Signs and Wonders (18 page)

Jacob said: “Why did you do me this terrible injury? Why did you tell the man you had a younger brother at home?”

Judah said: “The man inquired very closely into our family affairs and about our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we told him the truth. How could we know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother to me’?”

“I do not understand,” said Jacob.

Judah said: “Send the lad with me. We shall go down into Egypt. Otherwise we must all starve. We shall starve and you will starve, and our wives and children.”

“I cannot allow you to take Benjamin,” said Jacob.

“I shall be bond for him,” said Judah. “If I do not bring him back to you, then the guilt is mine.”

“How will your guilt comfort me if Benjamin is taken? … Very well. I see it must be. You must do what the Egyptian bade you. Take Benjamin and depart. But do this, also. Take the best of the fruits in our orchard, the golden oranges, the figs, the dates, and the olives as a gift to the man. Take him balm and honey, spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds. And take much gold, double the price of the grain you would buy. Also, take back to him the money that you found in your sack, the price that you did not pay the first time. Take him all this, the fruits and the spice, and the sweetmeats and the gold—and Benjamin. Judah, my son, pray to the Almighty God to instill that man with mercy so that he may release Simeon and restore Benjamin to me. For if I am bereaved of my children, then I must surely die.”

Judah spoke to his brothers, and they did all that their father had said. They took fruits and spices and sweetmeats and much gold. And they took Benjamin, also. He rode a white donkey. He was clad in his finest garments and was a very handsome lad. He glowed with the excitement of the journey, for he was not afraid.

They journeyed into Egypt and to the palace of Joseph. When Joseph was told that the brothers had returned, bringing another, he said to his steward: “Kill a fat calf. These men will dine with me today.”

The brothers were not admitted to Joseph’s presence but were led out of the courtyard and into the house. And they were afraid. They had not been told that they would dine with Joseph; they thought they were being led to prison. At the door of the house, Dan spoke to the steward: “O sir, we came indeed into Egypt the first time to buy food. It was sold to us, and we paid for it. But it came to pass that when we stopped for a meal and opened our sacks to feed our donkeys, behold, every man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight. But we do not know how it got there and we have brought it back again.”

“Fear not,” said the steward. “You are not suspected of theft. And here is your brother, also.”

The steward brought Simeon to them. He had been released from his cell, and had bathed himself and been given fresh garments. The steward took the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water to wash their feet, and stabled their donkeys. The brothers gathered their gifts in a great heap and waited for Joseph.

When Joseph came in, they bowed themselves to earth again and Judah said: “Greetings, O lord. Accept, I pray, this small gift of fruits and spices and sundry delicacies from the land of Canaan where we dwell.”

Joseph turned away to fight back the tears again and said: “Is your father well? That old man you spoke of—is he alive?”

“He is alive,” said Reuben. “He is in good health. God may yet grant him many years. It was he who prepared this gift for you, for he seeks your favor. He sends his thanks, too, for selling us food.”

All the brothers bowed again, very low. When they arose they saw that Joseph was looking steadily at Benjamin. “Is this your youngest brother?” he said.

“It is,” said Levi.

Joseph looked upon Benjamin, the handsome young Benjamin, his only full brother, his father’s youngest son, and Rachel’s. He felt the cords of his body loosening with love. His guts yearned toward the lad. He left the room hastily and went off by himself to weep where no one could see him. Then he washed his face and returned to his brothers, and bade the steward serve the meal.

They all sat at a long table, and Joseph sat with them. Now, Egyptians of the high caste did not eat with Hebrews. Breaking bread with anyone not descended from the falcon god, Horus, was an abomination to them. And the brothers thought Joseph a prince of Egypt, and they wondered that he ate with them.

Joseph not only dined at their table but honored them exceedingly. He sat them in order around the table: Reuben, the firstborn, sat next to Joseph in the place of honor, and Simeon next, and Levi, then Judah, and so on according to their age, down to Benjamin, who was last. And the brothers wondered that he knew their ages so surely. From time to time during the meal he ordered the butler to take special delicacies from his plate, as the custom was then, and sent them to one guest and then another. But he sent Benjamin five times as much as any of the others. Benjamin wondered at the favor that was being shown him, and Judah watched his host narrowly, for he did not understand what was happening. The food was lavish and the wine was strong, and the brothers ate and drank and were merry at the table.

After the meal Joseph spoke to the brothers: “I see that you are not spies and I release you from your bond. Take your youngest brother with you—also, the brother I have released from prison—and return to your father. And take with you as much corn as you can carry.”

The brothers prostrated themselves before Joseph and thanked him for his kindness. He still pretended not to understand their language, and spoke through an interpreter. Before they departed Joseph took his steward aside and said: “Do as you did before. Return each man’s gold to him but do not let him know. Put it secretly in his sack with the corn. And do this, also: Take my silver cup and put it in the sack of the youngest.”

The brothers slept overnight in Joseph’s house and departed in the first light of the morning. They saddled their donkeys and loaded them with heavy sacks of grain and rode off. Then Joseph said to his steward: “Pursue the Hebrews. Bind them and bring them back.”

The steward took a troop of men and followed the brothers on swift horses and overtook them on the road. The brothers were surrounded by armed men. Simeon and Levi seized their swords and prepared to fight. Simeon was wild to fight for he had been galled by his imprisonment. But Judah struck down their swords with his staff, crying, “Hold! Sheathe your swords! It is death to fight!” Reuben and Dan joined him and they forced Simeon and Levi to put up their blades. And the brothers submitted to being bound and taken back to Joseph’s house.

Joseph spoke to them through his interpreter: “You stand accused. You have stolen back what you paid for the corn and put it into your sacks. Worse than that, there is one among you who has stolen my silver cup, the cup from which I drink and in whose lees I divine what is to come. My silver cup is stolen, and you are all thieves!”

Judah said: “God forbid that your servants should do this thing. Behold, we brought back to you the gold that we found in our sacks the first time we left Egypt. Why should we steal it again? As for your silver cup, no one here would think of taking it. Search us. Search our sacks. If the cup be found on anyone here, then let him die and let the rest of us be taken into slavery.”

Joseph said: “I shall not be so severe. If any of you has taken my cup, then I will keep him as my servant. The others shall be held blameless and permitted to return to Canaan.”

There in Joseph’s courtyard, under the eyes of the armed men, each brother took the sack off his donkey and opened it. They opened their sacks in the order of age, Reuben first. And when Reuben saw the gold in his sack, he was afraid. But Joseph said: “It is well. I do not care about the gold. I seek only my cup.”

Then Simeon opened his sack, then Levi, and Judah, and each in order of age through Zebulun. And no cup was found. Then Benjamin opened his sack and a great groan went up from all the brothers. Reuben tore his beard. There in the mouth of the sack, gleaming like a fallen star, was the silver cup:

“What have you done?” cried Joseph. “What manner of men are you to return evil for good?”

Judah said: “What shall we say to you? How shall we speak? How shall we clear ourselves? I know that my brother did not steal your cup. But God has searched out another evil that we have done and is punishing us for it. So we are all your slaves. Our youngest brother in whose sack you found your cup and we, also, his elder brothers, we will enter servitude with him.”

“God forbid,” said Joseph. “I shall not take you all into servitude, only the youngest one, only the lad who stole the cup. As for the rest of you, go in peace, and return to your father.” Judah came closer and said: “O my lord, let me speak a word just for your own ears and do not let your anger burn against me. For I am nothing and you are as high as Pharaoh.”

“Speak,” said Joseph through his interpreter.

Judah said: “When we first came into Egypt you questioned us, saying, ‘Have you a father, a brother?’ And we answered, saying, ‘We have a father, an old man. And we have another brother, the child of his old age, who is young. He is the son of my father’s younger wife, the one most dear to him, who died. And she had an elder son who is also dead. So that our youngest brother is the only son of his mother, Rachel, and his father loves him beyond all others.’ Thus we answered, my lord, in reply to your questions. And you said to us: ‘Bring that youngest son down to me.’ And we said: ‘He cannot leave his father, for his father will die.’ And you said: ‘If you do not bring him you shall see my face no more, and shall not be able to purchase food in Egypt.’

“When we returned to Canaan we told all this to our father. And he refused to send his youngest son to Egypt. We urged him and he refused and kept refusing until hunger was heavy upon us. Then he said to us: ‘Go down into Egypt and buy food. Take my son Benjamin with you, since that is the way it must be. But remember this. Rachel bore two sons. Joseph was torn to pieces by a wild beast and Benjamin alone is left of her sons. If you take him from me and mischief befalls him, then you will bring down my gray hairs in sorrow to the grave.’ Now, my lord, how can we return to our father without our youngest brother? His life is bound up with the lad’s life. If he sees us returning without Benjamin, he will surely die. I pray you, O governor, O mighty one, be merciful. Take me into servitude instead of Benjamin. Let me be punished for my brother’s crime. Let me take his guilt upon myself. Let Benjamin return to Canaan so that his father may live.”

Joseph could not hold himself back any longer. He cried out to his men. “Depart! Leave me alone with these Hebrews!” The soldiers departed, and the servants, and Joseph cried out in his own tongue, “Behold! I am Joseph!”

The brothers were struck dumb. They could not answer him. They were mute with guilt and fear. Joseph spoke softly, his voice running with tears: “Come to me, I pray.”

They approached very timidly, and he said. “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Now listen to me carefully. Do not be grieved at yourselves. Do not be enraged at your own deed. When you sold me, you did God’s errand. God wished me to go before you to preserve you and your children upon the earth, and to deliver you from starvation. He sent me to find a place for your generations, who are precious to the Lord. So forgive yourselves, my brothers. It was not you who sent me here but God; you were only His hands. Blind brutal hands perhaps, but only hands. And God made me counselor to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler through all the land of Egypt.

“Now you must hasten from this place. Go up into Canaan and say to my father that Joseph lives, that God has preserved his son and made him lord of all Egypt. And take this message: ‘Beloved Father, Jacob named Israel, come down to me in Egypt and do not tarry. Come down to me, Father, and you shall dwell in the land of Goshen and be near to me, you and your children and your children’s children and all the people of your house. And I will keep you here in Goshen and see that you do not want.’ ”

“Is it true?” whispered Judah. “Are you Joseph, our brother, who returns such good for such evil?”

“Your eyes see me,” said Joseph. “The eyes of our brother Benjamin see me. You hear the words of my mouth. And you shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, of all that you have seen. So hurry, and bring him here.”

He fell upon Benjamin’s neck and wept. And Benjamin embraced him and wept. Then Joseph went from brother to brother. He embraced each of them, and kissed each one. The brothers wept. Even the iron Simeon wept. Levi wept most bitterly, for his guilt was keen upon him and he could not forgive himself. Shame burned in him at Joseph’s goodness. Joseph went to him privately and said: “Do not weep so. Forgive me my compassion as I forgive you your transgression.” And Levi felt a load lifting from his heart. He bowed low to Joseph and said: “Assuredly you are the wisest of men. You read men’s hearts as you read dreams.”

Then Joseph went to Pharaoh and told him all that had happened. Pharaoh marveled greatly at the tale, and was well pleased. He said to Joseph: “Say this to your brothers: ‘Load your beasts and go. Return to Canaan. Take your father and your households and come back to Egypt. I will give you the good of the land and you shall eat the fat of the land. For Pharaoh is pleased.’ ”

Joseph thanked Pharaoh and went back to his brothers and told them what Pharaoh had said. He gave them wagons and provisions. To each man he gave fine garments. To Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and many fine garments. And he gave them a gift for Jacob: ten donkeys loaded with corn and bread and meat, and the best fruits of the orchard and honey of the hive. The brothers departed with their donkeys and their wagon train. They went out of the land of Egypt and into Canaan and to the tents of Jacob.

Jacob rejoiced exceedingly when he saw them returning with Benjamin. Then Reuben said to him: “Joseph lives. He is governor of all the land of Egypt.”

Jacob almost swooned. He could not believe what he was hearing. Then each brother spoke, telling him all the words of Joseph. For he insisted on hearing every word that had been said. And when they told him all that had been said, and described what Joseph had done and the way he had done it—and when he saw the wagons loaded with Joseph’s gifts, then he felt himself filled with a great joy and with renewed strength.