PERIOD II.]

JOSEPH'S EARLY HISTORY.

Jacob loved Joseph more than his other children, but his brethren hated him. Joseph dreamed dreams, showing that his father and his brethren would bow down before him. His brethren hated him the more for these dreams, and sold him to a company of Midianites, which came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery, balm, and myrrh, which they were carrying down into Egypt. His brethren dipped his coat in the blood of a kid which they killed, and showed it to their father. Jacob thought some evil beast had devoured Joseph. The Midianites took Joseph into Egypt, and sold him as a slave to Potiphar, an officer of Pharoah, king of Egypt. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. His master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he had made him governor in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat. Joseph was a goodly person, and well favoured. Potiphar's wife spoke falsely of Joseph, and had him cast into prison. While Joseph was in prison in Egypt, Isaac died in Canaan. His sons Esau and Jacob went to Mamre, where Isaac had lived many years, and buried him. The age of Isaac was a hundred-and-fourscore years.

Ephrath-abundance,' the ancient name of Bethlehem, on the way to which place Benjamin was born, and Rachel died and was buried.

Midian-a country of Arabia Petrea, the people of which were descendants of Midian, the fourth son of Abraham and Keturah. The merchants who bought Joseph of his brethren are called Midianites and also Ishmaelites; the party was probably composed of descendants of both Midian and Ishmael.

LESSON 15.

JOSEPH IS GOVERNOR OF EGYPT. [2347-1635 B.C.

GENESIS xl-xlvii. 26.

The Exaltation of Joseph.

God was with Joseph and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. Pharaoh's chief butler and chief baker were in prison also, each of whom had a dream which Joseph interpreted. After some time Joseph was released from prison to interpret the dreams of the king. The king's dreams were to show him, that there would be seven years of great plenty in Egypt; and then seven years of grievous famine. And Joseph said, "Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt." And officers to "gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine." Pharaoh acknowledged the wisdom of Joseph and made him governor over all Egypt; he also gave him to wife Asenath daughter of Potipherah, the priest of On. Joseph had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. During the years of plenty the earth brought forth by handfuls, and Joseph stored up much corn; and in the years of famine people from many lands came to Egypt to buy corn.

The famine was sore in all lands, but there was corn in Egypt. Jacob sent his sons, except Benjamin, from Canaan to Egypt, to buy corn. Joseph knew his brothers, but they did not know him. They bowed themselves to the earth before him. He treated them roughly, said they were spies, and put them in prison. He heard them speaking to each other of their cruelty to their brother Joseph. He bound Simeon, and sent the others to Canaan with corn. He commanded them to bring their youngest brother with them. Jacob was unwilling to let Benjamin go; at last he consented. They came the second time to Joseph, then he made him

PERIOD II.] JACOB VISITS EGYPT.

BLESSES JOSEPH'S SONS.

self known to them. He forgave them, and sent waggons for his father and his brothers' families. When Jacob heard that Joseph was governor of Egypt, and when he saw the waggons which had been sent by him, he said, "It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die." Seventy souls of the house of Jacob came into Egypt.

Pharaoh received Joseph's father and brothers very kindly. He gave them the land of Goshen to dwell in. He told Joseph to make some of his brethren rulers over his own cattle. Joseph nourished his brethren and their families with bread. During the famine he bought up all the land of Egypt for the king, in exchange for corn, except the land of the priests.

On a city of Egypt near to the land of Goshen, noted for its idolatry. Heliopolis, one of its names, means the city of the Sun,' and Bethshemesh, another name of the city, means 'the house or temple of the Sun.' It was

the daughter of the priest of On whom Pharoah gave in marriage to Joseph.

Goshen approaching;' the district of Egypt which Pharaoh gave to Jacob and his family, in which they settled, where Jacob lived seventeen years, and where he died. It was on the eastern side of the Nile, and had excellent pastures, it was preserved from the plagues with which the other parts of Egypt were afterwards afflicted.

LESSON 16.

GENESIS xlvii. 27-1. Death of Joseph.

Death and Burial of Jacob. When the time of Jacob's death drew nigh he charged Joseph not to bury him in Egypt. He blessed Joseph's sons, saying, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac ; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth." And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon

DEATH AND BURIAL OF JACOB.

[2347-1635 B.C.

the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. And Joseph said unto his father, "Not so, my father: for this is the first-born; put thy right hand upon his head." And his father refused, and said, "I know it my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations." And he blessed them that day, saying, “In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh." Jacob then called his sons to him to tell them what should befal their descendants in the last days. He spoke to them of the future condition of their children under various expressive figures. He predicted the coming of Christ in the tribe of Judah, saying, "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."

After Jacob had made an end of blessing his sons he charged them thus, "I am to be gathered unto my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan." All the time that Jacob lived in Goshen was seventeen years; he died at the age of one-hundred-and-forty-seven years.

Jacob's body was embalmed in Egypt before it was taken into Canaan. Joseph and his brethren went from Egypt to Canaan to bury their father. Many of the Egyptians went with them to a place which was called Abel-mizraim. When Joseph and his brethren had buried their father, they returned into Egypt.

After the burial of Jacob, Joseph repeated his forgiveness to his brethren, who had feared he would punish them. Joseph spoke kindly, and said God intended their evil for good, to save much people alive. He nourished his brethren, and their families, while

he lived; he died at the age of one-hundred-and-ten years. Before he died he said to his brethren, "God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob . . . . And ye shall carry up my bones from hence." Joseph's remains were then embalmed and put in a coffin in Egypt.

....

Abel-mizraim-a place on the west of the Jordan to which the Egyptians accompanied the sons of Jacob when they conveyed their father's body to Canaan for burial. It was called Abel-mizraim, or mourning of the Egyptians' by the Canaanites, it was previously known as 'the threshing-floor of Atad.