III

Now when the seven years of plenty were over, the years of famine

began, and Jacob and his sons came to dwell in Egypt in the land of

Goshen, as it is told in the Bible. Then Aseneth said to Joseph, "Let

me go and see your father and greet him." So Joseph brought her to

Jacob, and his brethren met him and did him obeisance at the door of

the house, and they entered in. And when they saw Jacob, who was

sitting upon his bed, Aseneth was struck with amazement at the sight

of him, for he was noble to look upon. His head was white as snow,

his beard was long, flowing over his bosom, his eyes were bright and

flashing, and his muscles and limbs were those of a giant. And

Aseneth fell on her face before him; and Israel said, "Is this thy

wife, my son Joseph? Blessed shall she be of the Most High God."

Then he called her to him, and she fell on his breast and he kissed

her, and they rejoiced together. After that he inquired of her

concerning her parents; and Aseneth told him how an eagle had

brought her and laid her upon the altar of the temple of On; and she

showed him the swaddling-clothes in which she had been wrapped. And

Jacob knew that they belonged to his own daughter Dinah; and thus it

was made known to him that Aseneth was of his own race, and he was

the more glad.

And when they departed from him, Simeon and Levi accompanied them

with the other sons of Leah and Rachel; but the sons of Bilhah and

Zilpah would not go with them, for they hated Joseph. And of all

Joseph's brethren, Aseneth loved Levi the most, for he was a prophet

and a seer, and could read the signs of the stars of heaven.

Now it happened that as they were on their way to visit Jacob, the

eldest son of Pharaoh was on the city wall, and he saw Aseneth and

loved her immediately, and could think of nothing but how he might

make away with Joseph and take Aseneth for his own wife. And after a

few days he sent secretly to Simeon and Levi, and said to them, "I

know that you are mighty men, and that with your two swords alone you

defeated the men of Shechem and overthrew their city. I have sent for

you because I wish to make you my friends, and, if you will do what I

ask you, I will give you riches and lands and houses--in a word, all

that you can desire. Now what I would have you do is this. You must

know that I have been bitterly wronged by your brother Joseph: he has

married Aseneth, who was betrothed to me long ago. Join with me

therefore and help me to kill him, and I will take Aseneth to wife,

and you shall be my brothers. If you refuse, I will slay you." And

with these words he drew his sword and flourished it at them. At this

Simeon, who was a man of hot temper, was enraged, and would have

drawn his own sword and cut down the prince; but Levi, who could read

his thoughts, trod upon his foot and made signs to him to be quiet,

and whispered, "Why be angry with this fellow? We are God-fearing

men, and must not render evil for evil." Then Levi said calmly and

mildly to Pharaoh's son, "Why does my lord speak thus to his

servants? We can do no such wickedness against our brother and

against our God. Let us hear no more such evil words; but, if you

will not be persuaded, know that our swords will be drawn against

you." With that both the brothers drew their swords, and when the son

of Pharaoh saw them he crouched upon the ground in terror, for they

flashed like flames of fire and dazzled his eyes. But Levi said, "Get

up and do not be frightened: only take care that you say nothing more

of this kind against our brother Joseph." And they went forth from

his presence.

But he could not restrain himself, for he was half-mad with anger and

fear and with love of Aseneth. And after some days his servants said

to him, "Do you know that the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah are at enmity

with Joseph and Aseneth? They will do all that you ask of them." So

he sent for them, for Dan and Gad and Naphtali and Asher, and they

came to him in the first hour of the night; and after he had greeted

them he sent away his servants, and said to the brethren, "Listen

to me. Life and death are before you; choose which you will have:

will you die like women or fight like men? I overheard your brother

Joseph saying to my father Pharaoh, 'Dan and Gad and Naphtali and

Asher are no brethren of mine; they are the sons of my father's

handmaids, and I am only waiting till my father dies to make an end

of them and their families. It was they who sold me to the

Ishmaelites, and I am going to repay it into their bosom.' And my

father said, 'It is well spoken: you have leave to take any of my

bodyguard and deal with them as you will.'" Then Dan and Gad and

their brothers were sorely troubled, and they said, "O sir, help us,

and we will be your servants for ever." And he said, "I will. Hear me

now: this night I will kill my father Pharaoh--for he is the helper

of Joseph--and do you for your part slay Joseph. Then I will take

Aseneth to wife, and you shall be my brethren and joint heirs with me

in the kingdom." So they said, "We will do so, and thus it shall be:

we heard Joseph say to Aseneth that she should go to-morrow into the

vineyard, for it is the time of vintage. We therefore will go this

night into the bed of the river and hide among the reeds; and do you

take with you fifty archers upon horses, and go on before. Then will

Aseneth come and fall into our ambush, and we will kill the men that

are with her, and she will flee in her chariot and fall into your

hands, and you shall do to her as seems good to you. As for Joseph,

while he is mourning for Aseneth we will kill him; but first we will

slay his children before his face." And Pharaoh's son rejoiced

greatly, and sent them forth with a great body of mighty men, and

they went and hid themselves in four companies among the reeds of the

river on either side of the road.

Yet Naphtali and Asher murmured against their elder brothers Dan and

Gad, saying, "To what purpose are you conspiring again? Did you not

sell Joseph for a slave before, and, lo! he is become lord over all

Egypt? Now therefore, if you imagine evil against him, he will call

upon God, and fire will come down out of heaven and devour you, and

the angels of God will fight against you." But their elder brothers

were angry and said, "What then would you have? Are we to die like

women? Not so!" And the counsel of Naphtali and Asher did not

prevail with them.

In the same night the son of Pharaoh rose up and went to his father's

chamber with intent to slay him, as he had promised; but when he came

to the door the guards stopped him and said, "What is my lord's

will?" He said, "I desire to see my father, for I am going away

to-morrow to visit my vine-yard which I have newly planted." And they

said, "Your father is ill and has not slept until now, and he gave

us commandment that no man should come into his chamber, no, not if

it were his firstborn son." So he went away in a rage, and took fifty

archers with him on horses and went on before, as Dan and Gad had

said.

Aseneth also arose early in the morning and said to Joseph, "Lo, I

go to the vineyard as you appointed; but my soul is troubled greatly

at being parted from you." But Joseph said, "Be of good cheer; the

Lord is with you and will keep you as the apple of an eye. As for me,

I go to distribute corn to the people of the land, that no man in

Egypt may perish of hunger." So Aseneth went her way; and as she came

to the place of the ambush by the river, the men that were in hiding

rushed out upon her, and slew all the guard that were with her, even

six hundred soldiers and fifty runners; and Aseneth fled away upon

her chariot.

Now Levi, though he was afar off, saw in the spirit what was being

done--for he was a seer--and told his brethren of the peril of

Aseneth; and they girded every man his sword upon his thigh, and took

up their shields and their spears and ran swiftly after Aseneth.

And as she fled on before, suddenly she saw the son of Pharaoh in the

way, and the horsemen that were with him. Then was Aseneth in great

fear, and she called upon the name of her God.

But Benjamin was in the chariot with her. Now he was a lad of

nineteen years, beautiful exceedingly, and strong as a lion's whelp.

And when he saw the men, he leapt down from the chariot and caught up

a round stone out of the brook and threw it at the son of Pharaoh,

and smote him on the left temple, so that he fell from his horse

half-dead.

Then Benjamin leapt up upon a rock by the way-side, and called to the

driver of the chariot, "Give me stones out of the river bed." And he

gave them; and with fifty stones Benjamin slew the fifty archers

that were with Pharaoh's son; every stone smote a man on the temples.

Moreover, the sons of Leah, Reuben and Simeon, Levi and Judah,

Issachar and Zebulun, pursued after the men that had laid wait for

Aseneth, and fell upon them suddenly and cut them to pieces; but the

sons of Bilhah and Zilpah fled before them, saying, "We are undone;

and now, behold, the son of Pharaoh is dead, and all they that were

with him. Let us at least slay Aseneth and Benjamin, and flee into

the woods." So they pursued after Aseneth, and came upon her with

their swords drawn and dripping with blood. And she was greatly

afraid, and said, "Lord God, who didst save me from false gods and

from the corruption of death, and didst say, 'Thy soul shall live

for ever,' save me now from the hands of these wicked men!" And God

heard her prayer, and straightway the swords of the men fell out of

their hands and crumbled into dust.

Then they were very sore afraid, saying, "The Lord fighteth against

us." And they fell down on their faces and besought Aseneth, saying,

"We have imagined evil against you, and the Lord hath brought it

back upon us. But now have pity upon us, and save us from the wrath

of our brethren." And she said, "Go then and hide yourselves in the

reeds until I appease them and turn away their anger. Only the Lord

be judge betwixt me and you." Then they ran and hid among the reeds;

and their brethren the sons of Leah came running like harts to

overtake them. And Aseneth lighted down from her chariot and fell on

their necks weeping and rejoicing; and they said, "Where are our

brothers the sons of the handmaids?" that they might kill them. But

Aseneth said, "I beseech you, spare them, for the Lord saved me out

of their hands and broke their swords, and, behold, there they lie,

like wax melted before the fire. Let it suffice you that the Lord

hath fought against them on our behalf, and spare them, for they are

your brethren and the sons of your father Israel." Then said Simeon,

"Why doth our sister say so? Nay, but we will hew them in pieces

with our swords, for they have done evil against Joseph and against

our father and against thee also this day." And Aseneth took hold

upon Simeon's beard and kissed him, and said, "Do not, my brother, in

anywise render evil for evil: the Lord shall judge between us; and

now, see, they are fled afar off. Forgive them, therefore, and spare

their lives." Then Levi came near and kissed her right hand; for he

knew that his brethren were in hiding among the reeds, but he would

not reveal it to the others lest they should fall upon them; and he

loved Aseneth because she would save them alive.

Now the son of Pharaoh, who was fallen from his horse, began to

recover himself, and sat up and spat blood out of his mouth, for the

blood ran down from the wound on his temple into his mouth. And

Benjamin saw it, and ran and drew the sword of the son of Pharaoh

(for as yet Benjamin bare no sword upon his thigh), and would have

slain him; but Levi hasted and caught his hand, saying, "It is not

right for us that fear God to trample upon him that is fallen, or to

afflict our enemy to death. Put back the sword into its place and

help me, and we will tend his wound, and if he lives he shall be our

friend." Then Levi helped up the son of Pharaoh from the ground, and

washed the blood from his face and bound up his wound with a bandage,

and put him upon his horse and took him to Pharaoh his father, and

told him all that had happened. And Pharaoh rose up from his throne

and blessed Levi. But on the third day after, the son of Pharaoh died

of his wound.

And Pharaoh mourned sore for his firstborn son, insomuch that he fell

sick and died, being a hundred and nine years old, and left his crown

to Joseph; and Joseph reigned alone in Egypt forty and eight years,

and thereafter gave the kingdom to the younger son of Pharaoh, who

was a sucking child when his father died. And thenceforth Joseph was

called the father of the king throughout all the land of Egypt.