Chapter 50
before Joseph.
30. And Joseph upon his horse lifted up his eyes to heaven, and called out and said, He raiseth the poor man from the dust, He lifteth up the needy from the dunghill. O Lord of hosts, happy is the man who trusteth in thee.
31. And Joseph passed throughout the land of Egypt with Pharaoh's servants and officers, and they showed him the whole land of Egypt and all the king's treasures.
32. When Joseph returned and came on that day before Pharaoh, the king gave unto Joseph a possession in the land of Egypt, a possession of fields and vineyards, and the king gave unto Joseph three thousand talents of silver and one thousand talents of gold, and onyx stones and bdellium and many gifts.
33. And on the next day the king commanded all the people of Egypt to bring unto Joseph offerings and gifts, and that he that violated the command of the king should die; and they made a high place in the street of the city, and they spread out garments there, and whoever brought anything to Joseph put it into the high place.
34. And all the people of Egypt cast something into the high place, one man a golden earring, and the other rings and earrings, and different vessels of gold and silver work, and onyx stones and bdellium did he cast upon the high place; everyone gave something of what he possessed.
35. And Joseph took all these and placed them in his treasures, and all the officers and nobles belonging to the king exalted Joseph, and they gave him many gifts, seeing that the king had chosen him to be his second.
36. And the king sent a message to Potiphera, the son of Ahiram priest of On, and he took his young daughter Osnath and gave her unto Joseph for a wife.
37. And the damsel was very comely, a virgin, one whom man had not known, and Joseph took her for a wife. And the king said unto Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and beside thee none shall dare to lift up his hand or his foot to regulate my people ’s affairs throughout the land of Egypt.
38. And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, and Joseph went out from before the king and became the king's second in Egypt.
39. And the king gave Joseph a hundred servants to attend him in his house, and Joseph also sent and purchased many servants and they remained in Joseph's house.
40. Joseph then built for himself a very magnificent house like unto the houses of kings before the court of the king's palace, and he made in the house a large temple, very elegant in appearance and convenient for his residence; three years Joseph was erecting his house.
41. And Joseph made unto himself a very elegant throne with an abundance of gold and silver, and he covered it with onyx stones and bdellium, and he made upon it the likeness of the whole land of Egypt, and the likeness of the river of Egypt that watereth the whole land of Egypt; and Joseph sat securely upon his throne in his house and the Lord increased Joseph's wisdom.
42. And all the inhabitants of Egypt and Pharaoh's servants and his princes loved Joseph exceedingly, for this thing was from the Lord to Joseph.
43. And Joseph had an army for making war, going out in hosts and troops to the number of forty thousand six hundred men, capable of bearing arms to assist both the king and Joseph against the enemy, besides the king's officers and his servants and the countless inhabitants of Egypt.
44. And Joseph gave unto his migty men and all his host shields and javelins and caps and coats of mail and stones for slinging.
1. AT that time the children of Tarshish came against the sons of Ishmael, and warred against them, and the children of Tarshish spoiled the Ishmaelites for a long time.
2. And the children of Ishmael were small in number in those days, and they could not prevail over the children of Tarshish, and they were sorely oppressed.
3. And the elders of the Ishmaelites sent a record to the king of Egypt, saying, send I pray thee unto thy servants officers and hosts to help us to fight the children of Tarshish, for we have been consuming away for a long time.
4. And Pharaoh sent Joseph with his mighty men and the host that were with him, and the mighty men from the king's own house.
5. And they went to the land of Havilah to the children of Ishmael, to assist them against the children of Tarshish, and the children of Ishmael fought against the children of Tarshish, and Joseph smote the Tarshishites and subdued all their land; and the children of Ishmael remained there until this day.
6. And when the land of Tarshish was subdued all the Tarshishites ran away and came to the border of their brethren, the children of Javan. And Joseph with all his mighty men and his host returned to Egypt, not one of them was missing. 118 .
7. And at the revolution of the year, in the second year of Joseph's reigning over Egypt, from then on the Lord gave great plenty throughout the land for seven years, as Joseph had spoken, for the Lord blessed all the produce of the earth in those days for seven years, and they ate and were greatly satisfied.
8. And Joseph at that time had officers under him, and they collected all the food of the good years, and heaped corn year by year, and they placed it in the treasuries of Joseph.
9. And at any time when they gathered the food Joseph commanded that they should bring the corn in the ears, and also bring with it some of the soil of the field, that it should not spoil.
10. And Joseph did according to this year by year, and he heaped up corn like the sand of the sea for abundance, for his stores were immense and could not be numbered for abundance.
11. And also all the inhabitants of Egypt gathered all sorts of food in their stores in great abundance during the seven good years, but they did not do unto it as Joseph did.
12. And all the food which Joseph and the Egyptians had gathered during the seven years of plenty, was secured for the land in stores for the seven years of famine, for the support of the whole land.
13. And of the inhabitants of Egypt each man filled his store and his concealed place with corn, to be for support during the famine.
14. And Joseph placed all the food that he had gathered in all the cities of Egypt, and he closed all the stores and placed sentinels over them.
15. And Joseph's wife Osnath, the daughter of Potiphera, bare him two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and Joseph was thirty four years old when he begat them.
16. And the lads grew up and they went in his ways and in his instructions; they did not deviate from the way which their father taught them, either to the right or to the left.
17. And the Lord was with the lads, and they grew up and had understanding and skill in all wisdom and in all the affairs of government; and all the king's officers and great men of the inhabitants of Egypt exalted the lads, and they were brought up amongst the king's children.
18. And the seven years of plenty that were throughout the land came to an end, and the seven years of famine came after them as Joseph had spoken, and the famine was throughout the land.
19. And all the people of Egypt saw that the famine had commenced in the land of Egypt, and all the people of Egypt opened their stores of corn for the famine prevailed over them.
20. And they found all the food that was in their stores, full of vermin and not fit to eat, and the famine prevailed throughout the land, and all the inhabitants of Egypt came and cried before Pharaoh, for the famine was heavy upon them.
21. And they said unto Pharaoh, give food unto thy servants, and wherefore shall we die through hunger before thy eyes, even we and our little ones?
22. And Pharaoh answered them, saying: Wherefore do you cry unto me? Did not Joseph command that the corn should be laid up during the seven years of plenty for the years of famine? And wherefore did you not hearken to his voice?
23. And the people of Egypt answered the king, saying, as thy soul liveth, our lord, thy servants have done all that Joseph ordered, for thy servants also gathered in all the produce of their fields during the seven years of plenty and laid it in the stores unto this day.
24. And when the famine prevailed over thy servants we opened our stores, and behold all our produce was filled with vermin and was not fit for food.
25. And when the king heard all that had befallen to the inhabitants of Egypt, the king was greatly afraid on account of the famine, and he was much terrified; and the king answered the people of Egypt, saying, since all this has happened unto you, go unto Joseph, do whatever he shall say unto you, transgress not his commands.
26. And all the people of Egypt went forth and came unto Joseph, and said unto him, give unto us food and wherefore shall we die before thee through hunger? For we gathered in our produce during the seven years as thou didst command, and we put it in store, and thus has it befallen us.
27. And when Joseph heard all the words of the people of Egypt and what had befallen them, Joseph opened all his stores of the produce and he sold it unto the people of Egypt.
28. And the famine prevailed throughout the land, and the famine was in all countries, but in the land of Egypt there was produce for sale.
29. And all the inhabitants of Egypt came unto Joseph to buy corn, for the famine prevailed over them, and all their corn was spoiled, and Joseph daily sold it to all the people of Egypt.
30. And all the inhabitants of the land of Canaan and the Philistines, and those beyond the Jordan, and the children of the east and all the cities of the lands far and nigh heard that there was corn in Egypt, and they all came to Egypt to buy corn, for the famine prevailed over them.
31. And Joseph opened the stores of corn and placed officers over them, and they daily stood and sold to all that came.
32. And Joseph knew that his brethren also would come to Egypt to buy corn, for the famine prevailed throughout the world. And Joseph commanded all his people that they