Joseph: "But suppose his master should refuse to surrender him for any
price in the world, what would you do?"
The brethren: "If he yields not our brother to us, we will kill the
master, and carry off our brother."
Joseph: "Now see how true my words were, that ye are spies. By your own
admission ye have come to slay the inhabitants of the land. Report hath
told us that two of you did massacre the people of Shechem on account
of the wrong done to your sister, and now have ye come down into Egypt
to kill the Egyptians for the sake of your brother. I shall be
convinced of your innocence only if you consent to send one of your
number home and fetch your youngest brother hither."
His brethren refused compliance, and Joseph caused them to be put into
prison by seventy of his valiant men, and there they remained for three
days.[211] God never allows the pious to languish in distress longer
than three days, and so it was a Divine dispensation that the brethren
of Joseph were released on the third day,[212] and were permitted by
Joseph to return home, on condition, however, that one of them remain
behind as hostage.
The difference between Joseph and his brethren can be seen here. Though
he retained one of them to be bound in the prison house, he still said,
"I fear God," and dismissed the others, but when he was in their power,
they gave no thought to God.[213] At this time, to be sure, their
conduct was such as is becoming to the pious, who accept their fate
with calm resignation, and acknowledge the righteousness of God, for He
metes out reward and punishment measure for measure. They recognized
that their present punishment was in return for the heartless treatment
they had dealt out to Joseph, paying no heed to his distress, though he
fell at the feet of each of them, weeping, and entreating them not to
sell him into slavery. Reuben reminded the others that they had two
wrongs to expiate, the wrong against their brother and the wrong
against their father, who was so grieved that he exclaimed, "I will go
down to the grave to my son mourning."
The brethren of Joseph knew not that the viceroy of Egypt understood
Hebrew, and could follow their words, for Manasseh stood and was an
interpreter between them and him.[214]
Joseph decided to keep Simon as hostage in Egypt, for he had been one
of the two—Levi was the other—to advise that Joseph be put to death,
and only the intercession of Reuben and Judah had saved him. He did not
detain Levi, too, for he feared, if both remained behind together,
Egypt might suffer the same fate at their hands as the city of
Shechem.[215] Also, he preferred Simon to Levi, because Simon was not a
favorite among the sons of Jacob, and they would not resist his
detention in Egypt too violently, while they might annihilate Egypt, as
aforetime Shechem, if they were deprived of Levi, their wise man and
high priest.[216] Besides, it was Simon that had lowered Joseph into
the pit, wherefore he had a particular grudge against him.[217]
When the brethren yielded to Joseph's demand, and consented to leave
their brother behind as hostage, Simon said to them, "Ye desire to do
with me as ye did with Joseph!" But they replied, in despair: "What can
we do? Our households will perish of hunger." Simon made answer, "Do as
ye will, but as for me, let me see the man that will venture to cast me
into prison." Joseph sent word to Pharaoh to let him have seventy of
his valiant men, to aid him in arresting robbers. But when the seventy
appeared upon the scene, and were about to lay hands on Simon, he
uttered a loud cry, and his assailants fell to the floor and knocked
out their teeth.[218] Pharaoh's valiant men, as well as all the people
that stood about Joseph, fled affrighted, only Joseph and his son
Manasseh remained calm and unmoved. Manasseh rose up, dealt Simon a
blow on the back of his neck, put manacles upon his hands and fetters
upon his feet, and cast him into prison. Joseph's brethren were greatly
amazed at the heroic strength of the youth, and Simon said, "This blow
was not dealt by an Egyptian, but by one belonging to our house."[219]
He was bound and taken to prison before the eyes of the other brethren
of Joseph, but as soon as they were out of sight, Joseph ordered good
fare to be set before him, and he treated him with great kindness.[220]
Joseph permitted his nine other brethren to depart, carrying corn with
them in abundance, but he impressed upon them that they must surely
return and bring their youngest brother with them. On the way, Levi,
who felt lonely without his constant companion Simon, opened his sack,
and he espied the money he had paid for the corn. They all trembled,
and their hearts failed them, and they said, "Where, then, is the
lovingkindness of God toward our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
seeing that He hath delivered us into the hands of the Egyptian king,
that he may raise false accusations against us?" And Judah said,
"Verily, we are guilty concerning our brother, we have sinned against
God, in that we sold our brother, our own flesh, and why do ye ask,
Where, then, is the lovingkindness of God toward our fathers?"
Reuben spoke in the same way: "Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin
against the child, and ye would not hear? And now the Lord doth demand
him of us. How can you say, Where, then, is the lovingkindness of God
toward our fathers, though you have sinned against Him?"
They proceeded on their journey home, and their father met them on the
way. Jacob was astonished not to see Simon with them, and in reply to
his questions, they told him all that had befallen them in Egypt. Then
Jacob cried out: "What have ye done? I sent Joseph to you to see
whether it be well with you, and ye said, An evil beast hath devoured
him. Simon went forth with you for to buy corn, and you say, The king
of Egypt hath cast him into prison. And now ye will take Benjamin away
and kill him, too. Ye will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the
grave."[221]
The words of Jacob, which he uttered, "Me have ye bereaved of my
children," were meant to intimate to his sons that he suspected them of
the death of Joseph and of Simon's disappearance as well, and their
reports concerning both he regarded as inventions.[222] What made him
inconsolable was that now, having lost two of his sons, he could not
hope to see the Divine promise fulfilled, that he should be the
ancestor of twelve tribes.[223] He was quite resolved in his mind,
therefore, not to let Benjamin go away with his brethren under any
condition whatsoever, and he vouchsafed Reuben no reply when he said,
"Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee." He considered it
beneath his dignity to give an answer to such balderdash.[224] "My
first-born son," he said to himself, "is a fool. What will it profit
me, if I slay his two sons? Does he not know that his sons are equally
mine?"[225] Judah advised his brethren to desist from urging their
father then; he would consent, he thought, to whatever expedients were
found necessary, as soon as their bread gave out, and a second journey
to Egypt became imperative.[226]