Now Joseph reaped the harvest of his virtues, and according to the
measure of his merits God granted him reward. The mouth that refused
the kiss of unlawful passion and sin received the kiss of homage from
the people; the neck that did not bow itself unto sin was adorned with
the gold chain that Pharaoh put upon it; the hands that did not touch
sin wore the signet ring that Pharaoh took from his own hand and put
upon Joseph's; the body that did not come in contact with sin was
arrayed in vestures of byssus; the feet that made no steps in the
direction of sin reposed in the royal chariot, and the thoughts that
kept themselves undefiled by sin were proclaimed as wisdom.[183]
Joseph was installed in his high position, and invested with the
insignia of his office, with solemn ceremony. The king took off his
signet ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed
him in princely apparel, and set a gold crown upon his head, and laid a
gold chain about his neck. Then he commanded his servants to make
Joseph to ride in his second chariot, which went by the side of the
chariot wherein sat the king, and he also made him to ride upon a great
and strong horse of the king's horses, and his servants conducted him
through the streets of the city of Egypt. Musicians, no less than a
thousand striking cymbals and a thousand blowing flutes, and five
thousand men with drawn swords gleaming in the air formed the vanguard.
Twenty thousand of the king's grandees girt with gold-embroidered
leather belts marched at the right of Joseph, and as many at the left
of him.[184] The women and the maidens of the nobility looked out of
the windows to gaze upon Joseph's beauty, and they poured down chains
upon him, and rings and jewels, that he might but direct his eyes
toward them. Yet he did not look up, and as a reward God made him proof
against the evil eye, nor has it ever had the power of inflicting harm
upon any of his descendants.[185] Servants of the king, preceding him
and following him, burnt incense upon his path, and cassia, and all
manner of sweet spices, and strewed myrrh and aloes wherever he went.
Twenty heralds walked before him, and they proclaimed: "This is the man
whom the king bath chosen to be the second after him. All the affairs
of state will be administered by him, and whoever resisteth his
commands, or refuseth to bow down to the ground before him, he will die
the death of the rebel against the king and the king's deputy."
Without delay the people prostrated themselves, and they cried, "Long
live the king, and long live the deputy of the king!" And Joseph,
looking down from his horse upon the people and their exultation,
exclaimed, his eyes directed heavenward: "The Lord raiseth up the poor
out of the dust, and lifteth up the needy from the dunghill. O Lord of
hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in Thee."
After Joseph, accompanied by Pharaoh's officers and princes, had
journeyed through the whole city of Egypt, and viewed all there was
therein, he returned to the king on the selfsame day, and the king gave
him fields and vineyards as a present, and also three thousand talents
of silver, and a thousand talents of gold, and onyx stones and
bdellium, and many other costly things. The king commanded, moreover,
that every Egyptian give Joseph a gift, else he would be put to death.
A platform was erected in the open street, and there all deposited
their presents, and among the things were many of gold and silver, as
well as precious stones, carried thither by the people and also the
grandees, for they saw that Joseph enjoyed the favor of the king.
Furthermore, Joseph received one hundred slaves from Pharaoh, and they
were to do all his bidding, and he himself acquired many more, for he
resided in a spacious palace. Three years it took to build it. Special
magnificence was lavished upon the hall of state, which was his
audience chamber, and upon the throne fashioned of gold and silver and
inlaid with precious stones, whereon there was a representation of the
whole land of Egypt and of the river Nile. And as Joseph multiplied in
riches, so he increased also in wisdom, for God added to his wisdom
that all might love and honor him.[186] Pharaoh called him
Zaphenath-paneah, he who can reveal secret things with ease, and
rejoiceth the heart of man therewith. Each letter of the name
Zaphenath-paneah has a meaning, too. The first, Zadde, stands for
Zofeh, seer; Pe for Podeh, redeemer; Nun for Nabi, prophet; Taw for
Tomek, supporter; Pe for Poter, interpreter of dreams; Ain for Arum,
clever; Nun for Nabon, discreet; and Het for Hakam, wise.[187]
The name of Joseph's wife pointed to her history in the same way.
Asenath was the daughter of Dinah and Hamor, but she was abandoned at
the borders of Egypt, only, that people might know who she was, Jacob
engraved the story of her parentage and her birth upon a gold plate
fastened around her neck. The day on which Asenath was exposed,
Potiphar went walking with his servants near the city wall, and they
heard the voice of a child. At the captain's bidding they brought the
baby to him, and when he read her history from the gold plate, he
determined to adopt her. He took her home with him, and raised her as
his daughter. The Alef in Asenath stands for On, where Potiphar was
priest; the Samek for Setirah, Hidden, for she was kept concealed on
account of her extraordinary beauty; the Nun for Nohemet, for she wept
and entreated that she might be delivered from the house of the heathen
Potiphar; and the Taw for Tammah, the perfect one, on account of her
pious, perfect deeds.[188]
Asenath had saved Joseph's life while she was still an infant in arms.
When Joseph was accused of immoral conduct by Potiphar's wife and the
other women, and his master was on the point of having him hanged,
Asenath approached her foster-father, and she assured him under oath
that the charge against Joseph was false. Then spake God, "As thou
livest, because thou didst try to defend Joseph, thou shalt be the
woman to bear the tribes that he is appointed to beget.[189]
Asenath bore him two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, during the seven years
of plenty, for in the time of famine Joseph refrained from all
indulgence in the pleasures of life.[190] They were bred in chastity
and fear of God by their father, and they were wise, and
well-instructed in all knowledge and in the affairs of state, so that
they became the favorites of the court, and were educated with the
royal princes.
Before the famine broke over the land, Joseph found an opportunity of
rendering the king a great service. He equipped an army of four
thousand six hundred men, providing all the soldiers with shields and
spears and bucklers and helmets and slings. With this army, and aided
by the servants and officers of the king, and by the people of Egypt,
he carried on a war with Tarshish in the first year after his
appointment as viceroy. The people of Tarshish had invaded the
territory of the Ishmaelites, and the latter, few in number at that
time, were sore pressed, and applied to the king of Egypt for help
against their enemies. At the head of his host of heroes, Joseph
marched to the land of Havilah, where he was joined by the Ishmaelites,
and with united forces they fought against the people of Tarshish,
routed them utterly, settled their land with the Ishmaelites, while the
defeated men took refuge with their brethren in Javan. Joseph and his
army returned to Egypt, and not a man had they lost.
In a little while Joseph's prophecy was confirmed: that year and the
six following years were years of plenty, as he had foretold.[191] The
harvest was so ample that a single ear produced two heaps of
grain,[192] and Joseph made circumspect arrangements to provide
abundantly for the years of famine. He gathered up all the grain, and
in the city situated in the middle of each district he laid up the
produce from round about, and had ashes and earth strewn on the
garnered food from the very soil on which it had been grown;[193] also
he preserved the grain in the ear; all these being precautions taken to
guard against rot and mildew. The inhabitants of Egypt also tried, on
their own account, to put aside a portion of the superabundant harvest
of the seven fruitful years against the need of the future, but when
the grievous time of dearth came, and they went to their storehouses to
bring forth the treasured grain, behold, it had rotted, and become
unfit for food.[194] The famine broke in upon the people with such
suddenness that the bread gave out unexpectedly as they sat at their
tables, they had not even a bite of bran bread.
Thus they were driven to apply to Joseph and beseech his help, and he
admonished them, saying, "Give up your allegiance to your deceitful
idols, and say, Blessed is He who giveth bread unto all flesh." But
they refused to deny their lying gods, and they betook themselves to
Pharaoh, only to be told by him, "Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you,
do!" For this Pharaoh was rewarded. God granted him long life and a
long reign, until he became arrogant, and well-merited punishment
overtook him.[195]
When the Egyptians approached Joseph with the petition for bread, he
spoke, saying, "I give no food to the uncircumcised. Go hence, and
circumcise yourselves, and then return hither." They entered the
presence of Pharaoh, and complained to him regarding Joseph, but he
said as before, "Go unto Joseph!" And they replied, "We come from
Joseph, and he hath spoken roughly unto us, saying, Go hence and
circumcise yourselves! We warned thee in the beginning that he is a
Hebrew, and would treat us in such wise." Pharaoh said to them: "O ye
fools, did he not prophesy through the holy spirit and proclaim to the
whole world, that there would come seven years of plenty to be followed
by seven years of dearth? Why did you not save the yield of one or two
years against the day of your need?"
Weeping, they made reply: "The grain that we put aside during the good
years hath rotted."