The morning lightened, and the men were sent away, they and their asses. They had not gone far from the city, when Joseph said to Menasheh whom he had appointed the intendant of his house, Arise, follow after the men, overtake them and say to them, Why have ye returned evil for good? Is it not that from which my lord drinketh, and by which divining he divineth ? That which you have done is evil. [Jerusalem. By which divining he divineth.] And he overtook them, and spake with them all these words.

They said to him, Why does my lord speak words like these? Far be it from thy servants to do such a thing. Behold, the money which we found in the mouth of our bags we brought to thee again from the land of Kenaan; how then should we steal from thy lord's house vessels of silver, or vessels of gold? With whomsoever of thy servants it shall be found, let him be guilty of death, and we also will be slaves of thy lord. And he said, According to your words let it be. With whomsoever it is found he shall be my slave, but you shall be innocent.

And they made haste, and brought down each man his sack upon the ground, and every man opened his sack. And he searched, beginning with Reuben, and ending with Benjamin. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. And they rent their clothes; but the strength of fortitude was given to them; and they laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.

And Jehuda and his brethren entered into Joseph's house. He was yet there; and they fell before him on the ground.

And Joseph said to them, What deed is this that you have done? Could you not know that a man like me divining can divine? And Jehuda said to him, What shall we say to my lord concerning the former

P

money, and what concerning the latter money? and how shall we be acquitted concerning the cup? From before the Lord there is sin found upon thy servants. Behold, we are my lord's servants, and he in whose hand the chalice hath been found. But he said, Far be it from me to do thus; the man in whose hand the chalice hath been found shall be my slave; but you, go you up in peace to your father.

SECTION XI.

VAYIGGASH.

And Jehuda came near to him and said, In imploring my lord, let thy servant, I implore, speak a word in the hearing of my lord, and let not thy anger grow strong against thy servant; for at the hour that we came to thee thou didst say to us, I fear before the Lord; and now thy judgments are rendered like (the judgments) of a prince of Pharoh. My lord asked his servants, saying, Have you a father or a brother?

[Jerusalem. And Jehuda came near him, and said, In beseeching thee, my lord, let thy servant now speak a word in the hearing of my lord, and let not thy anger be strong against thy servant; for at the first time we came down to thee into Mizraim didst thou not tell us, I fear before the Lord? And now thy judgments are returned like the judgments of Pharoh thy lord, by whom thou adjurest. Yet I am honourable as thou art, and my father is honourable as Pharoh thy lord is, by whom thou dost adjure. Can I not swear by the life of the head of my father, and not lie ? For if I

draw my sword from within its sheath, I would not return it till I had filled all the land of Mizraim with the slain; to its sheath I would not return it, till I had made all Mizraim desolate of inhabitants, beginning with thyself, and ending with Pharoh thy lord, were it not against the will of my father. Or, hath it not been heard by thee, or not told thee, what my two brothers Shimeon and Levi did, who went up against the town of Shekem while they were dwelling in security, and killed every male by the edge of the sword, because they had corrupted Dinah our sister, who hath not been numbered in the tribes, nor hath portion or inheritance with us in the dividing of the land? By how much more then (shall it be done) for Benjamin our brother, who is numbered with us among the tribes, and who hath portion and inheritance with us in the dividing of the land? And my force is more unyielding than theirs, because I have become the sponsor for the youth at the hands of my father, saying, If I bring him not to thee, and set him before thee, I will be guilty with thee and be removed from thy salutation all the days. Hast thou not heard, or hath it not been told thee, that in the land of Kenaan we are kings and princes, as thou art?

[19. When Joseph, the beloved and honourable, saw that the strength of Jehuda his brother had risen up, and that the thoughts of his heart came forth, and that they rent their garments, in that hour beckoned Joseph to Menasheh his first-born, and stamped with his shoe; and all Joseph's palace trembled. In that hour Jehuda said, If it had not been on the side of the house of my father, it would not have been done so. Then began Jehuda to be milder in his words, and he said, My lord asked his servants, saying, Have you a father, or a brother?]

And we told my lord, We have an aged father, and a son of his old age, a little one, whose brother is dead, and he only remains of his mother; and his father on that account loveth him. And thou saidst to thy servants, Bring him down to me, and I will set mine eyes on him for good. [Jerusalem. Mine eyes shall be gracious upon him.] But we told my lord, The youth cannot leave his father: for if he leave his father, he will die. Yet thou saidst to thy servants, If you bring not your youngest brother down, you shall not again see my face. And it was when we went up to thy servant our father, we related to him my lord's words. And our father said to us, Return, and buy us a little corn. But we told him, We cannot go down if our youngest brother be not with us when we go down, for we shall not be able to see the man's face, unless our youngest brother be with us. And thy servant our father said to us, You know that my wife bare me two sons. One went forth from me, and I said, Surely he is dead, and I have not beheld him since; and you will now take this other from before me; and if death happen to him, you will bring down mine age with mourning to the house of the grave. Therefore thy servant became surety for the youth with my father, saying, If I restore him not to thee, let me be guilty before my father all the days. And now let thy servant remain, I beseech thee, as the

slave of my lord, instead of the young man; and let the young man go up with his brothers. For how can I go up to my father, and the young man be not with us ?—lest I behold the evil that will strike my father through!

XLV. And Joseph could not endure not to (be able to) weep, on account of all who stood before him. And he said, Let every man go out from me: and no one stood with him, while Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

And he lifted up his voice with weeping; and the Mizraee heard, and a man of the house of Pharoh heard.

And Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph! Is my father yet alive?

But his brothers could not answer him a word; for they were troubled before him.

4

And Joseph said to his brothers, Come near, I pray, and examine me. And they came near. And he said to them, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Mizraim. Now, therefore, be not grieved, nor consider it a hard thing that you sold me hither; for the Lord sent me hither before you to preserve you. For these two years hath the famine been in the midst of the land, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest. But the Lord sent me before you to set you a remnant in the land, and to preserve you by a great deliverance.

And now, it was not you who sent me hither, but it was from before the Lord that the thing was occasioned, that He might set me for a prince unto Pharoh, a chief over his house, and a ruler in all the land of Mizraim. Make haste, and go up to my father, and say to him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, The Lord hath set me for a chief over all the Mizraee; come down to me, delay not, and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and be near me, thou, and thy sons, and thy sons' children, thy sheep, thy oxen, and all that thou hast. And I will sustain you there, for there are yet five years of famine, lest thou, and the men of thy house, and all that thou hast be wasted away. And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that my mouth speaketh with you in the language of the house of holiness. And you must show my father all the honour 4 "Let it not be hard in your eyes."