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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.

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

AFTER the death of Isaac, his sons di- names of its peculiar inhabitants.

vided 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 Sier, and ruled over Idumea. He called that 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.

F

He become 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. Aliphas had five legitimate sons; Theman, Homer, Sapphus, Gotham, and Kanaz: for Amalek was not legitimate, but by a concubine, whose name was Thamna. These

CHAP. II.

OF JOSEPH, THE YOUNGEST OF JACOB'S SONS, AND THE ENVY

OF HIS BRETHREN.

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 the 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 bappiness; it being usual with mankind to envy their very nearest relation such prosperity. Now the visions which Joseph saw in his sleep were these:

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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 wheatsheaf 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, that 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 account.

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

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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 collection 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.

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CHAP. III.

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

NOW to interpret what it should signify. Now 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 honored, 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 increase and nourishment to all things; and the latter, be 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 + Gen. xxxvii. 9.

* Gen. xxxvii. 7.
Gen. xxvii.

OW 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 Reuben, 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 not one 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 § We may here observe, that in correspondence to Joseph's second dream, which implied that his mother,

she

ents that her son is taken away from nd this not in a natural way. He ore, intreated them to have a regard to r own consciences, and wisely to consider Jat mischief would befal them upon the death of so good a child, and their youngest brother; and they would also fear God, who was already 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 whereever 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 enterprize 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 bio 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

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.

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, be advised them to alleviate the wickedness they were going about in the 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 persuaded to follow his present advice, which would include what they were so eager about, but was not so very bad, but, in the distress they were in, of a lighter nature. He begged of them, therefore, not to kill their brother with their own hands, but to cast him into the pit that was hard by, and so to let him die, by which they would gain so much, that they would not defile their own hands with his blood. To this the young men readily agreed; so Reuben took the lad, and tied him to a cord, and let him down gently into the pit, for it had no water in it; and when he had done. this, he went his way to seek for such pasturage as was proper for feeding their flocks.

But Judas, being one of Jacob's sons also, seeing some Arabians, of the posterity of Ishmael carrying spices and Syrian wares out of the land of Gilead to the Egyptians after Reuben was gone, advised his brethren to draw Joseph out of the pit, and sell him to the Arabians, for if he should die among strangers, a great way off, they should be freed from this barbarous action. This, therefore, was resolved on; so they drew Joseph up out of the pit, and sold him to the merchants for twenty pounds. * He was now seventeen years old; but Reuben coming in

* The LXXII. have 20 pieces of gold; the testament of God, 30; the Heb. and Samar. 20 of silver; the vulgar Latin 30. What was the true number and true sum, cannot therefore now be known.

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CHAP. IV.

the night-time to the pit, resolved to save Jo-him, t neither was his sorrow assuaged by seph without the privity of his brethren; and length of time. when upon his calling to him, he made no answer, he was afraid that they had destroyed him after he was gone; he accordingly complained to his brethren, but was pacified when they had told him what they had done.

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When Joseph's brethren had done thus to him, they considered how they should escape the suspicions of their father. Now they had taken away from Joseph the coat which he had on when he came to them, at the time they let him down into the pit; so they thought proper to tear that coat to pieces, and to dip it into goat's blood, and then to carry it, and shew it to their father, that he might believe he was destroyed by wild beasts; and when they had so done, they came to the old man, but this not till what had happened to his son had already come to his knowledge. Then they said that they had not seen Joseph, nor knew what mishap had befallen him, but that they had found his coat bloody, and torn to pieces, whence they had a suspicion that he had fallen among wild beasts, and so perished, if that were the coat he had on when he came from home. Jacob had before some better hopes that his son was only made a captive, but now he laid aside that notion, and considered this coat as a sufficient proof of his death, for he well remembered that this was the coat he had on when he sent him to his brethren. He therefore lamented the lad as now dead, and as if he had been the father of no more than one, without taking any comfort in the rest; and so he was also affected with his misfortune before he met with Joseph's brethren, when he also conjectured that Joseph was destroyed by wild beasts. He sat down also clothed in sackcloth, and in heavy affliction, insomuch that he found no ease when his sons comforted

* Jacob is represented by Moses not only as being clocked in sackcloch, but as rending his clothes on this occasion. Rending the clothes was an eastern way of expressing either grief for calamity, or horror for sin. Reuben was the first we read of, who, to denote his exceeding sorrow, rent his clothes; and as Jacob we find does the like, we may well suppose that it was an usual manner of expressing all grief and uneasiness of

NOW

OF JOSEPH'S SIGNAL CONTINENCY.

Potiphar, an Egyptian, who was chief cook to king Pharaoh, bought Joseph of the merchants. He had him in the greatest honor, taught him the learning that became a free man, and gave him leave to make use of a diet better than was allotted to slaves; he also entrusted the care of his house to him. Joseph, however, did not forget that virtue which he had before, upon such a change of his condition; but he demonstrated that wisdom was able to govern the uneasy passions of life, in such as have it in reality, and do not only put it on for a shew, under a present state of prosperity.

His master's wife soon fell in love with him both on account of his beauty of body, and his skilful management of affairs; and supposed that if she should make it known to him, she should easily persuade him to come to her bed and that he would consider it as a piece of happy fortune that his mistress should entreat him; as regarding that state of slavery he was in, and not his moral character, which continued after his condition was changed. So she made known her illicit inclinations: however he rejected her intreaties, not thinking it agreeable to religion to yield so far to her, as to do what would tend to the injury of one who had purchased him, and vouchsafed him so great honors. He therefore exhorted her to govern that passion, and laid before her the impossibility of obtaining her desires, which he thought might be conquered, if she had no hope of succeeding, and he said that, as to himself, he would endure any thing whatever before he would

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be persuaded to it: for although it was the duty of a slave, as he was, to do nothing contrary to his mistress, he might well be excused in a case where the contradiction was to such sort of commands: but this opposition of Joseph's, when she did not expect it, made her still more violent in her love to him, and she resolved to accomplish her design by a second attempt.

When, therefore, there was a festival coming on, in which it was the custom for women to come to the public solemnity, she pretended to her husband that she was sick, as contriving an opportunity for solitude and leisure, that she might entreat Joseph again. This opportunity being obtained, she used more kind words to him than before, and said that it had been good for him to have yielded to her first solicitation, and to have given her no repulse, both because of the reverence he ought to bear to her dignity, who solicited him, and because of the vehemency of her passion, by which she was forced, though she were his mistress, to condescend beneath her dignity. But that he might now, by taking more prudent advice, wipe off the imputation of his former folly; for whether it were that he expected the repetition of her solicitations, she had now made it, and that with greater earnestness than before, for that she had pretended sickness on this very account, and had preferred his conversation before the festival and its solemnity: or whether he opposed her former discources, as not believing she could be in earnest she now gave him sufficient security, by thus repeating her application, that she meant not in the least by fraud to impose on him, and assured him, that if he complied with her affections, he might expect the enjoyment of the advantages he already had and if he were submissive to her, he should have still greater advantages: but that he must look for revenge and hatred from her in case he rejected her desires, and preferred the reputation of chastity before his mistress; for that he would gain nothing by such procedure, as she would then become his accuser, and would falsely pretend to her husband that he attempted her chastity, and that Potiphar would hearken to her words rather than to his, let his be ever so agreeable to the truth.

But though the woman said thus, and even with tears in her eyes, Joseph was not dissuaded from his chastity, nor induced by fear to a compliance with her but he opposed alike her solicitations and her threatenings, and was afraid to do an ill thing, choosing rather to undergo the sharpest punishment, than to enjoy his present advantages by doing what his own conscience knew would justly deserve that he should die for it. He also reminded her that she was a married woman, and that she ought to cohabit with her husband only, and desired her to suffer these considerations to have more weight with her than the short pleasure of lustful dalliance which would occasion trouble and repentance afterwards, and yet would not amend what had been done amiss. He also suggested the fear she would be in lest they should be caught, and that the advantage of concealment was uncertain, and that only while the wickedness was not known would there be any quiet for them. But that she might have the enjoyment of her husband's company without any danger, and he told her, that in the company of her husband she might have great boldness, from a good conscience, both before God and before men; nay, that she would act more consistently as his mistress, and make use of her authority over him better while she persisted in her chastity, than when they were both ashamed for what wickedness they had been guilty of; and that it is much better to depend on a good life known to have been so, than upon the hopes of the concealment of evil practices.

Joseph, by saying this and more, tried to restrain the violent passion of the woman, and to reduce her affections within the rules of reason; but she grew more ungovernable, and earnest in the matter: and since she despaired of persuading him, she laid her hands upon him, and had recourse to violence. But as soon as Joseph had got away from her anger leaving his garment with her, and leaped out of her chamber, she was equally afraid lest he should discover her lewdness to her husband, and incensed at the affront he had of fered her, so she resolved to be before-hand with him, and to accuse him falsely to Potiphar, and by that means to revenge herself for his pride and contempt; thinking it a wise

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