Legends of the Patriarchs and Prophets: And Other Old Testament Characters from Various SourcesBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Religion
Legends of the Patriarchs and Prophets: And Other Old Testament Characters from Various Sources
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Bible. Old Testament -- Legends
It was moonlight, and the caravan was resting.
A low voice issued from the tomb, “My son! my son Joseph! my child! I
have heard the voice of thy crying. I know all thou hast suffered, my
son, and my grief is as deep as the sea. But put thy trust in God, who
is the help of thy countenance and thy God! Rise, my child, and have
patience. If thou knewest the future, thou wouldst be comforted.”[411]
One of the chiefs of the caravan, wearied with the cries of Joseph,
came to drive him from the tomb, but suddenly a dark and threatening
cloud appeared in the sky over his head, and he desisted in fear.
In the Testament of the Twelve patriarchs, Benjamin says that a man
struck Joseph as he lagged on the way, whereupon a lion fell upon the
man and slew him.
The sun was about to set, when the caravan entered Heliopolis, the
chief city of Egypt, which was then under the government of Rajjan, an
Amalekite. Joseph’s face shone brighter than the mid-day sun; and as
this new light from the east shone in the city, and cast the shadows
towards the declining sun, all the women and damsels ran out upon the
terraces or to the windows to see.
Next day he was placed for sale before the palace of the king. All the
wealthy ladies of Heliopolis sent their husbands or relations to bid
for the beautiful youth, but he was purchased by Potiphar, the king’s
treasurer,[412] who was childless, and designed making Joseph his
adopted son and heir.
Zuleika,[413] Potiphar’s wife, received him with great friendliness,
gave him new clothes and a garden-house in which to live, as he would
not sit down to eat with the Egyptians. He was occupied in tending the
fruit and the flowers in Potiphar’s garden; and from her window Zuleika
watched him.
Thus Joseph served as gardener to Potiphar for six years.
A graceful Arab legend of this period of Joseph’s life deserves not to
be omitted.
One day an Ishmaelite passed the gate of Potiphar’s garden, leading a
camel. As the beast approached Joseph, who was standing at the door,
it bowed, refused to follow its master, and turning to Joseph, fell
before him, and shed tears over his feet.
Joseph recognized the camel as having once belonged to his father,
and he remembered having often given it bread. He questioned the
Ishmaelite, who acknowledged he had purchased the beast from Israel.
Now Joseph loved Zuleika as much as she loved him, but he did not
venture to hope that he was precious to his mistress.
One day when a great feast of the gods was observed, all the household
had gone to the temple, save Zuleika, who pretended to be ill, and
Joseph, who worshipped the One true God. Zuleika prepared a table with
wine and fruit and sweet cakes, and invited Joseph to eat with her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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