JOSEPH AND HIS

Jacob’s sons were shepherds, and
took care of their father’s flocks:
and the ten eldest went to feed the
sheep in Shechem; but Joseph and
little Benjamin were with Jacob.
One day, Israel called Joseph, and
said, “ Go now, and see if thy breth-
ren are well, and if the flocks are
well, and bring me word again.” So
Joseph went away from Hebron,
and came to Shechem; but his
brothers were not there, and he was
told that they were gone to Dothan.
Then Joseph went on to Dothan,
and there he found them. And
now some of these wicked men said,
when they saw him afar off, “ Here
comes the dreamer: now let us slay
him, and cast him into a pit, and
say an evil beast has devoured him ;
and we shall see what will become
of his dreams.” But Reuben said,
“Let us not kill him, but cast him
into this pit;” for Reuben was less
cruel, and thought he could then
take him out, and bring him home
safely to his father. So when Jo-
seph came to them, his cruel broth-
ers seized him, and tore off his coat
of many colors, and threw him into
the pit; the pit was empty, there
was no water in it; and then they
sat down, and eat bread.

While these wicked, cruel brothers
were eating, they looked up, and
saw @ great many people coming
towards them. The people were
Ishmaelites, children of Ishmael,
the son of Hagar. They came from

4

 

BRETHREN. 45
Gilead ; and they had camels, which
carried the spices they were going
to take into Egypt. When Judah
saw the Ishmaelites, he persuaded
his brothers to sell Joseph to them,
for Judah loved money; so Joseph
was taken out of the pit, and sold
for twenty pieces of silver; and the
Ishmaelites took him, and brought
him to Egypt, and there they sold
him again to a man named Poti-
phar. Reuben was not with his
brothers when Joseph was sold; and
when he came back to the pit, and
did not find him, he rent his clothes,
and ran to his brothers, and said,
“The child is not; and I, whither
shall I go?” But they carcd noth-
ing for Reuben’s sorrow. ‘They
killed a kid, and dipped Joseph’s
coat of many colors in the blood;
and then they went home, and
showed the coat to their father, and
said, “This have we found; know
now if it be thy son’s coat or not.”
Jacob remembered the coat directly ;
and he said, “It is my son’s coat;
an evil beast hath devoured him;
Joseph is, without doubt, rent in
pieces.” And then Jacob wept, and
rent his clothes, and refused to be
comforted. We read that, many
years before, Jacob deceived his
father Isaac; now Jacob’s children
deceived him. God does not forget
sin; He had forgiven Jacob; but
Jacob suffered for his wicked deceit
all his life, to teach him what an
evil thing sin is!