said

And Rachel said to her: Thou shalt have Jacob this night for the mandrakes of thy son,

And Leah said to her: Jacob is mine, for I am the wife of his youth.

But Rachel said: Boast not, and vaunt not thyself; for he espoused me before thee, and for my sake he served our father fourteen years.

And having said these things, he commanded his sons that they should carry him up to Hebron, and bury him there in the cave with his fathers.

And he said to them: Hearken to me, ye sons of Zebulun attend to the words of your father.

For Simeon and Gad came against Joseph to kill him, and he said unto them with tears: Pity me, my brethren, have mercy upon the bowels of Jacob our father: lay not upon me your hands to shed innocent blood, for I have not sinned against you.

But meanwhile Reuben arose and said: Come, my brethren, let us not slay him, but let us cast him into one of these dry pits, which our fathers digged and found no water.

We will not eat of it, for it is the price of our brother's blood, but we will assuredly tread it under foot, because he said that he would be king over us, and so let us see what will become of his dreams.

And when Reuben came and heard that while he was away Joseph had been sold, he rent his garments, and mourning, said:

Dan therefore came to him and said: Weep not, neither grieve; for we have found what we can say to our father Jacob.

Then we all rose up and said unto him: If thou givest not up the coat, we will say to our father that thou alone didst this evil thing in Israel.

And so he gave it unto them, and they did even as Dan had said.

And when he had said these things he fell asleep, at a good old age.

For he called together his I family, and said: Hearken to my words, ye sons of Dan; and give heed to the words of your father.

For the spirit of jealousy and vainglory said to me: Thou thyself also art his son.

And when he had said these things he kissed them, and fell asleep at a good old age.

And after he was awake in the morning, he said to them, I am dying; and they believed him not.

And as he glorified the Lord, he grew strong and said that after yesterday's feast he should die.

And as there is a division between light and darkness, between seeing and hearing, so also is there a division between man and man, and between woman and woman; and it is not to be said that the one is like the other either in face or in mind.

And behold Isaac, the father of my father, said to us; Run and lay hold of them, each one according to his strength; and to him that seizeth them will the sun and moon belong.

And our father said to us: Come, let us embark on our ship.

These two dreams I told to my father; and he said to me: These things must be fulfilled in their season, after that Israel hath endured many things.

And he said, weeping: Ah me, my son Joseph, thou livest, though I behold thee not, and thou seest not Jacob that begat thee.

And when he had rested for a little while, he said again; My children, obey your father, and bury me near to my fathers.

For while he was still in health, he said to them: Hearken, ye children of Asher, to your father, and I will declare to you all that is upright in the sight of the Lord.

Nor may it be said that truth is a lie, nor right wrong; for all truth is under the light, even as all things are under God.

And when he had said these things unto them, he commanded them, saying: Bury me in Hebron.

When he was about to die he called his sons and his brethren together, and said to them:--

How often did she give me over to punishment, and then call me back and threaten me, and when I was unwilling to company with her, she said to me:

For she lauded me openly as chaste, and in secret she said unto me: Fear not my husband; for he is persuaded concerning thy chastity: for even should one tell him concerning us, he would not believe.

And she said unto me: If thou willest that I should leave my idols, lie with me, and I will persuade my husband to depart from his idols, and we will walk in the law by thy Lord.

And I said unto her: The Lord willeth not. that those who reverence Him should be in uncleanness, nor doth He take pleasure in them that commit adultery, but in those that approach Him with a pure heart and undefiled lips.

And again, at another time she said unto me: If thou wilt not commit adultery, I will kill my husband by poison; and take thee to be my husband.

I therefore, when I heard this, rent my garments, and said unto her:

So then after one day she came to me and observed the food, and said unto me: Why is it that thou hast not eaten of the food?

And I said unto her: It is because thou hast filled it with deadly enchantments; and how saidst thou: I come not near to idols but to the Lord alone.

And having so said, I prayed thus: The God of my fathers and the angel of Abraham, be with me; and ate.

And when her husband saw her, he said unto her: Why is thy countenance fallen?

And she said unto him: I have a pain at my heart, and the groanings of my spirit oppress me; and so he comforted her who was not sick.

Then, accordingly seizing an opportunity, she rushed unto me while her husband was yet without, and said unto me: I will hang myself, or cast myself over a cliff, if thou wilt not lie with me.

And when I saw the spirit of Beliar was troubling her, I prayed unto the Lord, and said unto her:

And she said unto me: Lo, then thou lovest me; let this suffice me: only strive for my life and my children, and I expect that I shall enjoy my desire also.

Art thou a slave? And I said that I was a home-born slave, that I might not put my brethren to shame.

And the eldest of them said unto me: Thou art not a slave, for even thy appearance doth make it manifest.

But I said that I was their slave.

And Pentephris was persuaded by her words, and commanded the merchant to be brought, and said unto him:

And Pentephris said unto him: Whence, then, is the Hebrew slave?

And he said: The Ishmaelites entrusted him unto me until they should return.

And when he persisted in this statement, Pentephris said: Let the youth be brought.

And he took me apart from him, and said unto me: Art thou a slave or free?

And I said: A slave.

And he said: Whose?

And I said: The Ishmaelites'.

And he said: How didst thou become their slave?

And I said: They bought me out of the land of Canaan.

And he said unto me: Truly thou liest; and straightway he commanded me to be stripped and beaten.

And when I made no change in my statement, though I was beaten, he ordered me to be imprisoned, until, he said, the owners of the boy should come.

And the woman said unto her husband: Wherefore dost thou detain the captive and wellborn lad in bonds, who ought rather to be set at liberty, and be waited upon?

And he said to her: It is not the custom of the Egyptians to take that which belongeth to others before proof is given.

This, therefore, he said concerning the merchant; but as for the lad, he must be imprisoned.

And they came and said unto me: How is it that thou saidst that thou wast a slave? and lo, we have learnt that thou art the son of a mighty man in the land of Canaan, and thy father still mourneth for thee in sackcloth and ashes.

And I said unto them, I know not, I am a slave.

Then said the merchant unto them: Release me from the judgement of Pentiphri.

Now the Memphian woman said to her husband: Buy the youth; for I hear, said she, that they are selling him.

Now the Memphian woman said to her husband: Buy the youth; for I hear, said she, that they are selling him.

The eunuch therefore went and gave them eighty pieces of gold, and he received me; but to the Egyptian woman he said I have given a hundred.

And when he had said these things he stretched out his feet, and died at a good old age.

And he kissed them, and said: As Isaac was born to Abraham in his old age, so also was I to Jacob.

And when I went into Egypt, to Joseph, and my brother recognized me, he said unto me: What did they tell my father when they sold me?

And I said unto him, They dabbled thy coat with blood and sent it, and said: Know whether this be thy son's coat.

And I said unto him, They dabbled thy coat with blood and sent it, and said: Know whether this be thy son's coat.

And he said unto me: Even so, brother, when they had stripped me of my coat they gave me to the Ishmaelites, and they gave me a loin cloth, and scourged me, and bade me run.

And when he had said these things, he said unto them: Know ye, therefore, my children, that I am dying.

And when he had said these things, he said unto them: Know ye, therefore, my children, that I am dying.

And when he had said these things he stretched out his feet.

And they said to him, 'Go, sacrifice to the gods and beseech them that perchance they may provide thee with a boy.'

And after many days King Sennacherib looked at Haiqar and saw that he had grown very old, and moreover he said to him.

Tell me who shall have a place in my service after thee.' And Haiqar said to him, 'O my lord, may thy head live for ever! There is Nadan my sister's son, I have made him my child.

And the king said to him, 'O Haiqar! bring him to my presence, that I may see him, and if I find him suitable, put him in thy place; and thou shalt go thy way, to take a rest and to live the remainder of thy life in sweet repose.'

And he looked at him and admired him and rejoiced in him and said to Haiqar: 'Is this thy son, O Haiqar? I pray that God may preserve him. And as thou hast served me and my father Sarhadum so may this boy of thine serve me and fulfil my undertakings, my needs, and my business, so that I may honour him and make him powerful for thy sake.'

And Haiqar did obeisance to the king and said to him, 'May thy head live, O my lord the king, for ever! I seek from thee that thou mayst be patient with my boy Nadan and forgive his mistakes that he may serve thee as it is fitting.'

O my son! let not thy parents curse thee, and the Lord be pleased with them; for it hath been said, "He who despiseth his father or his mother let him die the death (I mean the death of sin); and he who honoureth his parents shall prolong his days and his life and shall see all that is good."

And the king arose and called Nadan and said to him: 'Whilst Haiqar remains in health, no one shall rule over his goods, nor over his household, nor over his possessions.'

And when the king heard what was in the letter he was perplexed with a great perplexity and was wroth with a great and fierce wrath, and said, 'Ah, I have shown my wisdom! what have I done to Haiqar that he has written these letters to my enemies? Is this my recompense from him for my benefits to him?'

And Nadan said to him, 'Be not grieved, O king! nor be wroth, but let us go to the plain of Nisrin and see if the tale be true or not.'

And Nadan said to him, 'Hast thou seen, O my lord the king! what this wretch has done? but be not thou wroth and be not grieved nor pained, but go to thy house and sit on thy throne, and I will bring [paragraph continues] Haiqar to thee bound and chained with chains, and I will chase away thine enemy from thee without toil.'

And the king returned to his throne, being provoked about Haiqar, and did nothing concerning him. And Nadan went to Haiqar and said to him, 'W'allah, O my uncle! The king verily rejoiceth in thee with great joy and thanks thee for having done what he commanded thee.

Then answered Haiqar and said, 'To hear is to obey.' And he arose straightway and bound his hands behind him, and chained his feet.

Then said the king, 'O Haiqar, my Secretary, the Governor of my affairs, my Chancellor, the ruler of my State, tell me what evil have I done to thee that thou hast rewarded me by this ugly deed.'

Then Nadan screamed and said, 'O Haiqar, O blackface! what avails thee thy meditation or thy power in the doing of this deed to the king?'

Thus says the story-teller. And the name of the swordsman was Abu Samik. And the king said to him, 'O swordsman! arise, go, cleave the neck of Haiqar at the door of his house, and cast away his head from his body a hundred cubits.'

Then Haiqar knelt before the king, and said, 'Let my lord the king live for ever! and if thou desire to slay me, let thy wish be fulfilled; and I know that I am not guilty, but the wicked man bas to give an account of his wickedness; nevertheless, O my lord the king! I beg of thee and of thy friendship, permit the swordsman to give my body to my slaves, that they may bury me, and let thy slave be thy sacrifice.'

And when Haiqar knew for certain that he was to be slain he sent to his wife, and said to her, 'Come out and meet me, and let there be with thee a thousand young virgins, and dress them in gowns of purple and silk that they may weep for me before my death.

Then Haiqar took the swordsman aside apart from the company and said, 'O Abu Samik, dost thou not know that when Sarhadum the king, the father of Sennacherib, wanted to kill thee, I took thee and hid thee in a certain place till the king's anger subsided and he asked for thee?

And then the swordsman did as Haiqar had commanded him, and he went to the king and said to him, 'May thy head live for ever!'

And they wept and said: 'Alas for thee, O Haiqar! and for thy learning and thy courtesy! How sad about thee and about thy knowledge! Where can another like thee be found? and where can there be a man so intelligent, so learned, so skilled in ruling as to resemble thee that he may fill thy place?'

Then he called for Nadan and said to him, 'Go and take thy friends with thee and make a mourning and a weeping for thy uncle Haiqar, and lament for him as the custom is, doing honour to his memory.'

Then he assembled the old men and the learned men and the wise men and the philosophers, and the diviners and the astrologers, and every one who was in his country, and read them the letter and said to them, 'Who amongst you will go to Pharaoh king of Egypt and answer him his questions?'

And they said to him, 'O our lord the king! know thou that there is none in thy kingdom who is acquainted with these questions except Haiqar, thy vizier and secretary.

Then the king called Nadan and said to him, 'Look at this letter and understand what is in it.' And when Nadan read it, he said, 'O my lord! who is able to build a castle between the heaven and the earth?'