fore have ye rewarded evil for good? And he overtook them and spake unto them these same words. And they said unto him, God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing. With whomsoever of thy servants the cup be found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen. And he said, Now let it be according to your words, he with whom it is found shall be my servant, and ye shall be blameless. Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city. And they came to Joseph's house, and fell before him on the ground.

And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? And Judah said, How shall we clear ourselves. Behold we are my lord's servants, both we also, and he with whom the cup is found. And Joseph said, God forbid that I should do so, but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.

Then Judah came near unto him, and said, O my lord, let not thine anger burn against thy servant, for thou art even as Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants, Have ye a father, or a brother? And we said unto my lord, we have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one, and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father

loveth him.

Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us, seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life, he will die, and thy servants will bring down the grey hairs of our father with sorrow to the grave. Now therefore I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad, a bondman to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brethren. Then Joseph could not refrain himself, and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph, doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither; for God did send me before you to preserve life. So now it was not you that set me hither, but God; and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt, come down unto me, tarry not. And I will nourish thee, for yet there are five years of famine, lest thou and thy household come to poverty. And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck and wept; and Benjamin wept upon

Story of Stories.]

JOSEPH RECOGNIZING HIS BRETHREN.

his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them. And after that his brethren talked with him. And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come. And it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. And Pharaoh bade Joseph send waggons for his father, and all his household. And he did so, and gave them provision for the way, And he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way. And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father: and told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not. And they told him all the words of Joseph which he had said unto them; and when he saw the waggons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. And Israel said, It is enough, Joseph my son is yet alive : I will go and see him before I die. And Israel took his journey, with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here I am.

And God said, I am God, the God of thy father, fear not to go down into Egypt, for I will there make of thee a great nation. So Jacob and all his sons and their cattle came down into Egypt.

And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him, and he fell on his neck, and wept