Bethel and dwell there, and make there an altar to the Lord that
appeared to thee in the way when thou fleddest from thy brother Esau.
Jacob then called all them of his house and said: Cast away from you all
your strange gods that be among you, and make you clean and change your
clothes; arise and let us go into Bethel, and make we there an altar to
our Lord that heard me in the day of my tribulation, and was fellow of
my journey. Then they gave to him all their strange gods, and the gold
that hung on their ears, and he dalf a pit behind the city of Shechem
and threw them therein. And when they departed, all the countries
thereabout were afraid and durst not pursue them. Then Jacob came to a
place called Luz which is in the land of Canaan, and all the people with
him, which otherwise is called Bethel. He edified there an altar to our
Lord, and named that place the House of God. Our Lord appeared to him in
that place when he fled from his brother Esau. That same time died
Deborah, the nurse of Rebekah, and was buried at the root of Bethel
under an oak. Our Lord appeared again to Jacob after that he was
returned from Mesopotamia of Syria, and was come into Bethel, and
blessed him saying: Thou shalt no more be called Jacob but Israel shall
be thy name, and called him Israel, and said to him: I am God Almighty,
grow and multiply, folks and peoples of nations shall come of thee,
kings shall come of thy loins. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac
I shall give to thee and thy seed; and vanished from him.
He then raised a stone for a remembrance in the place where God spake to
him, and anointed it with oil, calling the name of the place Bethel. He
went thence and came in veer time unto the land that goeth to Ephrath,
in which place Rachel bare a son. And the death drawing near, she named
him Benoni, which is as much to say as the son of my sorrow. The father
called him Benjamin, that is to say the son of the right hand. There
Rachel died and was buried in the way toward Ephrath, that is Bethlehem.
Jacob raised a title upon her tomb; this is the title of the monument of
Rachel unto this present day. Jacob went thence and came to Isaac his
father into Mamre the city of Arbah, that is Hebron, in which dwelled
Abraham and Isaac. And all the days of Isaac were complete, which were
an hundred and fourscore years, and he consumed and died in good mind,
and Esau and Jacob his sons buried him.
Thus endeth the history of Isaac and his two sons Esau and Jacob.
HERE BEGINNETH THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
_Which is read the Third Sunday in Lent_
Joseph when he was sixteen years old began to keep and feed the flock
with his brethren, he being yet a child, and was accompanied with the
sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, wives of his father. Joseph complained on his
brethren, and accused them to their father of the most evil sin. Israel
loved Joseph above all his sons for as much as he had gotten him in his
old age, and made for him a motley coat. His brethren then seeing that
he was beloved of his father more than they were, hated him and might
not speak to him a peaceable word. It happed on a time that Joseph
dreamed, and saw a sweven [dream], and told it to his brethren, which
caused them to hate him yet more. Joseph said to his brethren: Hear ye
my dream that I had; methought that we bound sheaves in the field, and
my sheaf stood up and yours standing round about and worshipped my
sheaf. His brethren answered: Shalt thou be our king and shall we be
subject and obey thy commandment? Therefore this cause of dreams and of
these words ministered the more fume of hate and envy. Joseph saw
another sweven and told to his father and brethren: Methought I saw in
my sleep the sun, the moon, and eleven stars worship me. Which when his
father and his brethren had heard, the father blamed him, and said: What
may betoken this dream that thou sawest? Trowest thou that I, thy mother
and thy brethren, shall worship thee upon the earth? His brethren had
great envy hereat.
The father thought and considered a thing secretly in himself. On a time
when his brethren kept their flocks of sheep in Shechem, Israel said to
Joseph: Thy brethren feed their sheep in Shechem, come and I shall send
thee to them, which answered: I am ready, and he said: Go and see if all
things be well and prosperous at thy brethren and beasts, and come again
and tell me what they do. He went from the vale of Hebron and came unto
Shechem. There a man found him erring in the field, and asked him what
he sought, and he answered: I seek my brethren, tell me where they feed
their flocks. The man said to him: They been departed from this place, I
heard them say Let us go in to Dothan. Which then when his brethren saw
him come from far, tofore he approached to them they thought to slay
him, and spake together saying: Lo! see the dreamer cometh. Come and let
us slay him and put him into this old cistern. And we shall say that
some wild evil beast hath devoured him, and then shall appear what his
dreams shall profit him. Reuben hearing this, thought for to deliver him
from their hands, and said: Let us not slay him ne shed his blood, but
keep your hands undefouled. This he said, willing to keep him from their
hands and render him again to his father. Anon then as he came they
took off his motley coat, and set him into an old cistern that had no
water. As they sat for to eat bread they saw Ishmaelites coming from
Gilead, and their camels bringing spices and raisins into Egypt. Then
said Judah to his brethren: What should it profit us if we slew our
brother and shed his blood? It is better that he be sold to Ishmaelites
and our hands be not defouled, he is our own brother and our flesh. His
brethren agreed to his words, and drew him out of the cistern, and sold
him to the Midianitish merchants passing forth by to Ishmaelites for
thirty pieces of silver, which led him into Egypt. At this time when he
was sold Reuben was not there, but was in another field with his beasts.
And when he returned and came unto the cistern and found not Joseph, he
tare his clothes for sorrow, and came to his brethren and said: The
child is not yonder, whither shall I go to seek him? He had supposed his
brethren had slain him in his absence. They told him what they had done,
and took his coat, and besprinkled it with the blood of a kid which they
slew, and sent it to their father saying: See whether this be the coat
of thy son or not, this we have found. Which anon as the father saw it
said: This is my son's coat, an evil wild beast hath devoured him, some
beast hath eaten him; and rent his clothes and did on him a sackcloth,
bewailing and sorrowing his son a long time. All his sons gathered them,
together for to comfort their father and assuage his sorrow, but he
would take no comfort, but said: I shall descend to my son into hell for
to bewail him there. And thus, he abiding in sorrow, the Midianites
carried Joseph into Egypt, and sold him to Potiphar, eunuch of Pharaoh,
master of his knights.
Thus was Joseph led into Egypt, and Potiphar, prince of the host of
Pharaoh, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of Ishmaelites. Our Lord
God was always with Joseph, and he was wise, ready, and prosperous in
all manner of things. He dwelled in his lord's house and pleased so well
his lord, that he stood in his grace that he made him upperest and above
all other, and betook him the rule and governance of all his house,
which well and wisely governed the household and all that he had charge
of. Our Lord blessed the house of Egypt for Joseph's sake, and
multiplied as well in beasts as in fields all his substance. Joseph was
fair of visage and well favored.
After many days the lady, his master's wife, beheld and cast her eyes on
Joseph, and tempted him to sin. He refused that, and would not attend ne
listen to her words, ne would not consent to so sinful a work, and said
to her: Lo! hath not my lord delivered to me all that he hath in his
house? and he knoweth not what he hath, and there is nothing therein but
that it is in my power and at my commandment except thee, which art his
wife. How may I do this evil and sin to my lord? Such manner, or
semblable words, he said daily to her, and the woman was the more
desirous and grievous to the young man, and he always forsook and
refused the sin. And when the lady saw that she was refused, she cried
and called the men of the house and accused Joseph falsely. When the
lord heard this, anon he gave faith and believed his wife, and being
sore wroth, set Joseph in prison where the prisoners of the king were
kept and he was there fast set in. Our Lord God was with Joseph, and had
mercy on him, and made him in the favor and grace of the chief keeper of
the prison, in so much that he delivered to Joseph the keeping of all
the prisoners, and what he did was done, and the chief jailer was
pleased with all. Our Lord was with him and directed all his works.
After this it fell so that two officers of the king's trespassed unto
their lord, wherefore he was wroth with them and commanded them to the
prison whereas Joseph was. That one of them was the butler, and that
other the baker; and the keeper betook them to Joseph to keep, and he
served them. After a while that they had been in prison they both saw on
one night a dream of which they were astoned and abashed, and when
Joseph was come in to serve them, and saw them heavy, he demanded them
why they were heavier than they were wont to be, which answered: We have
dreamed and there is none to interpret it to us. Joseph said to them:
Suppose ye that God may not give me grace to interpret it? Tell to me
what ye saw in your sleep. Then the butler told first and said:
Methought I saw a vine had three branches, and after they had flowered
the grapes were ripe, and then I took the cup of Pharaoh in my hand, and
took the grapes and wrang out of them wine into the cup that I held,
and presented it to Pharaoh to drink. Joseph answered: The three
branches be yet three days, after which Pharaoh shall remember thy
service and shall restore thee into thy foremost office and gree, for to
serve him as thou wert wont to do. Then I pray thee to remember me when
thou art at thine above, and be to me so merciful to sue unto Pharaoh
that he take me out of this prison, for I was stolen out of the land of
Hebrews and am innocently set here in prison. Then the master baker saw
that he had wisely interpreted the butler's dream; he said: Methought
that I had three baskets of meat upon my head, and in that one basket
that was highest methought I bare all the meat of the bakehouse and
birds came and ate of it. Joseph answered: This is the interpretation of
the dream; the three baskets be three days yet to come, after which
Pharaoh shall smite off thy head and shall hang thee on the cross, and
the birds shall tear thy flesh. And the third day after this Pharaoh
made a great feast unto his children, and remembered him, among the
meals, on the master butler and the master baker. He restored his butler
unto his office, and to serve him of the cup, and that other was hanged,
that the truth of the interpreter was believed and proved.
Notwithstanding the master butler in his wealth forgat Joseph his
interpreter.
Two years after Pharaoh saw in his sleep a dream. Him thought he stood
upon the river, from which he saw seven oxen ascend to the land which
were fair and right fat, and were fed in a fat pasture; he saw other
seven come out of the river, poor and lean, and were fed in places
plenteous and burgeoning. These devoured the other that were so fat and
fair. Herewith he started out of his sleep, and after slept again, and
saw another dream. He saw seven ears of corn standing on one stalk, full
and fair of corns, and as many other ears void and smitten with drought,
which devoured the beauty of the first seven. In the morning Pharaoh
awoke and was greatly afeard of these dreams, and sent for all
conjectors and diviners of Egypt, and wise men; and when they were
gathered he told to them his dream, and there was none that could
interpret it. Then at last the master butler, remembering Joseph, said:
I knowledge my sin, on a time the king being wroth with his servants,
sent me and the master of the bakers into prison, where we in one night
dreamed both prodigies of things coming. And there was a child of the
Hebrews, servant to the jailer, to whom we told our dreams and he
expounded them to us and said what should happen; I am restored to mine
office and that other is hanged on the cross.
Anon, by the king's commandment, Joseph was taken out of prison and
shaved, bathed, and changed his clothes, and brought tofore Pharaoh, to
whom he said: I saw a dream which I have showed unto wise men, and there
is none that can tell me the interpretation thereof. To whom Joseph
answered: God shall answer by me things prosperous to Pharaoh. Then
Pharaoh told to him his dreams, like as is tofore written, of the seven
fat oxen and seven lean, and how the lean devoured the fat, and in
likewise of the ears. Joseph answered: The king's dreams are one thing
which God hath showed to Pharaoh. The seven fat oxen and the seven ears
full, betoken seven years to come of great plenty and commodious, and
the seven lean oxen, and the seven void ears smitten with drought,
betoken seven years after them of great hunger and scarcity. Lo! there
shall come first seven years of great fertility and plenty in all the
land of Egypt, after whom shall follow other seven years of so great
sterility, barrenness, and scarcity, that the abundance of the first
shall be all forgotten. The great hunger of these latter years shall
consume all the plenty of the first years. The latter dream pertaineth
to the same, because God would that it should be fulfilled. Now
therefore let the king provide for a man that is wise and witty, that
may command and ordain provosts and officers in all places of the realm,
that they gather into garners and barns the fifth part of all the corn
and fruits that shall grow these first seven plenteous years that be to
come, and that all this wheat may be kept in barns and garners in towns
and villages, that it may be made ready against the coming of the seven
scarce years that shall oppress by hunger all Egypt, to the end that the
people be not enfamined. This counsel pleased much to Pharaoh and to all
his ministers. Then Pharaoh said to his servants: Where should we find
such a man as this is, which is fulfilled with the spirit of God? And
then he said to Joseph: Forasmuch as God hath showed to thee all that
thou hast spoken, trowest thou that we might find any wiser than thou
or like to thee? Thou shalt be upperest of my house, and to the
commandment of thy mouth all people shall obey. I only shall go tofore
thee and sit but one seat above thee. Yet said Pharaoh to Joseph: Lo! I
have ordained thee above and master upon all the land of Egypt. He took
a ring from his hand and gave it into his hand, and clad him with a
double stole furred with bise; and a golden collar he put about his
neck, and made him to ascend upon his chair; the second trumpet crying
that all men should kneel tofore him, and that they should know him
upperest provost of all the land of Egypt. Then said the king of Egypt
to Joseph: I am Pharaoh, without thy commandment shall no man move hand
nor foot in all the land of Egypt. He changed his name and called him in
the tongue of Egypt: The saviour of the world. He gave to him a wife
named Asenath, daughter of Poti-phera, priest of Eliopoleos.
Joseph went forth then into the land of Egypt. Joseph was thirty years
old when he stood in the favor and grace of Pharaoh. And he went round
about all the region of Egypt. The plenteousness and fertility of the
seven years came, and sheaves and shocks of corn were brought in to the
barns; all the abundance of fruits was laid in every town. There was so
great plenty of wheat that it might be compared to the gravel of the
sea, and the plenty thereof exceedeth measure. Joseph had two sons by
his wife ere the famine and hunger came, which Asenath the priest's
daughter brought forth, of whom he called the name of the first
Manasseh, saying: God hath made me to forget all my labors, and the
house of my father hath forgotten me. He called the name of the second
son Ephraim, saying: God hath made me to grow in the land of my poverty.
Then passed the seven years of plenty and fertility that were in Egypt,
and the seven years of scarcity and hunger began to come, which Joseph
had spoken of tofore, and hunger began to wax and grow in the universal
world; also in all the land of Egypt was hunger and scarcity. And when
the people hungered they cried to Pharaoh asking meat, to whom he
answered: Go ye to Joseph, and whatsoever he saith to you do ye. Daily
grew and increased the hunger in all the land. Then Joseph opened the
barns and garners, and sold corn to the Egyptians, for the hunger
oppressed them sore. All provinces came into Egypt for to buy meat to
them, and to eschew the hunger.
Jacob, father unto Joseph, heard tell that corn and victuals were sold
in Egypt, and said to his sons: Why be ye negligent? I have heard say
that corn is sold in Egypt; go ye thither and buy for us that is
necessary and behoveful, that we may live, and consume not for need.
Then the ten brethren of Joseph descended into Egypt for to buy wheat,
and Benjamin was left at home with the father, because whatsoever happed
to the brethren in their journey. Then they entered into the land of
Egypt with others for to buy corn. There was great famine in the land of
Canaan, and Joseph was prince in the land of Egypt, also by his
commandment wheat was sold unto the people. Then when his brethren were
come and had adored and worshipped him, he anon knew them, and spake to
them, as to strangers, hard words, demanding them saying: Whence be ye?
Which answered: Of the land of Canaan, and come hither to buy that is
necessary for us. And though he knew his brethren, yet was he unknown of
them. He remembered the dreams that he sometime had seen, and told them
and said: Ye be spies and be come hither for to espy the weakest places
of this land, which said to him: It is not so, my lord, but we thy
servants be come for to buy victuals. We be all sons to one man, we come
peaceably, ne we thy servants think ne imagine none evil. To whom he
answered: It is all otherwise, ye be come for to espy and consider the
secretest places of this realm. Then they said: We are twelve brethren,
thy servants, sons of one man in the land of Canaan, the youngest is at
home with our father, and that other is dead. That is, said he, that I
said; ye be spies. Now I have of you the experience. I swear to you by
the health of Pharaoh ye shall not depart till that your youngest
brother come. Send ye one of you for him to bring him hither. Ye shall
abide in fetters in prison till the truth be proved whether the things
that ye have said be true or false, else, by the health of Pharaoh, ye
be spies. And delivered them to be kept three days. The third day they
were brought out of prison, to whom he said: I dread God, if ye be
peaceable as ye say, do as ye have said, and ye shall live. Let one
brother be bounden in prison, and go ye your way, and lead home the
wheat that ye have bought into your houses, and bring to me with you
your youngest brother, that I may prove your words, that ye die not.
They did as he said, and spake together: We be worthy and well deserved
to suffer this, for we have sinned in our brother, seeing his anguish
when he prayed us and we heard him not, therefore this tribulation is
fallen upon us. Of whom Reuben said: Said not I to you, in no wise sin
not ye in the child, and ye would not hear me? Now his blood is wroken.
They knew not that Joseph understood them, forasmuch as he spake alway
to them by an interpreter. Then Joseph turned him a little and wept.
After he returned to them, and took Simeon in their presence and bound
him, and sent him to prison, and commanded to his ministers to fill
their sacks with wheat, and to put each man's money in their sacks, and
above that to give them meat to spend in their way; which did so. And
they took their wheat and laid it on their asses and departed on their
way. After, one of them, on the way, opened his sack for to give his
beast meat, and found his money in the mouth of his sack and said to his
brethren: My money is given to me again, lo! I have found it in my sack.
And they were all astonied: What is this that God hath done to us? Then
they came home to their father in the land of Canaan and told to him all
things that was fallen to them, saying: The lord of the country hath
spoken hard to us and had supposed that we been spies of that province,
to whom we answered that, we were peaceable people ne were no such
spies, and that we were twelve sons gotten of one father, one is dead
and the youngest is with our father in the land of Canaan. Which then
said to us: Now shall I prove whether ye be peaceable or no. Ye shall
leave here one brother with me, and lead home that is necessary for you,
and go your way and see that ye bring with you your youngest brother
that I may know that ye be none espies and that ye may receive this
brother that I hold in prison, and then forthon what that ye will buy ye
shall have license. And this said, each of them poured out the wheat,
and every man found his money bounden in the mouth of every sack. Then
said Jacob their father: Ye have made me without children. Joseph is
gone and lost, Simeon is bounden in prison, and Benjamin ye will take
away from me, on me come all these evils. To Reuben answered: Slay my
two sons if I bring him not again to thee; deliver him to me in my hand,
and I shall restore him again to thee. The father said: My son shall not
go with you, his brother is dead and he is left now alone, if any
adversity should hap to him in the way that ye go into, ye shall lead my
old hairs with sorrow to hell.
In the meanwhile famine and hunger oppressed all the land greatly. And
when the corn that they brought from Egypt was consumed, Jacob said to
his sons: Return ye into Egypt and buy for us some meat, that we may
live. Judah answered: That man said to us, under swearing of great
oaths, that: Ye shall not see my face ne come into my presence, but if
ye bring your youngest brother with you. Therefore if thou wilt send him
with us, we shall go together and shall buy for us that shall be
necessary, and if thou wilt not we shall not go. The man said as we oft
have said to thee, that if we bring him not we shall not see his visage.
Israel said to them: This have ye done into my misery, that ye told to
him that ye had another brother. And they answered: The man demanded of
us by order our progeny, if our father lived, if we had any brother. And
we answered him consequently after that he demanded, we wist not what he
would say, ne that he said bring your brother with you. Send the child
with us that we may go forth and live, and that we ne our children die
not for hunger. I shall receive thy son, and require him of my hand. If
I lead him not thither and bring him again, I shall be guilty to thee of
the sin ever after. If there had been no delay of this, we had been
there and come again by this time.
Then Israel their father said to them: If it be so necessary as ye say,
do ye as ye will; take with you of the best fruits of this land in your
vessels, and give ye and present to that man gifts, a little raisins,
and honey, storax, stacten, terebinthe, and dates, and bear with you
double money, and also the same money that ye found in your sacks, lest
there be any error therefore; and take with you Benjamin, your brother.
My God, that is almighty, make him pleasant unto you, and that ye may
return in safety with this your brother and him also that he holdeth in
prison; I shall be as a man barren therewhiles, without children. Then
the brethren took the gifts and double money and Benjamin, and went
forth into Egypt, and came and stood tofore Joseph; whom when he had
seen, and Benjamin, he commanded to the steward of his house that he
should do slay sheep and calves and make a feast, for these brethren
shall dine with me this day. He did as he was commanded and brought the
men unto his lord's house.
Then were they all afeard and said softly together: Because of the money
that we had in our sacks we be brought in that he take us with the
default, and shall by violence bring us and our asses into servitude.
Wherefore they said to the steward of the house, in the gate of the
house ere they entered, saying: We pray thee to hear us: the last time
that we came to buy victual, which when we had bought and departed, and
were on our way, for to give our beasts meat we opened our sacks, and we
found in the mouth of our sacks our money that we had paid, which we now
bring again of the same weight, and we have more other for to buy to us
that shall be necessary. It is not in our conscience to have it, we weet
never who put it in our sacks. He answered to him: Peace be among you,
fear ye nothing, the God of your father hath given to you the treasure
that ye found in your sacks, for the money that ye paid to me I have it
ready. And then he brought in Simeon to them, and brought them into the
house, and washed their feet, and gave meat to their asses. They made
ready and ordained their gifts and presents against the coming of
Joseph. They heard say that they should dine and eat there.