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Joseph

Among his children Joseph, the first son of Rachel, whom Israel had loved so much, was his favorite. Israel had a beautiful embroidered coat made for him.

Joseph's brothers were very jealous of him because of this. They disliked Joseph even more when he told them about a dream he had had:

"Listen," he said, "I dreamed we were all binding sheaves in a field, and my sheaf stood up straight while all your sheaves bowed down to it." "What!" said his brothers, "Are you to be a king over us?"

But Joseph had another dream which he told to his father and his brothers. "I thought I saw the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowing to me." His father scolded him for this, but still Israel kept it in his mind.

One day, when his brothers were out in the fields with their flocks, Joseph's father said to him, "Go and see how your brothers are, and come back to tell me." The brothers saw Joseph in the distance, and plotted to kill him. "Look, here comes the dreamer," they said to one another.

But Ruben, one of the brothers, did not want Joseph to be killed. "Let's throw him down into this empty well," said Ruben. He meant to rescue Joseph later.

As soon as Joseph reached his brothers, they took off the embroidered coat which his father had given him and threw him into the well, which was empty and had no water in it.

Then they sat down to eat.

Looking up, they saw a caravan of merchants on its way to Egypt. Judah, another brother, said, "Let's sell Joseph as a slave to these merchants. Then we won't be guilty of murder." So they took Joseph out of the well and sold him for twenty pieces of silver.

Then they killed a goat and dipped Joseph's coat in the blood and sent the coat to their father.

When Israel saw it covered with blood, he cried out, "A wild beast has killed my son Joseph."

He was very sad, and wept and mourned many days for Joseph.

Meanwhile, the merchants traveled to Egypt and there they sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of the courtiers of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

Potiphar was so pleased with Joseph that he soon put him in charge of all his affairs.

God was watching over Joseph, and for his sake He blessed Potiphar's affairs and made them prosper. But Potiphar's wife accused Joseph of doing wrong, and, though he was innocent, had him thrown into prison.

Soon after this, the King's chief cup-bearer and pastry cook were also put into prison.

One night they each had a dream.

The next morning Joseph asked them why they looked so gloomy.

"Both of us had dreams last night," they said, "and no one can tell us their meaning."

"Tell me your dreams," said Joseph. The cup-bearer told his dream first. "I saw in front of me a vine which had three shoots. Buds appeared on them. Then they bloomed with flowers, and grapes grew upon them. I took the grapes, squeezed them into the cup, and gave it to Pharaoh."

Joseph said, "This is what your dream means: The three shoots from the vine stand for the next three days. After that time, Pharaoh will take you out of prison and let you serve him again. When that happens, please tell Pharaoh that I am innocent."

Then the pastry cook reminded Joseph that he too had dreamed. "This was my dream:

I was carrying three baskets of bread on my head. The top basket was full of pastry, but the birds came and ate it."

"This is the meaning of your dream," said Joseph. "In three days Pharaoh will order you to be hanged. This will be done, and the birds will come and prey on your flesh."

All happened as Joseph said. In three days Pharaoh pardoned the cup-bearer and ordered the pastry cook to be hanged. But the cup bearer in his happiness forgot all about Joseph.

Two years later, Pharaoh himself had a dream. He dreamed he was standing by the River Nile when he saw seven beautiful, well-fed cows come out of the river and begin to graze on the bank.

Then seven more cows came up out of the river, but these were thin and ugly.

And it seemed as if the thin cows ate up the fat cows.

Pharaoh had still another dream. This time there were seven fat ears of wheat growing from a single stalk. Then another seven ears of wheat, these small and thin, came up and destroyed the seven good ears.

The King awoke from his dreams and sent for all the wise men in Egypt. None of them knew what the dreams meant. At last the chief cup-bearer remembered Joseph and said to Pharaoh: "There is a Hebrew slave in prison who can explain dreams."

The King sent for Joseph and told him his dreams.

Joseph said, "My lord, the two dreams have the same meaning. God is warning you what He intends to do. The seven fat cows and the seven fat ears of wheat stand for seven years of good harvests. After that, seven years of famine will come and eat up all the abundance of the previous years."

Joseph suggested that they save enough food in the seven good years to last through the seven years of famine. Pharaoh was very impressed and said, "This man's wisdom comes from God. He will be ruler of Egypt under me." And he gave Joseph rich presents.

Joseph traveled all over Egypt to tell people to prepare for the famine.

For seven years the harvests were good, and wheat to make bread was as plentiful as sand by the seashore. Part of each harvest was saved.

Then the famine began.

All the Egyptians came to Joseph for grain.

There was a famine in Canaan too. When Israel heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent for his sons and said, "Go to Egypt and buy us enough to live on." Joseph's brothers started out.

Only Benjamin, the youngest, stayed at home with his father.

When the brothers reached Egypt and asked to buy grain, they were sent to Joseph.

As soon as he saw them, Joseph knew his brothers, although they did not realize who he was. Joseph pretended they were strangers to him and said, "You are spies." His brothers were frightened.

"No, my lord, we are not spies. We're all sons of one father. At one time there were twelve of us, but the youngest is at home with our father, and one brother is dead."

But Joseph said sternly, "You are spies," and sent them to prison.

On the third day, Joseph said to them, "There is one way you can save your lives. One of you must stay here in prison; the rest can go home with the grain they bought.

"But you must come back with your youngest brother, to prove that your story is true."

Joseph took Simeon and kept him in prison.

The brothers returned home and told their father everything that had happened. Israel said sadly, "First I lost my son Joseph, and now you have left your brother Simeon in Egypt. Would you also take Benjamin from me also, and send an old man sorrowing to his grave?"

The famine continued and soon all they had brought from Egypt was used up. Israel said to his sons, "Go back to Egypt and get more grain." His son Judah said, "Then we have to take Benjamin with us, Father. Don't worry. I promise to bring him back safely." And the brothers set out again, this time Benjamin was with them.

When they reached Egypt, they went to Joseph, who wept when he saw his favorite brother Benjamin again. They all feasted together, and the others still did not know who Joseph was. The next morning Joseph gave orders to his servant: "Fill their sacks with grain and put the money he paid for it in each man's sack. Put my silver cup in the sack of the youngest."

And so the brothers left for home and Simeon was with them.

They were outside the city when Joseph sent his servant after them. The servant caught up with them and said, "Why did you steal my master's silver cup?" "We wouldn't do such a thing," answered the brothers. "Look in our sacks." And much to their astonishment, the silver cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

The brothers were taken back to the house of Joseph, who said to them: "Why did you do this? Your youngest brother must be my slave; the rest of you may return to your home."

Judah protested. "If you do this," he said, "our father Israel will certainly die of sorrow. Take me instead as your slave."

When Joseph saw that his brothers would not desert Benjamin, he could keep his secret no longer.

"I am Joseph," he cried, "whom you sent to be a slave in Egypt."

His brothers were speechless with fear, but Joseph said, "Do not be angry with yourselves and blame yourselves because you sold me here. It is through the mercy of God that I came to Egypt before you, so that I can save your Lives, and the lives of many others. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. Go back to Canaan and bring our father here, and your wives and children and all your possessions. Come and live with me and share the blessings of Egypt. I will take care of you."

The sons of Israel did as Joseph said, and he provided them with wagons and food for the journey.

To each of his brothers Joseph gave a set of fine clothes.

To Benjamin he gave 300 silver pieces and extra fine clothes.

For his father, Joseph sent ten donkeys loaded with gifts of all kinds, and ten donkeys loaded with food.

"Don't fight among yourselves along the way," Joseph said to them as they left.

The brothers set out for Canaan.

When they reached home and told their father the good news, he was very happy. "If my son Joseph is still alive," said Israel, "that is all I ask. I will go with you and see him again before I die."

Israel and his sons and their wives and children left Canaan for Egypt.

They reached Egypt and Joseph hurried to meet them. When he saw his father again, after so many years, he put his arms around him and wept. Israel said to him, "Now I can die happily."

And so the Israelites, all the family of Jacob who had been named Israel by God, settled in Goshen in the land of Egypt. Under Joseph's protection the Israelites prospered and were happy.

When Israel was 147 years old he felt that he would soon die, and he called all his family to him.

When they were all gathered together, Israel told each of his twelve sons what would happen to him in the days to come. "Judah," said Israel, "will be strong and brave, like a lion cub, and will win the praise of his brothers. And one day, from the tribe of Judah, will be sent to us One Who is the hope of nations."

When Israel died, all of Egypt went into mourning for seventy days. Joseph and his brothers took their father back to the land of Canaan.

They buried him in the cave that looked toward the valley of Mamre, where Abraham and Isaac also lay buried.

Then they returned to Egypt.

Joseph's brothers, now that their father was dead, were afraid that Joseph might punish them for having sold him as a slave years before. They sent a message to Joseph, asking him to forgive the wrong they had done him.

Joseph wept at their message. His brothers came themselves and fell down before him.

But Joseph answered them, "Do not bow down to me as if I were God. And do not be afraid.

You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, so that He might save many people. I will take care of you and your children." His words touched their hearts and comforted them.

Joseph lived to be 110 years old, and before he died, he said to the rest of the Israelites, "Someday, God will have mercy on you, and let you return to the land of Canaan which He promised to our fathers Abraham and Isaac and Israel."

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