Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/328

Rh The Book of Genesis

310

sure yet what kind of

men

his brothers really

were



therefore

he determined to try them thoroughly, before revealing himdisappointed when he saw and that Benjamin was not among them. So he pretended to be, as he seemed to them, a high Egyptian officer, speaking only through an interpreter, and to

self

Besides he was

them.

that they

were only

ten,

therefore apparently not understanding their language.

And

wandered all over Egypt, he spoke to them roughly and charged them with being spies. It was because they had

first

the beginning of their for the Bible tells

it

We

touching pathos.

trial.

We

need not recount

it

here,

graphically and convincingly and with

can not but

feel all the regret

of these

sinning men, and the sincerity of their longing for the happiness of their old father during the

him.

No

and

at least

sacrifice

was too great

to

feJiv

years remaining to

safeguard the old man,

prevent increase of his sorrow.

All this Joseph

went out to his brothers. With difficulty could he restrain himself, and often he was on the point of revealing himself and terminating their trial and punishment for it was indeed a punishment for their sin, and they fully recognized it as such, and that they had realized fully,

and

his heart



merited

it.

But he held himself

in check, until

he could be

sure that they had truly repented and had departed com-

Besides he must see Benjamin So the trial went on. The climax was reached when, in the moment of greatest despair, when it seemed that Benjamin must remain behind, also like his brother, a slave in Egypt, and their father must thus be doubly bereaved of his two best-beloved, Judah stepped forth from among his brothers and spoke these heroic

pletely

from

their evil ways.

at all costs.

words, "Let thy servant, lad a

bondman

brethren".

He

to

my

I

lord,

realized

full

pray thee, abide instead of the

and

well

never again would he behold his lot

of a slave in Egv'pt

let

the lad go

all

own

that

this

children,

was hard indeed.

up with

his

meant, that

and

that the

But not a thought \n