tion of the fruits was over, they went to Shechem, which is a country good for feeding of cattle, and for pasturage; there they fed their flock, without acquainting their father with their removal. Jacob, therefore, had melancholy suspicions about them, as being ignorant of his sons' condition; and receiving no messenger from the flocks that could inform him of their true state, he sent Joseph to learn the circumstances his brethren were in, and to bring him word how they did.

CHAP. III.

OF JOSEPH'S CRUEL TREATMENT BY HIS BRETHREN, HIS SLAVERY, AND SUBSEQUENT GREATNESS IN EGYPT.

NOW these brethren rejoiced as soon as they saw their brother coming to them; not, indeed, as at the presence of a near relation, or even as one sent by their father; but as at the presence of an enemy, and one that by divine providence was delivered into their hands; and they already resolved to kill him, and not let slip the opportunity that lay before them. But when Reubal, the eldest brother saw them thus disposed, and that they had agreed together to execute their purpose, he tried to restrain them :* shewing them the heinous enterprise they were going about, and the horrid nature of it; that this action would appear wicked in the sight of God, and impious before men; even though they should kill one not related to them; but more flagitious and detestable to appear to have slain their own brother; by which act the father must be treated unjustly in the son's slaughter, and the mother† also be in perplexity while she laments that her son is taken away from her; and this not in a natural way. He, therefore, intreated them to have a regard to their own consciences, and wisely to consider what mischief would befal them upon the death of so good a child, and their youngest brother; and they would also fear God, who was al

* Gen. xxxvii. 21.

We may here observe, that in correspondence to Joseph's second dream, which implied that his mother, who was then alive as well as his father, should come and bow down to him, Josephus represents her here as still alive after she was dead, for the decorum of the dream that foretold it, as the interpretation of that dream does also in all our copies. Gen. xxxvii.

ready both a spectator, and a witness of the designs they had against their brother; that he would love them if they abstained from this act, and yielded to repentance and amendment.— But in case they proceeded to do the fact, all sorts of punishments would overtake them from God; since they polluted his providence, which was every where present, and which did not overlook what was done either in deserts or in cities. For wherever a man is, there ought he to suppose that God is also. He told them farther, that their consciences would be their enemies if they attempted to go through so wicked an enterprise : which they never can avoid, whether it be a good conscience, or whether it be such a one as they will have within them when once they have killed their brother. He also added, that it was not a righteous thing to kill a brother, though he had injured them; that it was a good thing to forget the actions of such near friends, even in things wherein they might seem to have offended; but that they were going to kill Joseph, who had been guilty of nothing that was ill towards them; in whose case the infirmity of his tender years should rather procure him mercy, and induce them to unite in the care of his preservation. He likewise observed, that the cause of killing him made the act itself much worse, while they determined to take him off out of envy at his future prosperity, an equal share of which they would naturally partake while he enjoyed it; since they were to him not strangers, but the nearest relations; for they might reckon upon what God bestowed upon Joseph as their own; and that it was fit for them to believe, that the anger of God would for this cause be more severe upon them if they slew him who was judged by God to be worthy of that prosperity which was to be hoped for; and while by murdering him, they made it impossible for God to bestow it upon him.

Reuben said these, and many other things, and likewise used intreaties to divert them from the murder of their brother; but when he saw that his discourse had not mollified them at all, and that they prepared to do the fact, he advised them to allevi ate the wickedness they were going about in a manner of taking Joseph off; for, as he had exhorted them first when they were going to revenge themselves, to be dissuaded from doing it; so since the sentence for killing their brother had prevailed, he said that they would not be so grossly guilty, if they would be

the cattle were weary, Esau returned to Seir, for there was his place of habitation, which he had named roughness, from his own hairy roughness.

CHAP. XXI.

OF THE VIOLATION OF DINA'S CHASTITY.

AFTER this interview, Jacob came to the place, till this day called Succoth, or Tents, whence he went to Shechem, a city of the Canaanites. Now as the Shechemites were keeping a festival, Dina, who was the only daughter of Jacob, went into the city, to see the women of that country; but when Shechem, the son of Hamor the king, saw her, he defiled her by violence; and being greatly in love with her, he desired his father to procure the damsel for him in marriage. To this request Hamor acceded, and came to Jacob, desiring permission that his son Shechem might according to law, marry Dina; but Jacob, not knowing how to deny the desire of one of such great dignity, and yet not thinking it lawful to marry his daughter to a stranger, intreated leave to have a previous consultation. So the king went away, in hopes that Jacob would approve of this marriage; but Jacob informed his sons of the defilement of their sister, and of the address of Hamor, and desired them to give him their advice, what they should do. Upon this the greatest part said nothing, not knowing what advice to give; but Simeon and Levi, the brethren of the damsel, by the same mother, agreed between themselves upon the action following: it being now the time of a festival, when the Shechemites were employed in ease and feasting, they fell upon the watch when they were asleep, and entering into the city,* slew all the males, as also the king and his son with them, but spared the women; and when they had

* Why Josephus has omitted the circumcision of these Shechemites, as the occasion of their death; and of Jacob's great grief, as in the testament of Levi, I can not tell.

done this, without their father's consent, they brought away their sister.

Now, while Jacob was astonished at this daring act, and was severely blaming his sons for it, God stood by him,* and bid him be of good courage, but to purify his tents, and to offer those sacrifices which he had vowed to offer when he went first into Mesopotamia, and saw his vision. As he was therefore purifying his followers, he found the gods of Laban, (for he did not before know they were stolen by Rachel,) and he hid them in the earth, under an oak, in Shechem; and departing thence, he offered sacrifice at Bethel, the place where he saw his vision when he went first into Mesopotamia.

When he was gone thence, and was come over against Ephrata, be there buried Rachel,† who died in childbed; she was the only one of Jacob's kindred that had not the honour of burial at Hebron; and when he had mourned for her a great while, he called the son that was born of her Benjamin, because of the sorrow the mother had with him. These are all the children of Jacob, twelve males, and one female; of whom eight were legitimate, viz. six of Leah, and two of Rachel; and four were of the handmaids, two of each, all whose names have been set down already.

CHAP. XXII.

OF ISAAC'S DEATH AND INTERMENT AT HEBRON.

FROM thence Jacob went to Hebron, a city situate among the Canaanites, and the residence of Isaac; and there they lived together for a little while: for as to Rebeka, Jacob did not find

* Gen. xxxv. 1.

+ Gen. xxxv. 19

Since Benoni signifies the son of my sorrow, and Benjamin the son of days, or one born in the father's old age, Gen. xliv. 20, I suspect Josephus's present copies to be here imperfect, and suppose that, in correspondence to other copies, he wrote that Rachel called her son's name Benoni, but his father called him Benjamin, Gen. xxxv. 18. As for Benjamin, as commonly explained, the son of the righthand, it makes no sense at all, and seems to be a gross modern error only. The Samaritan always writes this name truly, Benjamin, which probably is here of the same signification, only with the Chaldee termination in, instead of im, in the Hebrew.

her alive. Isaac also died not long after the coming of his son, and was buried, with his wife, in Hebron, where the family had a monument belonging to them from their forefathers. Now Isaac was a man who was beloved of God, and was vouchsafed great instances of providence by God, after Abraham his father, and lived to be exceeding old; for when he had lived virtuously one hundred and eighty-five years, he then died.