clusters. And whereas thou hast said, I took the grapes and expressed them into the cup of Pharoh, and gave the cup into Pharoh's hand: It is the cup of retribution which Pharoh is to drink at the last. As to thyself, the chief of the butlers, thou wilt not lose thy reward; for this dream which thou hast dreamed is good. Nevertheless the interpretation of the dream (as relating to himself) Joseph had not told him; but afterwards he explained it, when it pleased him. And Joseph said to him, The three branches are three days.]

Joseph, leaving his higher trust and retaining confidence in a man, said to the chief butler, But be thou mindful of me when it shall be well with thee, and act kindly by me, and remember me before Pharoh, and obtain my deliverance from this prison house. For I was verily carried away dishonestly from the land of the Hivraee; and here also I have done nothing evil, that they should put me in prison.

And the chief baker, when he understood the interpretation of his companion's dream, seeing that he had interpreted well, began to speak with an impatient tongue, and said to Joseph, I also saw in my dream, and, behold, three baskets of fine cakes were upon my head; [Jerusalem. And, behold, three baskets of hot loaves were upon my head;] and in the upper basket of all delicious meat for Pharoh made by the confectioner: and the birds ate them from the basket upon my head.

Joseph answered and said, This is its interpretation. The three baskets are the three enslavements with which the house of Israel are to be enslaved. But thou, the 7 Or, "rulers." Rochetsana," confidentia."

8

chief of the bakers, wilt receive an evil award, by the dream which thou hast dreamed. And Joseph explained it, as it was proper in his eyes, and said to him: This is its interpretation to thyself. The three baskets are three days until thy death. At the end of three days, Pharoh with the sword will take away thy head from thy body, and will hang thee upon a gibbet, and the birds will eat thy flesh from thee. [Jerusalem. And he said to him, The three baskets are the three heavy enslavements which are to happen to the house of Israel in the land of Mizraim, in clay, and in bricks, and in all work on the face of the field. It will be that Pharoh king of Mizraim will decree evil decrees against Israel, and throw their children into the river. Nevertheless Pharoh will perish, and his host be destroyed, but the sons of Israel will go forth redeemed with uncovered head. And thou, the chief of the bakers, wilt receive punishment; for this dream which thou hast dreamed is evil. But the interpretation of the dream Joseph did not (at once) make known to him; but afterwards Joseph expounded it, when it pleased him. And Joseph said to him, This is the interpretation of the dream. The three baskets are three days.]

And it was on the third day, the nativity of Pharoh, that he made a feast to all his servants. And he lifted up the head of the chief butler, and the head of the chief baker, in the midst of his servants. And he restored. the chief butler to his butlership, because he found he had not been in that counsel. And he gave the cup into Pharoh's hand. But the chief baker he hanged, because he had taken counsel to kill him, even as Joseph had expounded to them.

But because Joseph had withdrawn from the mercy that is above, and had put his confidence in the chief

9 Shabak, "had forsaken."

butler, he waited on the flesh. Therefore the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgat him, until from the Lord came the time of the end that he should be released. [Jerusalem. Joseph left the mercy above, and the mercy beneath, and the mercy which accompanied him from his father's house, and put his confidence in the chief butler: he trusted in the flesh, and the flesh he tasted of, even the cup of death. Neither did he remember the scripture where it is written expressly, Cursed shall be the man who trusteth in the flesh, and setteth the flesh as his confidence. Blessed shall be the man who trusteth in the Name of the Word of the Lord, and whose confidence is the Word of the Lord. Therefore the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but forgat him, until the time of the end came that he should be released.]

SECTION X.

VAYEHI MEKETS.

It was at the end of two years, that the remembrance of Joseph came before the Word of the Lord. And Pharoh dreamed, and, behold, he stood by the river, and, behold, from the river came up seven oxen good-looking and fat-fleshed; and they grazed in the midst of the sedges. [Jerusalem. Grazing in the midst of the sedges.] And, behold, seven other oxen came up, from the river, evil-looking, and lean in their flesh, and stood by the side of the oxen on the bank of the river. And

1 Gomaya, "papyri."

the evil-looking and lean-fleshed oxen devoured the seven good-looking and fat. And Pharoh awoke from his sleep.

And he slept, and saw a second dream; and, behold, seven ears arose on one stalk, full and good; and, behold, seven ears, thin and blighted with the east wind, sprung up after them. And the seven thin ears devoured the seven fat and full. And Pharoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. And in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called all the magicians of Mizraim, and all the wise men; and Pharoh told them the dreams; but no man was able to interpret it; for it was occasioned by the Lord, because the time had come that Joseph should come forth from the house of the bound.

And the chief of the cup-bearers spake before Pharoh, saying, My faults do I remember this day. It was occasioned from the Lord that Pharoh was angry with his servants, and he put me in ward in the house of the chief executioner, me and the chief baker. And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; each man his (own) dream, and the interpretation of his companion's dream we dreamed. And there was with us a Hebrew youth, a servant of the chief executioner; and we recounted to him, and he explained the dream to us, to each man he explained the interpretation of his dream. And even as he interpreted to us so it was; me he restored in his sentence to the order of my service, and him he hanged.

And Pharoh sent and called Joseph, and hastened him from the prison; and he dressed his hair,3 and changed his garments, and went unto Pharoh. And Pharoh said to Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter for it; and I have heard of thee, Shaphar, "totondit."

2 Istakaph.

3

saying, that if thou hear a dream thou canst explain it. And Joseph answered Pharoh, saying, (It is) without me; it is not man who interprets dreams: but from before the Lord shall be an answer of peace unto Pharoh.

And Pharoh spake with Joseph, saying, I saw in my dream, and, behold, I stood on the bank of the river. And, behold, from the river came up seven oxen, fatfleshed and good-looking, and they grazed in the midst of the sedges. And, behold, seven other oxen came up after them, wasted, and very evil-looking, and lean in their flesh. I have not seen the like of them in all the land of Mizraim for badness. And the wasted and evil oxen devoured the first seven fat oxen. And they entered into their stomach, but it could not be known that they had entered into their stomach, for their appearance was evil as before; and I awoke.

And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears arose on one stalk, full and good; and, behold, seven ears withered, thin, blighted with the east wind, sprang up after them. And the seven thin ears devoured the seven good ears. And I told the magicians, but there is no

one who can teach me.

one.

And Joseph said to Pharoh, The dream of Pharoh is That which the Lord is about to do He showeth to Pharoh. The seven good oxen announce seven years; and the seven good ears announce also those seven years: the dream is one. And the seven wasted and evil oxen which arose after them announce seven other years; and the seven ears thin and blighted with the east wind likewise make known that there will be seven years of famine. This is the word that I speak to Pharoh what the Lord is about to do He showeth Pharoh. Behold, there come seven years of great plenty in all 4 Or, "stricken."