BOOK II.”

Containing an Interval of 220 Years.

FROM THE DEATH OF ISAAC TO THE EXODUS OUT OF EGYPT.

CHAP. I.

OF THE DIVISION OF HABITATION BY ESAU AND JACOB, BY WHICH THE FORMER POSSESSED IDUMEA, AND THE LATTER CANAAN.

AFTER the death of Isaac, his sons divided their habitations respectively. Nor did they retain what they had before: but Esau departed from the city of Hebron, and left it to his brother, and dwelt in Seir, and ruled over Idumea. He called the country by that name from himself; for he was named Adom, on the following occasion: He once returned from the toil of hunting, very hungry, when he was a child in age, and met with his brother, when he was getting ready lentile-pottage for his dinner; it was of a very red colour, on which account he the more earnestly longed for it, and desired some of it to eat. But Jacob took advantage of his brother's hunger, and forced him to give up his birth-right; and he being pinched with famine, resigned it up to him, under an oath. Whence it came, that on account of the redness of the pottage, he was, in way of jest by his contemporaries, called Adom; for the Hebrews call what is red, Adom; and this was the name given to this country. But the Greeks gave it a more agreeable pronunciation, and named it Idumea.

He became the father of five sons, of whom Jaus, Jolomus, and Coreus were by one wife, whose name was Alibama; but of the rest Aliphaz was born to him by Ada, and Raguel by

Basemath: and these were the sons of Esau.

Aliphaz had five

legitimate sons; Theman, Homer, Sapphus, Gotham, and Kanaz: for Amalek was not legitimate, but by a concubine, whose nane was Thamna. These dwelt in that part of Idumea which was called Gebelatis, and that denominated from Amalek, Amalekites; for Idumea was a large country, and preserved the name of the whole: while in its several parts it kept the names of its peculiar inhabitants.

CHAP. II.

OF JOSEPH, THE YOUNGEST OF JACOB'S SONS, AND THE ENVY OF HIS BRETHREN.

IT happened that Jacob attained so great happiness as rarely any other person has arrived at; he was richer than the rest of the inhabitants of that country, and was at once envied and admired for such virtuous sons; for they were deficient in nothing, but were of great strength, both for labouring with their hands, and enduring of toil, and shrewd also in understanding. And God exercised such a providence over him, and such a care of his happiness, as to bring him the greatest blessings, even out of what appeared to be the most sorrowful condition: and to make him the cause of our forefathers' departure out of Egypt; him, I say, and his posterity. The occasion was this: when Jacob had this son Joseph born to him by Rachel, his father loved him above the rest of his sons, both because of the beauty of his body, and the virtues of his mind; for he excelled the rest in prudence. This affection of his father excited the envy and the hatred of his brethren, as did also his dreams which he related to his father and to them; which foretold his future happiness; it being usual with mankind to envy their very nearest relation such prosperity. Now the visions which Joseph saw in his sleep were these:

When they were in the middle of harvest, and Joseph was sent with his brethren to gather the fruits of the earth, he saw a vision in a dream, greatly exceeding the customary appearances that come when we are asleep; which when he got up he told his brethren, that they might judge what it portended. He said, he saw the last night, that his wheat sheaf stood still,

in

the place where he set it; but that their sheafs ran to bow down to it, as servants bow down to their masters.* But as soon as they perceived the vision foretold that he should obtain power and great wealth; and that his power should be in opposition to them, they gave no interpretation of it to Joseph as if the dream were not understood by them. But they prayed, that no part of what they suspected to be its meaning might come to pass; and their hatred against him was augmented on that ac

count.

But God, in opposition to their envy, sent a second vision to Joseph, which was more wonderful than the former; for it seemed to him that the sun took with him the moon, and the rest of the stars, and came down to the earth, and bowed down to him. He told this vision to his father, and that, as suspecting nothing of ill will from his brethren, when they were there also; and desired him to interpret what it should signify. Now Jacob was pleased with the dream; for considering the prediction in his mind, and shrewdly and wisely guessing at its meaning, he rejoiced at the great things thereby signified; because it declared the future happiness of his son; and that by the blessing of God, the time should come when he should be honoured, and thought worthy of worship by his parents and brethren; as guessing that the moon and sun were like his mother and father-the former as she that gave increase and nourishment to all things; and the latter, he that gave form and all other powers to them; and that the stars were like his brethren, since they were eleven in number, as were the stars that receive their power from the sun and moon.

And thus did Jacob make a shrewd judgment of this vision; but these interpretations caused great grief to Joseph's brethren; and they were affected to him hereupon as if he were a stranger that was to have those good things which were signified by the dreams, and not as one that was a brother, with whom it was probable they should be joint partakers; and as they had been partners in the same parentage, so should they be of the same happiness. They also resolved to kill the lad: and having fully ratified that intention, as soon as their collec

* Gen. xxxvii. 7.

Gen. xxxvii. 9.

tion of the fruits was over, they went to Shechem, which is a country good for feeding of cattle, and for pasturage; there they fed their flock, without acquainting their father with their removal. Jacob, therefore, had melancholy suspicions about them, as being ignorant of his sons' condition; and receiving no messenger from the flocks that could inform him of their true state, he sent Joseph to learn the circumstances his brethren were in, and to bring him word how they did.

CHAP. III.

OF JOSEPH'S CRUEL TREATMENT BY HIS BRETHREN, HIS SLAVERY, AND SUBSEQUENT GREATNESS IN EGYPT.

NOW these brethren rejoiced as soon as they saw their brother coming to them; not, indeed, as at the presence of a near relation, or even as one sent by their father; but as at the presence of an enemy, and one that by divine providence was delivered into their hands; and they already resolved to kill him, and not let slip the opportunity that lay before them. But when Reubal, the eldest brother saw them thus disposed, and that they had agreed together to execute their purpose, he tried to restrain them :* shewing them the heinous enterprise they were going about, and the horrid nature of it; that this action would appear wicked in the sight of God, and impious before men ; even though they should kill one not related to them; but more flagitious and detestable to appear to have slain their own brother; by which act the father must be treated unjustly in the son's slaughter, and the mother† also be in perplexity while she laments that her son is taken away from her; and this not in a natural way. He, therefore, intreated them to have a regard to their own consciences, and wisely to consider what mischief would befal them upon the death of so good a child, and their youngest brother; and they would also fear God, who was al

* Gen. xxxvii. 21.

We may here observe, that in correspondence to Joseph's second dream, which implied that his mother, who was then alive as well as his father, should come and bow down to him, Josephus represents her here as still alive after she was dead, for the decorum of the dream that foretold it, as the interpretation of that dream does also in all our copies. Gen. xxxvii.

ready both a spectator, and a witness of the designs they had against their brother; that he would love them if they abstained from this act, and yielded to repentance and amendment.— But in case they proceeded to do the fact, all sorts of punishments would overtake them from God; since they polluted his providence, which was every where present, and which did not overlook what was done either in deserts or in cities. For wherever a man is, there ought he to suppose that God is also. He told them farther, that their consciences would be their enemies if they attempted to go through so wicked an enterprise : which they never can avoid, whether it be a good conscience, or whether it be such a one as they will have within them when once they have killed their brother. He also added, that it was not a righteous thing to kill a brother, though he had injured them; that it was a good thing to forget the actions of such near friends, even in things wherein they might seem to have offended; but that they were going to kill Joseph, who had been guilty of nothing that was ill towards them; in whose case the infirmity of his tender years should rather procure him mercy, and induce them to unite in the care of his preservation. He likewise observed, that the cause of killing him made the act itself much worse, while they determined to take him off out of envy at his future prosperity, an equal share of which they would naturally partake while he enjoyed it; since they were to him not strangers, but the nearest relations; for they might reckon upon what God bestowed upon Joseph as their own; and that it was fit for them to believe, that the anger of God would for this cause be more severe upon them if they slew him who was judged by God to be worthy of that prosperity which was to be hoped for; and while by murdering him, they made it impossible for God to bestow it upon him.

Reuben said these, and many other things, and likewise used intreaties to divert them from the murder of their brother; but when he saw that his discourse had not mollified them at all, and that they prepared to do the fact, he advised them to alleviate the wickedness they were going about in a manner of taking Joseph off; for, as he had exhorted them first when they were going to revenge themselves, to be dissuaded from doing it; so since the sentence for killing their brother had prevailed, he said that they would not be so grossly guilty, if they would be VOL. I.

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