il4 BOYS OF THE BIBLE.

pass. His heart was full of love for them in spite of their
cruelty, but he did not tell them at first who he was. He
wanted to make them think about their wickedness and under-
stand that, though evil deeds may be hidden from men, God
sees-and remembers and punishes. He wanted to see if they
were sorry for the way they had treated him, and whether
they hated his brother Benjamin also. So he would not listen
to their story. He said, ‘Ye are spies,’ and he put them all
in prison for three days, telling them if they wanted him to
believe them they must bring their younger brother down to
him, and then he would aot put them to death. They had a
sorrowful time in the prison, and, at the end of three days,
when Joseph told them he would only keep one of them in
prison and let the rest go home and get Benjamin, they said
-to each other, ‘This trouble is come upon us because we
would not listen when our brother begged us not to sell him.’
They did not think that Joseph understood their language, but
he did, and it touched his heart so he had to go away and
weep; but he came back, and took Simeon and put him in
prison, and sent the rest away.

“Now they began to see that deceivers are not believed
even when they tell the truth, for their father would not
believe their story. He thought they had either killed Simeon
or sold him, as he sometimes feared they had done to
Joseph, and that they wanted to get Benjamin also. He
would not let him go off until the food was all gone and
something must be done, and then at last he let him go,
though it almost broke his heart.

“So at last Joseph saw his dear brother Benjamin, and
heard that his father was well, and his heart was so full he
could hardly keep his secret any longer. He had to go
away and weep again; but he put them to one more test to