Stories from the Old Testament Told to the Children - Louey Chisholm




Joseph

Now the sons of Jacob were twelve, and Joseph and Benjamin, the children of Rachel, were the youngest of Jacob's sons. And when Joseph was seventeen years old, he was feeding the flock with his brethren. And Joseph brought home an evil report of his brothers.

Now Jacob loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of Rachel and of his old age; and he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated Joseph, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

And Joseph dreamed a dream; and he told it to his brethren, and they hated him yet the more. And Joseph said unto them, "Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed. For behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright, and behold, your sheaves stood round about and made obeisance to my sheaf." And his brethren said to Joseph, "Dost thou indeed think thou shalt reign over us?" And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

And Joseph dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, "Behold, I have dreamed a dream more, and behold the sun, and the moon, and the eleven stars made obeisance to me." And he told his father also. And his father rebuked him, and said unto him, "What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I, thy mother, and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?" And his brethren envied him, but his father remembered the dream.

Now his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. And Jacob said unto Joseph, "Come, I will send thee to thy brethren." And Joseph said, "Here am I."

And Jacob said, "Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren and well with the flocks, and bring me word again."

And when Joseph's brethren saw him afar off, even before he came near, they said one to another, "Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now, therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, 'Some evil beast hath devoured him'; and we shall see what will become of his dreams."

Joseph

THEY SAID TO ONE ANOTHER, 'BEHOLD THIS DREAMER COMETH.'


And Reuben, one of his brothers, said, "Let us not kill him, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness." For Reuben wished to take him out of their hands to deliver him to his father.

Now it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat, his coat of many colours, that was on him. And they took him and cast him into a pit; and the pit was empty, there was no water in it.

And Joseph's brethren sat down to eat bread, and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a company of merchants came with their camels, bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.

Then Judah said to his brethren, "Come and let us sell Joseph to these merchants." And his brethren were content. But Reuben was not with them. And they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the merchantmen for twenty pieces of silver; and Joseph was taken into Egypt.

And Reuben returned unto the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes, and he returned to his brethren and said, "The child is not; and I, whither shall I go?"

And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; and they brought the coat of many colours to their father and said, "This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no."

And Jacob knew it and said, "It is my son's coat: an evil beast hath devoured him. Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces." And Jacob mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and said, "For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning." Thus his father wept for him.

And the merchants who bought Joseph sold him into Egypt, unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

And Joseph found favour in the sight of his master, and Potiphar made Joseph over-seer over his house. And the Lord blessed Potiphar's house for Joseph's sake.

But Potiphar's wife was angry with Joseph, and spake evil about him to Potiphar; therefore Potiphar took Joseph and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound.

But the Lord was with Joseph, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners. And all that Joseph did, the Lord made it to prosper.

And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord, the king of Egypt. And Pharaoh was wroth against them, and put them into prison, the place where Joseph was. And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them.

And they dreamed a dream, both the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt.

And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and behold, they were sad. And Joseph said, "Wherefore look ye so sadly to-day?" They said unto him, "We have dreamed a dream, and there is no man to tell us the meaning of it."

Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said unto him, "In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; and in the vine were three branches; and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth, and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes. And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup."

And Joseph said unto him, "This is the meaning of it. The three branches are three days. Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine head, and restore thee unto thy place: and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, as thou wert used to do. But remember me," said Joseph, "when it is well with thee, and speak for me to Pharaoh that he bring me out of this prison, for indeed I was stolen away out of the land of Canaan; and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into this dungeon."

Joseph

AND JOSEPH ANSWERED AND SAID, 'THIS IS THE MEANING THEREOF.'


Now when the chief baker saw that the meaning of the butler's dream was good, he said unto Joseph, "I also saw in my dream, and behold, I had three white baskets on my head; and in the uppermost basket there were all kinds of cakes for Pharaoh, and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head."

And Joseph answered and said, "This is the meaning. The three baskets are three days. Yet within three days shall Pharaoh hang thee on a tree, and the birds shall eat thy flesh from thee." And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants, and he restored the chief butler to be butler again, but he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had foretold. Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Now it came to pass at the end of two full years that Pharaoh dreamed a dream, and in the morning he was troubled in spirit, because the meaning was hid from him. So he sent and called for all the wise men in Egypt, but none of them could tell him what the dream meant.

Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, "I do remember my faults this day. When Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put both me and the chief baker in prison, we dreamed a dream in one night, both I and he. And there was there with us a young man, and we asked him, and he told to each of us the meaning of his dream. And all that he told us came to pass."

So Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph; and they brought him hastily out of the prison, and he came in unto Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I have dreamed a dream; and I have heard that thou canst understand dreams and tell the meaning thereof. And Joseph answered, "It is not in me to do this, but God shall give Pharaoh an answer in peace."

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river; and behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fat and healthy, and they fed in a meadow. And behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and ill-looking and very lean, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness. And the lean kine did eat up the first seven fat kine. And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them, for they were still as poor and ill-looking as at the beginning. So I awoke. And again I dreamed, and behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good. And behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprang up after them. And the thin ears eat up the seven good ears; and I told this unto the wise men, but none could tell me the meaning of it."

Then Joseph said unto Pharaoh, "God has shown Pharaoh in his dream what he is about to do. The seven good kine are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years. Both dreams have the same meaning. And the seven thin and wretched kine that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blasted with east wind are seven years. What God is about to do he showeth unto Pharaoh. For behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, and there shall arise after them seven years of famine, so grievous that the seven years of plenty shall be forgotten. And God hath shown these things to Pharaoh in two dreams, because he will shortly bring it to pass. Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a wise and careful man, and set him over the land of Egypt, and let this man appoint officers to gather into storehouses the food that is not needed in the seven years of plenty. And this store of food will feed the people lest they die of hunger during the seven years of famine." And what Joseph said seemed good in the eyes of Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such an one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, "As God has showed thee these things, there is none so wise as thou art.

Behold, thou shalt be over all the land of Egypt, and all my people shall be ruled by thy words." Then Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and clothed him in white linen, and put a gold chain about his neck. And he made him to ride in a chariot; and the people cried before him, "Bow the knee."

So Joseph was ruler over the land of Egypt under Pharaoh. And in the seven years of plenty Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea very much, and stored it in store-houses in the cities.

And the seven years of plenty were ended, and the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said. And the famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. And when the people of Egypt cried unto Pharaoh for bread, Pharaoh said to the Egyptians, "Go unto Joseph, and the thing he says unto you, do." And Joseph opened the storehouses and sold corn to the Egyptians.

Now the famine was sore in the land of Canaan as in the land of Egypt; and it came to pass that when Jacob, Joseph's father, heard that there was corn in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Get you down to Egypt, and buy corn for us there, that we may live and not die." And Joseph's brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. But Benjamin, Jacob's youngest son, did he not send with them, for he was afraid that evil might befall him.

And when Joseph's brethren came into the land of Egypt, into the presence of Joseph, they bowed themselves before him with their faces to the ground. And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them; but they knew not Joseph. And Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and he spake roughly to them, and said, "Whence came ye?" They said, "From the land of Canaan to buy food."

And Joseph said, "Nay, but ye are spies, and to see how poor the land is are ye come."

"Nay, my lord," they said, "but to buy food are thy servants come. We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies."

And Joseph again said, "Nay, but to spy how poor the land is are ye come."

And they said, "Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan, and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not."

Then Joseph answered, "Nay, but ye are spies, and hereby shall ye be proved. Behold, ye shall not go from here until your youngest brother come hither. Send therefore one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved whether there be any truth in you." And he put them all together into prison there.

And Joseph said to them the third day, "This do and live, for I fear God. Let one of your brethren remain here bound in the prison until ye bring your youngest brother unto me, and go ye carry corn for the famine of your houses."

When they heard this, they said one to the other, "This distress has come upon us because we did evil to Joseph our brother, and when he begged us to treat him kindly, we would not." And Reuben said, "Spake I not unto you, saying, 'Do not sin against the child, and ye would not hear'?" They knew not that Joseph understood, for he had spoken to them by an interpreter.

And Joseph turned himself about from them and wept, and returned to them again, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.

Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for their journey. And they laded their asses with corn and they went on their way.

And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass food, he espied his money, for behold, it was in his sack's mouth. And he said unto his brethren, "My money is restored, and lo, it is even in my sack." And their hearts failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, "What is this that God hath done unto us?"

Now when they came into Canaan unto Jacob their father, they told him what had befallen them. And it came to pass that they emptied their sacks, and behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack. And when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid.

And Jacob their father said unto them, "Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away."

And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, "Slay my two sons if I bring not Benjamin back to thee. Deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again."

Then Jacob said, "My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and he is left alone. If mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave."

And the famine was sore in the land of Canaan. And it came to pass, when they had eaten of the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, "Go again, buy us a little food."

But Judah answered, "The man did solemnly say, 'Ye shall not see my face except your youngest brother be with you.' If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go and buy thee food. Send the lad with me: I will be surety for him, and if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever."

And Jacob said to them, "If it must be so now, do this. Take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down to the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds. And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand, peradventure it was an oversight. Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man. And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother and Benjamin."

Then the men rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, "Bring these men home and make ready, for they shall dine with me at noon." And the man did as Joseph bade, and brought the men into Joseph's house.

Now the men were afraid, for they thought, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks are we brought in, that he may seek a cause of complaint against us, and take us, and make us his bondmen."

And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and said, "O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food; and it came to pass when we came to the inn that we opened our sacks, and behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack. That money have we brought again in our hands, and other money have we brought down also to buy food. We cannot tell who put our money in our sacks."

Then the steward said, "Peace be to you; fear not, your God and the God of your father hath given you treasure in your sacks." And he brought Simeon out unto them.

Then the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and he washed their feet, and gave food to their asses. And they made ready their present for Joseph, for they heard that they should eat bread there.

And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.

And he asked them of their welfare, and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? is he yet alive?"

They answered, "Thy servant our father is in good health; he is yet alive." And they bowed down their heads with reverence.

And Joseph lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, "Is this your youngest brother of whom ye spake to me?" And he said, "God be gracious unto thee, my son."

Then Joseph made haste, for his heart went out to his brother, and he sought where to weep, and he entered into his chamber and wept there. And he washed his face, and returned to his brethren.

Then he ordered his servants to set food before his brothers, and he sent them dainties from his own table. But Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs. And they drank and were merry with him.

And Joseph commanded the steward over his house, saying, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his corn money." And he did as Joseph had told him.

Now as soon as the morning was light the men were sent away, they and their asses. And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, "Up, follow after the men, and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, 'Wherefore have ye done evil in return for good? Ye have done wrong to take away the cup from which my lord drinketh.'"

And the steward overtook them, and spake unto Joseph's brethren these same words.

They said unto him, "Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do this thing. Behold, did we not bring again unto thee out of the land of Canaan the money which we found in our sacks' mouths? How then should we steal of thy lord's house silver or gold? If thy lord's cup be found with any of thy servants, let that one die, and we, all of us, shall be thy bondsmen."

And the steward said, "Nay, but he with whom the cup shall be found will be my servant, and ye shall be blameless."

Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. And the steward searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.

And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house, for he was yet there, and they fell before him on the ground. Then Joseph said unto them, "What deed is this that ye have done? Do ye not know that God has given me power to discover what is hidden?"

And Judah said, "What shall we say unto my lord? What shall we speak, or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the sin of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found."

But Joseph said, "God forbid that I should punish you; but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant: and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father."

Then Judah came near to Joseph, and said, "O my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant. My lord asked his servants, saying, 'Have ye a father or a brother?' And we said unto my lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and he has a child of his old age, a little one, and his brother is dead, and his father loveth him.' And thou saidst unto thy servants, 'Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.' And we said unto my lord, 'The lad cannot leave his father; for if he should leave his father, his father would die.' And thou saidst unto thy servants, 'Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.' And it came to pass when we came up to thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. And our father said, 'Go again, and buy us a little food.' And we said, 'We cannot go down; if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down; for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us.' And thy servant my father said, 'Joseph went from me, and is torn of wild beasts, and I saw him not since. If now ye take Benjamin also, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.' And therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us, seeing that his life is bound up with the lad's life, it shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, 'If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame unto my father for ever.' Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord: and let the lad go up with his brethren. For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me?"

Then Joseph cried, "Cause every man to go out from me." And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud, and said to his brethren, "I am Joseph. Doth my father yet live?"

And his brethren could not answer him, for they were troubled at seeing him.

But Joseph said, "Come near to me, I pray you; be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves that ye sold me hither, for God did send me before you to save your lives. For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years to come during which the corn shall not ripen nor be gathered in harvest. So now it was not you who sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me lord of Pharaoh's house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, 'Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt; come down unto me, tarry not. And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast. And there will I nourish thee, for yet there are five years of famine, lest thou and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.' And behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And ye shall tell my father of all the glory of Egypt, and of all that ye have seen, and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither." And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover, he kissed all his brothers, and wept upon them, and after that his brethren talked with him.

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, "Say unto thy brethren, 'This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan. And take your father, and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat of the best things in the land. Now thou art commanded, this do ye: take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come."

And the sons of Jacob did so: and Joseph gave them wagons and provisions for the way. To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of raiment. And to his father he sent ten asses laden with good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way. So he sent his brethren away, and they departed.

And they went up out of the land of Egypt, and came unto the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, and told him, saying, "Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt." But Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not. And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them. Then when Jacob saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, Jacob said, "It is enough: Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die."

And Jacob took his journey with all that he had, and came into the land of Egypt.

And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went out to meet his father. And when his father saw him, he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.

Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, "My father, and my brethren, and their flocks and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan." And Joseph took five of his brethren and presented them unto Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh asked them, saying, "What is your work?"

And they said, "We are shepherds, and to sojourn in the land are we come; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan, and there is no pasture for our flocks."

Then Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, "The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell, in the land of Goshen let them dwell."

And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

Pharaoh then said unto Jacob, "How old art thou?

And Jacob answered, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years; few and evil have the days of the years of my life been." And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

Then Joseph placed his father and brethren in the best of the land, as Pharaoh had commanded; and he gave bread to his father and his brethren, and all his father's household.

And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years, and the time drew nigh that he must die. So he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, "Deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in the land of Egypt, but carry me to the land of Canaan, and let me lie with my fathers in their burying-place."

Joseph answered, "I will do as thou hast said."

And it came to pass after these things that one told Joseph, "Behold, thy father is sick." And Joseph took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

Then one told Jacob and said, "Behold, thy son Joseph cometh to thee." And Jacob strengthened himself and sat upon the bed.

And Jacob beheld Joseph's sons and said, "Who are these?"

Joseph said, "They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place."

And Jacob said, "Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them."

Now the eyes of Jacob were dim for age, so that he could not see: and he drew them near unto him, and kissed them, and embraced them. And Jacob said to Joseph, "I had not thought to see thy face again, and lo, God hath showed me thy children." And Jacob stretched out his right hand and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand laid he upon Manasseh's head, who was the first-born. And Jacob blessed Joseph and his sons, and said, "God, who has fed me all my life long unto this day, and who has led me away from evil, bless the lads, and let them grow into a great nation upon the earth."

And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he held up his father's hand to take it from Ephraim's head and to put it upon Manasseh's head, saying, "This is the first-born; put thy right hand upon his head."

But his father refused and said, "I know it, my son, I know it; he also shall become a great people, and he also shall be great, but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he." And Jacob said unto Joseph, "Behold, I die, but God shall be with you, and shall bring you back again to the land of your fathers."

And it came to pass that Jacob died; and Joseph fell upon his father's face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.

Then Joseph spake to Pharaoh, saying, "My father made me swear, saying, 'Lo, I die; in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me.' Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again."

And Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury thy father"; and Joseph went, and with him his sons and his brethren, and a great company. And they buried Jacob as he had commanded them.

Then Joseph returned into Egypt, and when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said among themselves, "Joseph will hate us, and will certainly seek to do us evil for the evil we did unto him." So they sent a messenger to Joseph, saying, "Thy father did command before he died, saying, 'So shall ye say to Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the sin of thy brethren, for they did evil unto thee.'"

And Joseph wept when they spake unto him, and his brethren went and fell down before his face, and said, "Behold, we are thy servants."

But Joseph said unto them, "Fear not; ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good. Fear not, I will nourish you and your little ones." And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

And Joseph lived an hundred and ten years; and he said, "Behold, I die, but God shall surely visit you, and bring you out of this land, to the land which he promised Abraham and Isaac and Jacob to give you." So Joseph died.