35 The History of JOSEPH, his being fold into Egypt, his imprisonment there, and of his brethren, &c. JOSEPH, when about feventeen years of age, was the darling of his father Jacob, in regard of the excellencies both of his body and mind: but his fondness for him raised no fmall jealoufy in his brothers. What increased it ftill more was, that Jofeph, having obferved fome vile actions in the fons of Bilhah and Zilpah, with whom his father had fent him to feed the sheep, in hopes that they would pay him a greater regard than his other brethren, came and acquainted him with it. But he himself helped to complete their envy, or rather to turn it into an irreconcileable hatred, by innocently telling them fome dreams he had, which feemed to forefhew, that he should one day get the power and authority over them. One of them was, that he faw, in a wheat field, his own fheaf ftanding upright, and theirs falling down béfore it, and paying homage to it. Another of them was, that he faw. the fun, moon, and eleven stars, doing the like obeifance to him. This last he likewife told his father; who, though he could not perhaps but think it fignificative of fome great fortune that would attend him; yet, obferving with what envy his brethren heard it, thought fit to rebuke him feverely before them; afking him, if he thought, that his father, mother, and brethren, were to bow themfelves, to the earth to him? But this rather helped to increase their hatred hatred against him, and made them refolve on his death. It was not long before an opportunity offered of executing their defign. Jacob, being uneafy that he had not heard from them fince they were gone to Shechem with their flocks, fent Jofeph to inquire after them; and thefe no fooner faw him, but they all agreed to rid themfelves of the dreamer, as they called him, and make their father believe that fome wild beaft had devoured him. They had executed their bloody defign, without any regard either to his tears, his age, or to the grief which the news of his death would caufe to their aged father, had not Reuben diffuaded them from imbruing their hands in his blood, and advised them to throw him alive into a pit, and let hunger and grief perform that cruel office. Whether the fear of the guilt of blood, or defire to make him die a more lingering death, prevailed upon them to take the advice, they let him down into the pit. In the mean time, a troop of Ishmaelites happening to pafs by, with fpices and balm from Gilead, and bound for Egypt; Judah persuaded his brethren to fell him to them, fince his death would do them no more service than his being carried down to Egypt. Accordingly Jofeph was fold to the merchants, and carried off, unknown to Reuben; whofe design was to have got him out of the pit, and to have fent him back privately to his father. The furprife and concern he was in when he found he was gone, forced fuch complaints from him, that they took the more care not to let him know what was become of him. Soon after, having dipped his partycoloured coloured coat in fome kid's blood, they fent it home to their father; who no fooner faw it, than, thinking that his beloved child had been torn in pieces by fome wild beast, he took his fuppofed lofs fo to heart, that he did not ceafe mourning for him, till he heard the furprising news of his advancement in Egypt; where Jofeph happened to be fold to an officer of the King's guard, named Potiphar. Here Jofeph fhewed fuch diligence and integrity, and proved fo fuccefsful in all he undertook, that his mafter foon committed the care of all his affairs wholly into his hands. He had been ten years in Potiphar's houfe; when his miftrefs, taken with the extraordinary comlinefs of his perfon, after feveral other unfuccessful attempts to make him comply with her wanton defires, accofted him, one day when the whole family was abroad, in fo paffionate a manner, that Jofeph, not thinking it fafe to stay and expoftulate with her, as he had frequently done, abruptly withdrew, leaving his upper garment, which he had laid hold of, in her hands. Not able to bruick this affront, fhe vowed the ruin of the innocent youth; and accordingly having brought together, with her outcries, all who were within hearing, the charged Jofeph with her own crime; confirming the charge by the dumb witnefs fhe had. torn from him. By the time her husband came home, she had dreffed up her story fo well, that he was eafily believed. Had Potiphar loved Jofeph lefs than he did, it is probable, he would have facrificed him that moment to his refentment; but he contented himself, D himfelf, for the prefent, with fending him into the King's prifon. JOSEPH got into fuch favour with the keeper of the prison, that he intrufted him with the care of all the prifoners. To two of them, men of some distinction, viz. Pharaoh's chief butler, and baker, Jofeph not only interpreted the dreams they had dreamed, but alfo told them the precife time of their fulfillment. Accordingly, three days after, the butler was reftored to his place, and the baker hanged. Jofeph took this opportunity of addressing himfelf to the former, and to beg his affiftance and intereft to get him out of prifon; telling him, at the fame time, how he had been fold out of his own country, and falfely accused by his mistress, and what elfe he thought proper, to move him to comply with his request. THE former being fet at liberty, and restored to his place, never remembred his fellow-prifoner, till two years after, when the two famous dreams of Pharaoh forced him, in a manner, to call him to mind, and to recommend him to the King, as one who had a much greater talent at interpreting dreams, than any he had yet confulted. Upon his recommendation, Jofeph was fent for out of prison; and he no fooner appeared, than Pharaoh told him his dreams, and promifed him a confiderable reward, if he could give him an interpretation of them. Pharaoh had dreamed, that he had feen seven lufty fat cows feeding on the banks of the Nile; foon after which feven others, lean and ill-favoured, came and devoured them; and yet looked neither the fatter nor bigger for it. His fecond dream was much of the fame kind, viz. seven full ears of corn dévoured by feven blafted ones. Jofeph anfwered the King, with his ufual modefty, that the feven cows and feven ears fignified the fame thing; that the dream being repeated, was only a fign that the thing was to happen immediately after; that the feven fat cows and full ears fignified seven years of exceffive plenty, which would nevertheless be quite forgotten in the feven fucceeding years of famine, fignified by the feven lean cows and blafted ears. He thereupon advised the King to appoint a wife and expert man over his whole kingdom, who should take care to build granaries, and fend officers into every province, to lay up a fifth part of all the corn of the seven plentiful years, against the fucceeding years of famine. THE King, and all that heard him, were furprifed at the wisdom of this young ftranger, who was then but thirty years old; and concluded, that he was the fittest person to be fet over the kingdom, and to put his own propofal in execution. He was thereupon made mafter and overfeer of Pharaoh's houfe; and or ders were given, that he should be obeyed in all things, as if he had been Pharaoh himfelf. The King took his own fignet off his finger, and gave it to him; caufed him to be clothed in fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; telling him, that he appointed him fuperintendent over the whole kingdom, and the next to himself in authority: moreover, he gave him the name of Zaphnath-paaneach, which fignifies a revealer of fecrets; bestowed on him in marriage, the daughter of Potipherah, priest or prince of On, and made him ride |