clasping him fast about the neck, and kissing him, wept. And lifting up his eyes, he saw the women and their children, and said: What mean these? And do they belong to thee? He answered: They are the children which God hath given to me thy servant. Then the handmaids and their children came near, and bowed themselves. Lia also with her children came near, and bowed down in like manner; and last of all, Joseph and Rachel bowed down.

And Esau said: What are the droves that I met? He answered: That I might find favour before my lord. But he said: I have plenty, my brother, keep what is thine for thyself.

And Jacob said: Do not so, I beseech thee, but if I have found favour in thy eyes, receive a little present at my hands: for I have seen thy face, as if I should have seen the countenance of God: be gracious to me, and take the blessing, which I have brought thee, and which God hath given me, who giveth all things. He took it at his brother's earnest pressing him, and said: Let us go on together, and I will accompany thee in thy journey.

And Jacob said: My lord, thou knowest that I have with me tender children, and sheep, and kine with young: which if I should cause to be over-driven, in one day all the flocks will die. May it please my lord to go before his servant: and I will follow softly after him, as I shall see my children to be able, until I come to my lord in Seir.

Esau answered: I beseech thee, that some of the people at least, who are with me, may stay to accompany thee in the way. And he said: There is no necessity: I want nothing else but only to find favour, my lord, in thy sight. So Esau returned, that day, the way that he came, to Seir.

And Jacob came to Socoth, where having built a house, and pitched tents, he called the name of the place Socoth, that is, Tents. And he passed over to Salem, a city of the Sichimites, which is in the land of Canaan, after he returned from Mesopotamia of Syria: and he dwelt by the town. And he bought that part of the field, in which he pitched his tents, of the children of Hemor, the father of Sichem, for a hundred lambs. And raising an altar there, he invoked upon it the most mighty God of Israel.

SECT. XV. THE HISTORY OF JACOB IN THE LAND OF CANAAN.

1-21.

Jacob's Sojourn in Canaan.—In the mean time God said to Gen. xxxv. Jacob: Arise, and go up to Bethel, and dwell there, and make there an altar to God, who appeared to thee when thou didst flee from Esau thy brother.

And Jacob having called together all his household, said: Cast away the strange gods that are among you, and be cleansed and change your garments. Arise, and let us go up to Bethel, that we may make there an altar to God: who heard me in the day of my affliction, and accompanied me in my journey.

So they gave him all the strange gods they had, and the earrings which were in their ears: and he buried them under the turpentine-tree, that is behind the city of Sichem. And when they were departed, the terror of God fell upon all the cities round about, and they durst not pursue after them as they went away.

And Jacob came to Luza, which is in the land of Canaan, surnamed Bethel: he and all the people that were with him. And he built there an altar, and called the name of that place, The house of God: for there God appeared to him when he fled from his brother. At the same time Debora the nurse of Rebecca died, and was buried at the foot of Bethel under an oak and the name of that place was called, The oak of weeping.

And God appeared again to Jacob after he returned from Mesopotamia of Syria, and He blessed him, saying: Thou shalt not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name. And He called him Israel, and said to him: I am God Almighty, increase thou and be multiplied. Nations and peoples of nations shall be from thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins. And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to thee, and to thy seed after thee. And He departed from him.

But he set up a monument of stone, in the place where God had spoken to him; pouring drink-offerings upon it, and pouring oil thereon: and calling the name of that place Bethel. And going forth from thence, he came in the spring time to the land which leadeth to Ephrata: wherein when Rachel was in travail, by reason of her hard labour, she began to be in danger, and the midwife said to her: Fear not, for thou shalt have this son also. And when her soul was departing for pain, and death was now at hand, she called the name of her son Benoni, that is, The son of my pain: but his father called him Benja

Gen. XXXV.

22-29.

1-25.

min, that is, The son of the right hand. So Rachel died, and was buried in the highway that leadeth to Ephrata, this is Bethlehem. And Jacob erected a pillar over her sepulchre: this is the pillar of Rachel's monument, to this day. Departing thence, he pitched his tent beyond the Flock tower.

Sons of Jacob.-Now the sons of Jacob were twelve. The sons of Lia: Ruben the first born, and Simeon, and Levi, and Juda, and Issachar, and Zabulon. The sons of Rachel, Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bala, Rachel's handmaid, Dan and Nephtali. The sons of Zelpha, Lia's handmaid, Gad and Aser: these are the sons of Jacob, that were born to him in Mesopotamia of Syria.

And he came to Isaac his father in Mambre, the city of Arbee, this is Hebron: wherein Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

And the days of Isaac were a hundred and eighty years. And being spent with age he died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

SECT. XVI. THE HISTORY OF JOSEPH. HIS TRIALS AND HUMILIATION. Gen. Joseph's Dreams.—And Jacob dwelt in the land of Canaan, XXXVII. wherein his father sojourned. And these are his generations : Joseph, when he was sixteen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren, being but a boy: and he was with the sons of Bala and of Zelpha his father's wives: and he accused his brethren to his father of a most wicked crime. Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had him in his old age: and he made him a coat of divers colours. And his brethren seeing that he was loved by his father, more than all his sons, hated him, and could not speak peaceably to him.

Now it fell out also that he told his brethren a dream,* that he had dreamed: which occasioned them to hate him the more. And he said to them: Hear my dream which I dreamed. I thought we were binding sheaves in the field: and my sheaf arose as it were, and stood, and your sheaves standing about, bowed down before my sheaf.

His brethren answered: Shalt thou be our king? or shall we be subject to thy dominion? Therefore this matter of his dreams and words ministered nourishment to their envy and

*These dreams of Joseph were prophetical, and sent from God; as were also those which he interpreted, Gen. xl. and xli. ; otherwise, generally speaking, the observing of dreams is condemned, in the Scripture, as superstitious and sinful, DOUAY BIBLE.

hatred. He dreamed also another dream, which he told his brethren, saying: I saw in a dream, as it were the sun, and the moon, and eleven stars worshipping me. And when he had told this to his father and brethren, his father rebuked him, and said: What meaneth this dream that thou hast dreamed? shall I, and thy mother, and thy brethren worship thee upon the earth? His brethren therefore envied him: but his father considered the thing with himself.

And when his brethren abode in Sichem, feeding their father's flocks, Israel said to him: Thy brethren feed the sheep in Sichem: come, I will send thee to them. And when he answered: I am ready: he said to him: Go, and see if all things be well with thy brethren, and the cattle, and bring me word again what is doing.

So being sent from the vale of Hebron, he came to Sichem : and a man found him there wandering in the field, and asked what he sought. But he answered: I seek my brethren; tell me where they feed the flocks. And the man said to him : They are departed from this place: for I heard them say: Let us go to Dothain. And Joseph went forward after his brethren, and found them in Dothain.

And when they saw him afar off, before he came nigh them, they thought to kill him, and said one to another: Behold the dreamer cometh. Come, let us kill him, and cast him into some old pit: and we will say: Some evil beast hath devoured him: and then it shall appear what his dreams avail him.

And Ruben hearing this, endeavoured to deliver him out of their hands, and said: Do not take away his life, nor shed his blood: but cast him into this pit, that is in the wilderness, and keep your hands harmless: now he said this, being desirous to deliver him out of their hands and to restore him to his father.

And as soon as he came to his brethren, they forthwith stript him of his outside coat, that was of divers colours: and cast him into an old pit, where there was no water. And sitting down to eat bread, they saw some Ismaelites on their way coming from Galaad, with their camels, carrying spices, and balm, and myrrh to Egypt.

XXXVII.

Joseph sold into Egypt.-And Juda said to his brethren: Gen. What will it profit us to kill our brother, and B.C. 1728. 26-35. conceal his blood? It is better that he be sold to the Ismaelites, and that our hands be not defiled: for he is our brother and our flesh. His brethren agreed to his words. And when the Madianite merchants passed by, they drew

him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ismaelites, for twenty pieces of silver and they led him into Egypt.*

:

And Ruben, returning to the pit, found not the boy. And rending his garments he went to his brethren, and said: The boy doth not appear, and whither shall I go?

And they took his coat, and dipped it in the blood of a kid, which they had killed: sending some to carry it to their father, and to say: This we have found: see whether it be thy son's coat, or not. And the father acknowledging it, said: It is my son's coat; an evil wild beast hath eaten him, a beast hath devoured Joseph. And tearing his garments, he put on sackcloth, mourning for his son a long time. And all his children being gathered together to comfort their father in his sorrow, he would not receive comfort, but said: I will go down to my son into hell,† mourning.

Gen. Joseph in Putiphar's House.-And Joseph was brought XXXIX. into Egypt, and Putiphar an eunuch of Pharao, chief captain of

1-18. the army, an Egyptian, bought him of the Ismaelites, by whom

he was brought. And the Lord was with him, and he was a prosperous man in all things: and he dwelt in his master's house, who knew very well that the Lord was with him, and made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found favour in the sight of his master, and ministered to him: and being set over all by him, he governed the house committed to him, and all things that were delivered to him. And the Lord blessed the house of the Egyptian for Joseph's sake, and multiplied all his substance, both at home and in the fields. Neither knew he any other thing, but the bread which he ate. And Joseph was of a beautiful countenance, and comely to behold.

And after many days his mistress cast her eyes on Joseph, and said: Come with me. But he in no wise consenting to that wicked act, said to her: Behold, my master hath delivered all things to me, and knoweth not what he hath in his own house: neither is there any thing which is not in my power, or that he hath not delivered to me, but thee, who art his wife: how then can I do this wicked thing, and sin against my God? With such words as these day by day, both the woman was importunate with the young man, and he refused the adultery.

Now it happened on a certain day, that Joseph went into

*The Madianites, or Midianites, were descendants of Ismael the son of Agar, and were often called Ismaelites.

† Or, as we should say, the grave: it means the place of the departed. So it is used in the Creed.