Benjamin: "In memory of my brother and his sufferings: Bela, because my
brother disappeared among the peoples; Becher, he was the first-born
son of my mother; Ashbel, he was taken away from my father; Gera, he
dwells a stranger in a strange land; Naaman, he was exceedingly lovely;
Ehi, he was my only brother by my father and my mother together; Rosh,
he was at the head of his brethren; Muppim, he was beautiful in every
respect; Huppim, he was slandered; and Ard, because he was as beautiful
as a rose."[251]
Joseph ordered his magic astrolabe to be brought to him, whereby he
knew all things that happen, and he said unto Benjamin, "I have heard
that the Hebrews are acquainted with all wisdom, but dost thou know
aught of this?" Benjamin answered, "Thy servant also is skilled in all
wisdom, which my father hath taught me." He then looked upon the
astrolabe, and to his great astonishment he discovered by the aid of it
that he who was sitting upon the throne before him was his brother
Joseph. Noticing Benjamin's amazement, Joseph asked him, "What hast
thou seen, and why art thou astonished?" Benjamin said, "I can see by
this that Joseph my brother sitteth here before me upon the throne."
And Joseph said: "I am Joseph thy brother! Reveal not the thing unto
our brethren. I will send thee with them when they go away, and I will
command them to be brought back again into the city, and I will take
thee away from them. If they risk their lives and fight for thee, then
shall I know that they have repented of what they did unto me, and I
will make myself known unto them. But if they forsake thee, I will keep
thee, that thou shouldst remain with me. They shall go away, and I will
not make myself known unto them."[252]
Then Joseph inquired of Benjamin what his brethren had told their
father after they had sold him into slavery, and he heard the story of
the coat dipped in the blood of a kid of the goats. "Yes, brother,"
spoke Joseph, "when they had stripped me of my coat, they handed me
over to the Ishmaelites, who tied an apron around my waist, scourged
me, and bade me run off. But a lion attacked the one that beat me, and
killed him, and his companions were alarmed, and they sold me to other
people."[253]
Dismissed by Joseph with kind words, his brethren started on their
homeward journey as soon as the morning was light, for it is a good
rule to "leave a city after sunrise, and enter a city before
sundown."[254] Besides, Joseph had a specific reason for not letting
his brethren depart from the city during the night. He feared an
encounter between them and his servants, and that his men might get the
worst of it, for the sons of Jacob were like the wild beasts, which
have the upper hand at night.