Antiquities of the Jews - Book 2

 

BOOK II

Containing the Two Hundred and Twenty Years Between Isaac's Death and the Exodus from Egypt

CHAPTER 1

How Esau and Jacob, the Sons of Isaac, Divided Their Habitations, and Esau Possessed Idumea While Jacob Possessed Canaan

After Isaac died, his sons divided their homes and no longer lived where they had before. Esau left the city of Hebron to his brother, went to Seir, and ruled over Idumea. He named the country after himself, for he was called Adom. He received this name in the following way: One day, returning from a hunt very hungry while he was still young, he found his brother preparing lentil stew for dinner. The stew was very red, and Esau eagerly asked his brother to give him some. Jacob took advantage of Esau's hunger and made him surrender his birthright in exchange for the food. Pressed by hunger, Esau gave it up under oath. Because the stew was red, his contemporaries jokingly called him Adom, since the Hebrews call the color red "adom." The country took its name from him, though the Greeks gave the name a more agreeable sound and called it Idumea.

Esau had five sons. Jaus, Jalomus, and Coreus were born to him by his wife Alibama. Aliphaz was born to Ada, and Raguel to Basemmath. These were Esau's sons. Aliphaz had five legitimate sons: Theman, Omer, Saphus, Gotham, and Kanaz. Amalek was not legitimate; he was born to Aliphaz's concubine, Thamna. They lived in the part of Idumea called Gebalitis, while the region named after Amalek was called Amalekitis. Idumea was a large country, and although the whole land kept its general name, its separate regions also bore the names of their own inhabitants.

CHAPTER 2

How Joseph, the Youngest of Jacob's Sons, Was Envied by His Brothers After His Dreams Foretold His Future Happiness

Jacob had become happier and more prosperous than almost anyone else. He was wealthier than the other people in that country, and they both envied and admired him for his virtuous sons. His sons lacked nothing. They were strong in spirit, skilled at hard work, able to endure hardship, and wise in understanding. God watched over Jacob and cared for his happiness, bringing him the greatest blessings even out of what seemed to be the deepest sorrow. In this way, Jacob and his descendants became the cause of our forefathers' departure from Egypt. This came about as follows.

When Rachel bore Joseph, Jacob loved him more than his other sons. He loved him for his handsome appearance and the goodness of his character, and because he was wiser than his brothers. His father's affection stirred their envy and hatred. His dreams also angered them. Joseph told his father and brothers what he had seen, and his dreams foretold his future happiness. People often envy even their closest relatives when they prosper. Joseph's dreams were these:

During the harvest, Jacob sent Joseph with his brothers to gather the crops. That night Joseph had a dream unlike the ordinary dreams people see in their sleep. When he awoke, he told his brothers so they could judge what it meant. He said, "Last night I saw my sheaf of wheat standing upright where I had set it, while your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down, as servants bow before their masters."

His brothers understood that the dream foretold Joseph's rise to power and great wealth, and that he would rule over them. They said nothing to him about what they thought the dream meant, pretending they didn't understand it. But they prayed that none of what they suspected would come to pass, and their hatred of him grew.

To oppose their envy, God sent Joseph another dream, even more wonderful than the first. Joseph saw the sun, the moon, and the stars coming down to earth and bowing before him. He told the dream to his father while his brothers were there, for he had no suspicion that they wished him harm. He asked them to explain what it meant.

Jacob was pleased by the dream. He thought carefully about its meaning and wisely understood what it foretold. He rejoiced at the great things promised for his son: by God's blessing, Joseph would one day be honored, and his parents and brothers would bow before him. Jacob understood the sun and moon to stand for Joseph's father and mother. The moon gives increase and nourishment to all things, while the sun gives them form and other powers. The eleven stars stood for Joseph's eleven brothers, since the stars receive their power from the sun and moon.

Jacob judged the dream in this way, and his interpretation was wise. But his words caused Joseph's brothers great distress. They treated him like a stranger who alone would receive the good things foretold by the dreams, rather than like a brother who might share in their good fortune. Since they shared the same parents, they believed they should share in the same happiness. They decided to kill Joseph.

Once the harvest was gathered, they went to Shechem, a country with good pasture for cattle, and took their flocks there without telling their father. Jacob grew anxious because he didn't know where his sons were, and no messenger came from the flocks to tell him how they were doing. Fearing for them, he sent Joseph to find his brothers, learn how they were, and bring word back to him.

CHAPTER 3

How Joseph Was Sold by His Brothers Because They Hated Him, and How He Became Famous in Egypt and Gained Power over Them

When Joseph's brothers saw him coming, they were glad, but not because a close relative had come to visit or because their father had sent him. They welcomed him as an enemy who, by God's providence, had fallen into their hands. They had already decided to kill him and were determined not to waste their chance.

Reuben, the eldest brother, saw what they intended and tried to stop them. He warned them of the terrible crime they were about to commit. Their plan would be wicked before God and hateful in the eyes of men, even if Joseph were a stranger. But he was their own brother. If they killed him, they would wrong their father by taking his son, and leave their mother in grief and confusion as she mourned a son who had been taken from her by violence.

Reuben urged them to listen to their consciences and think carefully about the harm that would follow Joseph's death. He was a good and innocent boy, and their youngest brother. They should fear God, who already saw and knew their plans. If they turned away from their purpose and repented, God would look kindly on them. But if they went through with the murder, God's punishments would fall upon them. His providence was everywhere, in the wilderness and in the cities, and no deed escaped his sight. Wherever a person went, Reuben said, he should know that God was there.

He also reminded them that their own consciences would stand against them after such a crime, and they could never escape that witness within themselves. It was wrong to kill a brother even if he had done them harm. A person should forgive those closest to him, even when they seem to have caused offense. But Joseph had done them no wrong. His youth should stir their pity and move them to protect him.

Their reason for wanting him dead made their crime even worse. They envied the prosperity they believed was coming to Joseph, though they would share in it as his closest kin. What God gave Joseph, they could count as their own. They should understand that God would punish them more severely if they killed the one he had judged worthy of future prosperity, and by killing him prevented him from receiving it.

Reuben said many things and pleaded with them, hoping to keep them from murdering their brother. But when he saw that his words had not softened them and that they were eager to act, he urged them to commit a lesser wrong. At first, he had tried to turn them away from revenge altogether. Since they remained set on killing Joseph, he asked them to follow his advice instead, which would achieve what they wanted without making them quite so guilty.

He begged them not to kill Joseph with their own hands. They should throw him into the nearby pit and leave him there to die. In this way, they would not stain their hands with his blood. The young men agreed. Reuben tied Joseph to a rope and carefully lowered him into the pit, which was completely dry. Afterward, he went away to find pasture for his flocks.

After Reuben had left, Judah, another of Jacob's sons, saw some Arabians, descendants of Ishmael, traveling from Gilead to Egypt with spices and Syrian goods. He advised his brothers to pull Joseph out of the pit and sell him to the merchants. If Joseph died far away among strangers, they would be spared the crime of killing him themselves.

They agreed. They hauled Joseph out of the pit and sold him to the merchants for twenty pounds. He was seventeen years old.

That night, Reuben returned to the pit, intending to rescue Joseph without his brothers' knowledge. When he called down to him and heard no answer, he feared that his brothers had killed him while he was away. He complained to them, but when they told him what they had done, he stopped mourning.

After selling Joseph, his brothers wondered how they could keep their father from suspecting the truth. They had taken the coat Joseph wore when he came to them, before they lowered him into the pit. They tore it apart, dipped it in goats' blood, and planned to show it to Jacob so he would think a wild animal had killed Joseph.

When they returned to the old man, what had happened to Joseph had already reached him. They told him they had not seen Joseph and did not know what had become of him. They said they had found his coat torn and bloody, and suspected a wild animal had attacked and killed him, if this was the coat he had worn when he left home.

Until then, Jacob had hoped that Joseph might only have been taken captive. But the coat seemed to prove that his son was dead. He remembered that it was the same coat Joseph had worn when Jacob sent him to his brothers. From that time on, he mourned Joseph as dead, as if he had no other sons, and took no comfort in the rest. Even before his sons came to him, he had suspected that wild animals had killed Joseph. He put on sackcloth and sank into deep grief. His sons tried to comfort him, but he found no relief, and time did nothing to lessen his sorrow.

CHAPTER 4

Concerning Joseph's Steadfast Chastity

Potiphar, an Egyptian who served as chief cook to King Pharaoh, bought Joseph from the merchants who had brought him there. He treated Joseph with great honor, taught him the education suited to a free man, and allowed him better food than the slaves received. He also placed Joseph in charge of his household. Though his circumstances had changed for the better, Joseph did not abandon the virtue he had always shown. He proved that a person who truly possesses wisdom can keep the passions in check, even when life brings prosperity. Such wisdom is no mere display, put on only while fortune is kind.

Potiphar's wife fell in love with Joseph because of his handsome appearance and his skill in managing the household. She thought that if she told him how she felt, she could easily persuade him to lie with her. She imagined that, as a slave, he would count it good fortune to be desired by his mistress, and would give little thought to his character, which had not changed with his status. So she revealed her shameful desire and asked him to sleep with her.

Joseph refused. He did not believe it was right before God to give in to her, for doing so would insult and betray the man who had bought him and shown him such favor. Instead, he urged her to master her passion. He told her that she could overcome her desire if she gave up hope of satisfying it. As for himself, he said, he would endure anything rather than be persuaded to do such a thing. A slave, he admitted, should not oppose his mistress in ordinary matters. But he could be excused for refusing a command of this kind.

Joseph's unexpected resistance only made her love grow stronger. Tormented by her desire, she decided to try again.

A public festival was approaching, and women customarily attended its ceremonies. Potiphar's wife pretended to be ill so she could be alone with Joseph and speak to him again. Once she had the chance, she used kinder words than before. She said he should have accepted her first request instead of rejecting her. He should have respected the rank of the woman who had approached him, she said, and understood the force of her passion, which had driven her, despite being his mistress, to lower herself and plead with him.

But he could still make a wiser choice and undo the mistake of his earlier refusal. Perhaps he had thought she would ask again, or had doubted that she was serious. Now, she said, he had proof of her intentions. She had pretended to be sick for his sake and chosen his company over the festival and its ceremonies. She promised that if he returned her affection, he would keep the advantages he already enjoyed and receive still greater ones. But if he rejected her and valued chastity more than his mistress, he would earn her hatred and revenge. He would gain nothing by refusing, she warned, because she would accuse him to her husband and falsely claim that Joseph had tried to violate her. Potiphar, she said, would believe her rather than Joseph, no matter how truthfully Joseph spoke.

Though she spoke with tears in her eyes, pity did not weaken Joseph's resolve, and fear did not make him yield. He rejected her requests and stood firm against her threats. He feared doing wrong and would rather suffer the harshest punishment than keep his present advantages by committing an act his conscience told him deserved death.

He reminded her that she was a married woman and should be faithful to her husband alone. He urged her to give more weight to that duty than to the brief pleasure of an illicit affair. Such a pleasure, he said, would lead to regret and trouble, without undoing the wrong they had done. He also warned her that they might be discovered. Secrecy offered no sure protection, and they would have no peace while their wrongdoing remained hidden. She could enjoy her husband's company without danger, he told her, and face both God and other people with a clear conscience.

She would also act more fittingly as his mistress by remaining chaste and using her authority over him honorably. If they gave in to their desires, they would both have cause for shame. It was far better to live honorably and be known for it than to do evil and rely on the hope that no one would find out.

Joseph said all this, and more, in an effort to restrain her passion and bring her feelings back under the rule of reason. But she became more determined and less willing to control herself. When she saw that she could not persuade him, she grabbed him and tried to force him. Joseph escaped her grasp, leaving his garment in her hands, and ran out of the room.

She feared that he would tell her husband what she had done, and she was furious at the insult she believed Joseph had dealt her. So she decided to accuse him first and take revenge for what she called his pride and contempt. She thought she was acting wisely, and that it was fitting for a woman to get ahead of an accusation in this way.

She sat there, upset and confused, pretending to be angry and sorrowful. Her true grief came from having her desire denied, but she meant to make it look as though Joseph had attacked her chastity. When her husband came home and, troubled by her appearance, asked what had happened, she accused Joseph.

"Husband," she said, "may you not live another day unless you punish that wicked slave who tried to defile your bed. He forgot who he was when he came into our house and showed no modesty. He also forgot the kindness you have shown him. An ungrateful man could not have behaved in any other way.

"He secretly planned to violate your wife, choosing the time of a festival because he knew you would be away. Now it's clear that the modesty he showed before came only from fear of you. He was never good at heart. You gave him more honor than he deserved, and more than he ever hoped for. Because you trusted him with your property and the management of your household, and placed him above your senior servants, he came to think he could touch your wife as well."

When she had finished, she showed Potiphar Joseph's garment, claiming that he had left it behind when he tried to force himself on her. Potiphar could not bring himself to doubt his wife's tears, her words, or what he saw with his own eyes. His love for her kept him from investigating the truth. He assumed she was a modest woman and judged Joseph to be wicked. Then he sent Joseph to prison with the other offenders, while his opinion of his wife grew even higher. He praised her as a woman of proper modesty and chastity.

CHAPTER 5

What Befell Joseph in Prison

Joseph placed all his affairs in God's hands. He made no defense and did not explain the exact circumstances of what had happened. Instead, he endured his chains and distress in silence, trusting that God, who knew the cause of his suffering and the truth of the matter, was stronger than those who punished him. He soon received proof of God's care. The keeper of the prison noticed Joseph's diligence and faithfulness in the duties assigned to him, as well as the dignity of his bearing. He loosened Joseph's chains, easing the weight of his misery, and allowed him better food than the other prisoners received.

After their hard labor was done, the prisoners often spoke with one another, as people who shared the same suffering were wont to do. They asked how each had come to be imprisoned. Among them was the king's cupbearer, a man who had once enjoyed the king's favor but had been put in chains after angering him. He shared Joseph's confinement and grew friendly with him. Seeing that Joseph understood more than the other prisoners, the cupbearer told him of a dream and asked him to explain it. He complained that, besides suffering the king's anger, he had also been troubled by his dreams.

The cupbearer said that in his sleep he had seen three clusters of grapes hanging from three branches of a vine. The grapes were large and ripe for picking. He squeezed them into a cup held by the king, strained the wine, and gave it to him. The king received the cup with a pleased expression. The cupbearer asked Joseph to tell him what the dream foretold, if he had any skill in such matters.

Joseph told him to take heart. Within three days, he said, the cupbearer would be released, because the king still wanted his service and would restore him to his former place. Joseph explained that God had given people the fruit of the vine for their good. Wine was poured for the king and served as a sign of trust between people. It put an end to quarrels, eased anger and grief, and brought cheer to those who drank it.

"You say you squeezed the wine from three clusters of grapes with your own hands, and the king received it from you. So this dream promises you good fortune. In three days, the same number as the branches from which you gathered the grapes, you will be freed from your present trouble. When you have seen this come true, remember what I have told you. When you regain your authority, do not forget us in this prison. You will leave us here when you return to the place I have foretold. We have committed no crime. We suffer the punishment of criminals because of our virtue and restraint, and we will not harm the man who has wronged us, even if doing so would bring us pleasure."

The cupbearer was glad to hear Joseph's interpretation, as any man would be, and waited for the dream's promise to come true.

Another of the king's servants was also imprisoned with the cupbearer. He had been the chief baker, and Joseph's interpretation of the cupbearer's dream gave him hope. He, too, had dreamed the night before, and asked Joseph to explain what it meant.

"I thought I was carrying three baskets on my head," he said. "Two were filled with loaves, and the third held sweetmeats and other foods made for the king. Then birds flew down and ate everything. I tried to drive them away, but they paid no attention to me."

The baker hoped Joseph would give him an interpretation as favorable as the cupbearer's. Joseph considered the dream and told him he would gladly have delivered good news, but the dream foretold no such thing. He had only three days left to live. The three baskets meant that on the third day he would be crucified, and birds would eat his body while he could do nothing to stop them.

Both dreams came true just as Joseph had foretold. On the third day, when the king celebrated his birthday, he had the chief baker crucified. He released the cupbearer from his chains and restored him to his former service.

Joseph remained imprisoned for two years, and the cupbearer did nothing to help him, having forgotten what Joseph had asked. Then God arranged another way to free him.

Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had two dreams one night. He remembered the dreams but forgot what they meant. Troubled by what he had seen, which seemed to foretell sorrow, he summoned the wisest men in Egypt the next day and asked them to explain the dreams. They could not agree on their meaning, and this only made the king more distressed.

When the cupbearer saw Pharaoh's confusion, he remembered Joseph and his skill in interpreting dreams. He came before the king and told him about the dream he had seen in prison, and how Joseph's interpretation had come true. The chief baker, too, had been crucified on the very day Joseph had foretold.

The cupbearer also told Pharaoh that Joseph had been imprisoned by Potiphar, his master and chief cook, though he was a slave. He said Joseph was of noble Hebrew descent, and that his father lived in great splendor. "If you send for him and do not judge him by his misfortunes, he will tell you what your dreams mean."

The king ordered Joseph brought before him. The men who received the command saw to it that Joseph was properly dressed, as the king had instructed.

The king took Joseph by the hand and said, "Young man, my servant tells me you are the most able and wise person I can consult. Give me the same help you gave him, and tell me what events my dreams foretell. Do not hide anything out of fear or try to please me with lies. Even if the truth is sorrowful, I want to hear it.

"I thought I was walking beside a river when I saw seven cows, large and fat, coming from the river into the marshes. Then seven other cows came out of the marshes to meet them. They were as lean and ugly as the first cows were fine, and they ate the fat cows, but were no better fed afterward. They remained as thin and miserable as before.

"I woke from this dream in great confusion. I wondered what it could mean, then fell asleep again and saw another dream, even stranger and more frightening. I saw seven ears of grain growing from a single root. Their heads bent under the weight of the ripe grain, ready for harvest. Beside them were seven other ears, thin and weak for lack of rain. They came and devoured the ripe ears, leaving me greatly troubled."

Joseph replied, "O king, though you saw the same matter in two different forms, both dreams foretell the same thing. The fat cows, beasts used for plowing and labor, were eaten by the lean cows. The full ears of grain were consumed by the thin ears. Both visions foretell a famine and a shortage of the earth's produce. The famine will last as many years as Egypt enjoys abundance, and the abundance will be followed by an equal number of years of scarcity. Food will be so difficult to obtain that the lean cows remained hungry even after they had eaten the fat ones.

"God reveals what is to come, not to bring people grief, but to give them warning. If they know what lies ahead, they can use good judgment and make the hardship easier to bear. If you carefully store the plentiful harvests of the coming years, the Egyptians will not feel the full force of the famine."

The king marveled at Joseph's wisdom and asked how he could preserve the abundant harvests of the good years so the people might endure the years of scarcity.

Joseph advised him to save the grain and not let the Egyptians spend it on luxury. They should keep what they would otherwise use beyond their needs, setting it aside for the coming famine. He also urged the king to take grain from the farmers and give each person only enough for food.

Pharaoh was impressed not only by Joseph's interpretation but also by his advice. He placed Joseph in charge of distributing the grain, giving him authority to do whatever he thought would benefit Egypt and the king. Pharaoh believed that the man who had devised this plan would also be the best person to oversee it.

The king gave Joseph his seal and permission to wear purple. Joseph rode through the land of Egypt in a chariot, collecting grain from the farmers. He left each person enough for food and seed, but told no one why he was doing so.

CHAPTER 6

How Joseph, After Becoming Famous in Egypt, Brought His Brothers Under His Authority

Joseph was now thirty years old and held great honor in the king's court. The king called him Psothom Phanech because of his extraordinary wisdom. The name means "revealer of secrets." Joseph also married a woman of high standing, Asenath, the virgin daughter of Petephres, one of the priests of Heliopolis. Before the famine began, she bore him two sons. The elder was Manasseh, a name meaning "forgetful," because Joseph's happiness had made him forget his earlier troubles. The younger was Ephraim, meaning "restored," because Joseph had regained the freedom his forefathers had enjoyed.

Egypt passed safely through the seven years of plenty, just as Joseph had explained the king's dreams. In the eighth year, famine struck. The people had not expected this disaster, and they suffered greatly. They hurried to the king's gates, and the king summoned Joseph, who sold them grain. Joseph was now acknowledged as the savior of all the Egyptians. He did not sell grain only to the people of Egypt. He also allowed foreigners to buy it, because all people are kin by nature, and those who prosper should help those in need.

When Jacob learned that foreigners could buy grain in Egypt, he sent all his sons there to purchase food. The famine had struck Canaan hard, as it had the whole region. Jacob kept Benjamin, the son Rachel had borne him and Joseph's full brother, at home.

Jacob's sons came to Egypt and asked Joseph to sell them grain. Nothing was sold without his approval. Even those who honored the king found that their respect brought them little unless they also showed respect to Joseph. Joseph recognized his brothers at once, but they did not recognize him. He had been a youth when they sent him away, and many years had passed. His face had changed, and the high rank he held made it impossible for them to suspect who he was.

Joseph decided to test their feelings about the most important matters. He refused to sell them grain and accused them of coming as spies to learn about the king's affairs. He claimed they had come from different countries, joined together, and pretended to be brothers. A private man, he said, could not raise so many sons, all so handsome. Even kings would find it difficult to bring up so many children. Joseph questioned them this way because he wanted to learn what had happened to his father after he left, and to find out whether Benjamin was alive. He feared his brothers might have harmed Benjamin just as they had harmed him.

His brothers were terrified and believed they were in great danger. Still, they stood by their claim and did not think of Joseph. Reubel, the eldest, spoke for them.

"We haven't come with any evil purpose, nor do we intend to harm the king's affairs," he said. "We came because we need to survive, and we hoped your kindness might shelter us from the hardship our country is suffering. We heard you planned to sell grain not only to your own people but also to foreigners, so that all who need food could be saved.

"Our faces plainly show that we are brothers and share the same blood. Our father is Jacob, a Hebrew. He had twelve sons by four wives. While all twelve of us were alive, our family was happy. But after one of our brothers, Joseph, died, everything changed. Our father could not stop mourning him. We suffer both from our brother's death and from the misery of our aged father. We have come to buy grain, leaving Benjamin, our youngest brother, with our father to care for him and provide for our family. Send someone to our home, and you can learn whether anything we have told you is false."

Reubel tried to convince Joseph that they were telling the truth. After hearing that Jacob was alive and that the brothers had not destroyed Joseph, he put them in prison for the time being. He intended to question them further when he had time.

On the third day, he brought them out and said, "You keep saying that you came to do no harm to the king's affairs, that you are brothers, and that you are sons of the father you named. You can prove your story by leaving one of your company here with me. He will come to no harm. The rest of you may take grain to your father, then return with the brother you say you left at home. That will convince me that you have told the truth."

The brothers were more distressed than before. They wept and spoke among themselves about Joseph's fate. They said God had brought this hardship upon them as punishment for what they had done to their brother. Reubel reproached them for repenting too late, when their remorse could do Joseph no good. He urged them to accept their suffering patiently, since God had sent it as punishment for what they had done to Joseph.

They spoke this way without realizing Joseph understood them. Reubel's words filled them all with sorrow and regret. They condemned the evil they had committed and believed that God was justly punishing them. Joseph saw how troubled they were and was moved to tears. He withdrew so they would not see him, then returned after a while. He took Symeon and kept him as a pledge for their return. Then he ordered them to take the grain they had bought and go home. He also secretly instructed his steward to put the money they had brought for the grain back into their sacks. The steward did as Joseph commanded.

When Jacob's sons reached Canaan, they told their father what had happened in Egypt. The governor had accused them of spying on the king. They had told him they were brothers and had left their youngest brother at home, but he had not believed them. They had left Symeon behind until Benjamin could go with them and prove their story. They pleaded with Jacob not to be afraid and asked him to send Benjamin with them.

Jacob was displeased with what his sons had done. He was angry that Symeon had been detained, and thought it foolish to risk losing Benjamin as well. Reubel tried to persuade him, even offering to let Jacob kill his own sons if anything happened to Benjamin on the journey. But Jacob would not agree. The brothers were at a loss, especially when they found the money hidden in their sacks of grain.

When they had used up the grain they brought home, the famine continued to grow worse. At last, necessity forced Jacob to consider sending Benjamin, though he knew they could not return to Egypt without him. The hardship became worse each day, and the brothers kept urging their father to let Benjamin go. Jacob had no other choice.

Judas, who was usually bold, spoke frankly to him. "You shouldn't be afraid for your son or assume the worst. Nothing can happen to him unless God allows it, and what God has appointed will happen even if Benjamin stays at home. You shouldn't condemn us all to certain death or deny us the food Pharaoh is willing to provide because of this unreasonable fear for Benjamin. Think also of Symeon, and don't let him perish by refusing to send Benjamin. Trust God to protect him. I'll bring your son back safely, or I'll lose my own life with him."

Jacob was finally persuaded. He sent Benjamin with his brothers and gave them twice the money they had paid for the grain. He also sent Joseph a gift of produce from Canaan: balsam, resin, turpentine, and honey.

Jacob wept as his sons left, and they wept too. He feared they would not return safely. They feared they would find their father ill and overcome with grief. Their mourning lasted the whole day. At last, the old man was exhausted with sorrow and remained behind, while his sons continued toward Egypt. They tried to comfort themselves in their present troubles with hope for a better outcome.

When the brothers arrived in Egypt, they were brought to Joseph. They were afraid they might be accused of taking the money for the grain, so they explained everything to Joseph's steward. They said they had found the money in their sacks when they reached home and had brought it back. The steward replied that he knew nothing about what they meant, and they were relieved of that worry.

He released Symeon and gave him fine clothes, then brought him to his brothers. Joseph arrived soon afterward from the king's court. The brothers offered him their gifts. When he asked about their father, they said that Jacob was well. Joseph saw Benjamin and asked whether he was their youngest brother. They said he was. Joseph told them that the God above all things would protect him.

Joseph's love for Benjamin brought tears to his eyes, so he left the room to keep his brothers from seeing him cry. He then brought them to supper and seated them in the same order in which they used to sit at their father's table. Though he treated them all kindly, he gave Benjamin a portion twice as large as the others.

After supper, when the brothers were ready to sleep, Joseph told his steward to measure out grain for them and put their money back into their sacks. He also ordered the steward to place Joseph's gold cup, the one he used for drinking, in Benjamin's sack. Joseph wanted to test whether his brothers would defend Benjamin when he was accused of stealing the cup, or abandon him and return to their father alone, trusting in their own innocence.

The steward did as Joseph instructed. The sons of Jacob knew nothing about it. They set out with Symeon and were glad for two reasons: they had recovered their brother, and they were taking Benjamin home as they had promised.

Soon, a band of horsemen caught up with them. Joseph's servant was with them, the same man who had placed the cup in Benjamin's sack. The brothers were alarmed by the sudden pursuit and asked why the men were stopping them after their lord had welcomed them so warmly.

The servant called them wicked men who had forgotten Joseph's kindness. They had repaid his hospitality by stealing the cup from which he had so kindly drunk with them. They had ignored their friendship with Joseph and the danger they would face if caught, all for the sake of unjust gain. He warned them that they would be punished. They might have escaped the notice of a servant, he said, but they could not escape God's knowledge, and they would not get away with what they had stolen. He asked why they were acting as if they knew nothing and told them that they would soon learn the meaning of their punishment.

The servant continued to reproach them. Since the brothers knew nothing about the cup, they laughed at his accusations and wondered at his insults. They reminded him that they had returned the money they found in their sacks, though no one else knew it was there. That alone, they said, showed they had no intention of harming Joseph.

They agreed to let the servant search their sacks. They said that if any of them had stolen the cup, they should all be punished. The servants replied that only the one found guilty would be punished. They searched the sacks, beginning with the eldest and ending with Benjamin, whose sack they already knew held the cup. They had searched the others only to make the search look thorough.

At first, the brothers were relieved for themselves and certain Benjamin would be cleared too. They reproached the men for delaying them, saying they could have traveled much farther by then. But when the servants searched Benjamin's sack, they found the cup and took it. Their relief turned to mourning. They tore their clothes and wept over the punishment Benjamin would face and the promise they had made to bring him safely home. Their sorrow was worse because they had thought themselves free of trouble. They admitted that Benjamin's misfortune and Jacob's coming grief were their fault, since they had forced their father to send him.

The horsemen took Benjamin back to Joseph, and his brothers followed. When Joseph saw Benjamin in custody and the others dressed as mourners, he said, "How could you wretches misunderstand my kindness and God's providence so badly that you would act this way toward your benefactor, after he welcomed you so warmly?"

The brothers offered themselves for punishment to save Benjamin. They remembered the evil they had planned against Joseph and said Benjamin was more fortunate than they were. If he was dead, he had escaped the misery of life. If he was alive, he could see God's vengeance falling upon them. They said they were a curse to their father, since this new sorrow over Benjamin would add to his grief over Joseph. Reubel again reproached them for what they had done.

Joseph dismissed them. He said they had committed no offense and that Benjamin alone would be punished. It would be wrong to free the boy because of the others, who had done nothing, and just as wrong to punish them for a theft they had not committed. Joseph promised that the rest could leave in safety.

The brothers were overwhelmed with fear and could find no words to say. Judas, who had persuaded their father to send Benjamin and was also a bold and active man, decided to risk himself for his brother's sake.

"It is true, governor, that we have acted wickedly toward you and deserve punishment. All of us could justly be punished, though only one of us committed the theft, and he is the youngest. Still, we have some hope, where otherwise we would be in despair, because of your kindness. You may be willing to save us from our present danger.

"Don't judge us by the terrible wrong we have done, but by your own generous nature. Let your virtue guide you instead of anger. People of lesser character give in to anger and use their power against others, both for serious matters and for small ones. Master your anger, sir. Don't let it rule you or destroy people who have no confidence in their own safety, but hope to receive it from you.

"This isn't the first time you've helped us. When we came to buy grain, you gave us enough food to keep our family from dying in the famine. There is little difference between saving people who are starving and sparing those who seem guilty but have suffered the loss of your great kindness. In one case you gave us food; in the other, you would show mercy. You would save the lives of those you once fed. It is a great thing to keep us alive with grain, and a greater thing to pardon us now, when we are in danger, so that we may go on living.

"I believe God has given you this chance to show your goodness. He brought us into this trouble so that you could show that you forgive those who have wronged you and can be kind even to people who don't need your help for some other reason. It is right to feed those who lack food, but it is even more honorable to spare people who deserve punishment for serious offenses against you. It is praiseworthy to forgive a small offense that causes a person some loss. But to control your anger when the offense deserves death is to be like God, who is most excellent in nature.

"I would not have pleaded for our lives if we had no father. When Joseph died, our father showed how bitterly he suffers whenever he loses a son. We would have accepted whatever punishment you chose, without pleading for our own lives, if no one were left to mourn us. But we do have a father, and we beg you to pity his old age. We aren't asking for mercy for ourselves, though we would die young, before we had truly enjoyed life. We ask you to spare us for our father's sake.

"Give us the lives that our wickedness has put at your mercy. Our father is innocent, and the fact that he is our father doesn't make him guilty. He is a good man and doesn't deserve such trials. While we are away, he is already distressed with worry for us. If he hears that we have died, and learns why, his life will end before its time. The shame of our deaths will hasten his end. He will want to leave this world and lose consciousness before the story of our fate spreads.

"Consider all this. Our wrongdoing gives you a just cause to punish us, but forgive us for our father's sake. Let your pity for him outweigh our guilt. Think of his old age. If we die, he will be left alone for the rest of his life, and he will soon die himself.

"Grant this favor in honor of fathers. You will honor the man who gave you life, and you will honor yourself, for you too are a father. Then God, the Father of all, will preserve you. By showing care for our father, you will honor the name you share with him. Have pity on him, knowing how miserable he will be if he loses his sons. Give us the life God has given us, though you have the power to take it away. In this way, you will imitate God's kindness. When someone has the power to give or take life, it is better to use that power to show mercy. When you can destroy, forget that you have such power and think of yourself as having it only to protect others. The more widely you use it for good, the greater your honor will be.

"If you forgive our brother for the fault he has committed, you will save us all. We cannot imagine living if he is put to death. We dare not return to our father without him, so we will share his fate. If you condemn our brother to die, punish us with him as partners in his crime. We would not think it right to be kept alive only to kill ourselves from grief over his death. We would rather die with him as though we were all guilty of the same crime.

"I ask you to remember one thing before I stop speaking. Our brother committed this fault while he was young, before he had learned good judgment. People naturally forgive the young. I will say no more. If you condemn us, you may believe that what I left unsaid gave you a reason to punish us more severely. But if you set us free, everyone will know that your own goodness led you to spare us. You won't merely preserve our lives. You will grant us a favor that makes us seem more righteous than we are. You will find reasons for freeing us that we cannot find for ourselves.

"If you decide that he must die, kill me in his place and send him back to our father. If you want to keep him as a slave, I am better suited to serve you, and I am ready to endure either punishment."

Judas was willing to suffer anything to save his brother. He threw himself at Joseph's feet and pleaded with him to put aside his anger. His brothers fell down with him, weeping and offering themselves to die so Benjamin might live.

Joseph was overcome by his feelings and could no longer pretend to be angry. He ordered everyone else to leave, so he could reveal himself to his brothers in private. When they were alone, he said, "I praise you for your goodness and for your love for our brother. You have proved better men than I expected after what you once planned against me. I did all this to test your love for your brother. I believe you weren't naturally wicked when you acted against me. Everything happened according to God's will, and by it he has given us the good things we now enjoy and, if he remains favorable, the good things we hope for in the future.

"I have learned that our father is alive and well, which is more than I dared hope. I have also seen how well you treat your brother. I will no longer hold against you the guilt you seemed to bear in my case, or hate you for what you did. Instead, I thank you for helping fulfill God's purpose and bring things to their present state. You should forget what happened too. Your foolish act came to such a good end that you need not be troubled or ashamed of it. Your plan failed, so don't let the guilt of it torment you now.

"Go home and rejoice in what God has brought about. Tell our father the news before worry wears him down and deprives me of my greatest happiness, which is seeing him again and letting him enjoy the good things we now have. Bring him here with your wives, children, and all your relatives. Move your homes to Egypt. The people dearest to me shouldn't live far away now that I am prosperous, especially when five more years of famine remain."

When Joseph had spoken, he embraced his brothers. They wept, but his generous love left them with no reason to fear that he would punish them for what they had plotted and done against him. They sat down to feast.

As soon as the king heard that Joseph's brothers had come, he was delighted, as if their arrival were part of his own good fortune. He gave them wagons loaded with grain, gold, and silver to take to their father. Joseph also gave them generous gifts, part for their father and part for each brother. Benjamin received more than the others. Then they set out for home.

CHAPTER 7

Jacob and His Family Move to Egypt Because of the Famine

When Jacob learned from his sons what had happened to Joseph, he heard that Joseph had not only survived, though Jacob had mourned him as dead, but was living in wealth and honor. Joseph ruled Egypt alongside the king and had been entrusted with nearly all the king's affairs. Jacob believed everything his sons told him. He knew how great God's works were and how kind God had been to him, even though that kindness had seemed absent for some time. So he set out at once, eager to see Joseph.

When Jacob reached Beersheba, the Well of the Oath, he offered a sacrifice to God. He feared that Egypt's prosperity might lead his descendants to love the country and settle there, forgetting their duty to return to Canaan and possess the land God had promised them. He also worried that if they went to Egypt without God's approval, his family might be destroyed there. And he feared he might die before seeing Joseph again. troubled by these thoughts, he fell asleep.

God came to him and called his name twice. Jacob asked who was speaking, and God replied, "Surely you know the God who has always protected and helped your ancestors, and then protected you. When your father would have taken your inheritance from you, I gave it to you. Through my kindness, you went alone to Mesopotamia and returned with good wives, many children, and great wealth. My care has preserved your whole family. I also led Joseph, your son, whom you thought lost, to great prosperity. I made him ruler of Egypt, second only to the king. Now I have come to guide you on this journey. You will die in Joseph's arms, and your descendants will hold power and honor for many generations. I will settle them in the land I promised them."

Encouraged by this dream, Jacob continued toward Egypt with his sons and everyone who belonged to their households. They numbered seventy in all. At first, I thought it best not to list the names of the family, since Greeks may find them difficult to pronounce. But I believe the names should be given, to answer those who claim that we came from Egypt rather than Mesopotamia.

Jacob had twelve sons, though Joseph had arrived in Egypt earlier. Here are the names of Jacob's children and grandchildren. Reuben had four sons: Anoch, Phallu, Assaron, and Charmi. Simeon had six: Jamuel, Jamin, Avod, Jachin, Soar, and Saul. Levi had three: Gersom, Caath, and Merari. Judah had three: Sala, Phares, and Zerah. Phares had two sons, Esrom and Amar. Issachar had four sons: Thola, Phua, Jasob, and Samaron. Zebulon came with three sons: Sarad, Helon, and Jalel. These were Leah's descendants, and her daughter Dinah went with them. They numbered thirty-three.

Rachel had two sons. Joseph, who was already in Egypt, had two sons, Manasses and Ephraim. Benjamin had ten sons: Bolau, Bacchar, Asabel, Geras, Naaman, Jes, Ros, Momphis, Opphis, and Arad. These fourteen, added to the thirty-three already named, made forty-seven. This was Jacob's legitimate posterity.

Jacob also had sons by Bilhah, Rachel's servant: Dan and Nephtliali. Nephtliali had four sons who went with him: Jesel, Guni, Issari, and Sellim. Dan had one son, Usi. Adding these names brought the total to fifty-four. Gad and Aser were the sons of Zilpha, Leah's servant. Gad had seven sons who went with him: Saphoniah, Augis, Sunis, Azabon, Aerin, Erocd, and Ariel. Aser had a daughter, Sarah, and six sons: Jomne, Isus, Isoui, Baris, Abar, and Melchiel. These sixteen brought the total to seventy. Jacob himself was not included in the number.

Judah had arrived ahead of the others and told Joseph that his father was coming. Joseph went out to meet Jacob, and they met at Heroopolis. The joy of seeing Joseph again nearly overcame Jacob, who had not expected to find him alive. Joseph comforted his father, though he too was overcome with emotion. He was better able to control himself than Jacob was.

Joseph then asked Jacob to travel on at an easy pace. He took five of his brothers and hurried to the king to report that Jacob and his family had arrived. Pharaoh was glad to hear the news. He asked Joseph what kind of work his brothers preferred, so he could allow them to continue in it. Joseph said they were shepherds and had never done any other work. This gave them a place to live together, where they could care for their father. It also helped them remain acceptable to the Egyptians, since they would not be doing the same work as the Egyptians, who were forbidden to keep sheep.

When Jacob came before the king, he greeted him and wished him prosperity in his rule. Pharaoh asked Jacob how old he was. Jacob answered that he was 130 years old, and Pharaoh marveled at his long life. Jacob added that he had not lived as long as his ancestors. Pharaoh then gave him permission to live with his children in Heliopolis, where the king's shepherds kept their flocks.

The famine grew worse for the Egyptians. The Nile did not rise high enough to flood the land, and God sent no rain. The Egyptians had made no preparations and didn't know what to do, so Joseph sold them grain in exchange for money. When their money ran out, they paid with their livestock and slaves. Those who owned small plots of land gave them up to buy food. In this way, the king acquired all their property. The people were moved to different places, so the king could secure ownership of the country, while the priests kept their lands. The famine oppressed both the Egyptians' bodies and their spirits, until they had to obtain food by surrendering their possessions.

When the famine ended, the Nile flooded the land again, and the fields produced abundant crops. Joseph went from city to city, gathered the people, and returned the land to them. They had willingly given it to the king, and he could have kept both the land and its produce for himself. Joseph urged the people to regard the land as their own and to return gladly to farming. In return for the land the king had restored to them, they were to give the king one-fifth of their crops as tribute.

The people rejoiced to receive their lands back, and they faithfully followed Joseph's instructions. As a result, Joseph gained greater authority among the Egyptians, and they came to love the king more. The law requiring them to pay one-fifth of their crops continued under later kings.

CHAPTER 8

Of the Deaths of Jacob and Joseph

After Jacob had lived in Egypt for seventeen years, he fell ill and died in the presence of his sons. Before his death, he prayed that they might prosper and foretold where each of them would live in the land of Canaan. This came to pass many years later. He also praised Joseph for not holding his brothers' wrongs against them. Instead, Joseph had treated them kindly and given them more benefits than people often give even to those who have helped them.

Jacob then commanded his sons to count Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, among them and to divide the land of Canaan with them. We will speak of this later. Jacob asked to be buried at Hebron. He died at the age of one hundred and forty-seven, having matched his ancestors in devotion to God and received the reward that such goodness deserved.

With the king's permission, Joseph carried his father's body to Hebron and buried him there at great expense. At first, Joseph's brothers were afraid to return with him. They feared that, now their father was dead, Joseph would punish them for the wrong they had secretly done to him. They thought it was only for Jacob's sake that Joseph had treated them kindly. But Joseph urged them not to fear or suspect him. He brought them with him, gave them great possessions, and continued to care for them.

Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten. He was a man of great virtue, guided his affairs by reason, and used his authority with restraint. This was why he prospered so greatly among the Egyptians, even though he had come from another country under the unhappy circumstances we have already described.

In time, Joseph's brothers also died, after living happily in Egypt. Their descendants later carried their bodies to Hebron and buried them there. Joseph's bones, however, were taken to Canaan when the Hebrews left Egypt, as Joseph had made them promise under oath.

What became of each of these men, and how their descendants gained possession of the land of Canaan, will be told later. First, I will explain why they left Egypt.

CHAPTER 9

Concerning the Afflictions the Hebrews Suffered in Egypt for Four Hundred Years

In time, the Egyptians grew soft and unwilling to work. They turned instead to other pleasures, especially the pursuit of wealth. They also became hostile toward the Hebrews, envying their prosperity. The Israelites had grown in number and gained considerable wealth through their virtue and their natural willingness to work. The Egyptians came to believe that the Israelites' success threatened their own well-being.

As time passed, they forgot the benefits Joseph had brought them. The crown had also passed into another family. The Egyptians began to abuse the Israelites and devise many ways to make them suffer. They ordered them to dig numerous channels for the river and build walls and fortifications around their cities. These works were meant to control the river and keep its waters from spreading and stagnating when they overflowed the banks. The Egyptians also set them to building pyramids, wearing them down with all this labor. They forced them to learn every kind of craft and to grow accustomed to hard work.

The Hebrews endured these afflictions for four hundred years. Each side struggled against the other: the Egyptians sought to destroy the Israelites through their labor, while the Israelites fought to endure it to the end.

While the Hebrews were in this condition, an event gave the Egyptians still greater cause to seek the destruction of our nation. One of the sacred scribes, a man known for his great skill in foretelling the future, told the king that an Israelite child would soon be born. If the child lived, he would weaken Egyptian rule, raise up the Israelites, surpass all men in virtue, and win a name that would be remembered through the ages.

The king was so afraid of this prediction that he ordered every newborn Hebrew boy to be thrown into the river and killed. He also commanded the Egyptian midwives to watch the Hebrew women in labor and report what they gave birth to. These midwives had been assigned to serve the Hebrew women, and because they were answerable to the king, he believed they would obey his command. He further ordered that any parents who defied him and saved their sons should be put to death with their entire families.

This was a terrible hardship for those who suffered it. They lost their sons, and as parents they were forced to take part in their own children's deaths. They also feared that their whole nation would be wiped out. As their children were killed and the older generations gradually died, their misery grew almost beyond comfort.

Yet no one can overcome the purpose of God, no matter how many clever plans they devise. The child foretold by the sacred scribe was raised in secret, hidden from the king's watchers. The scribe's prediction about what would follow the child's survival came true, as the story will now show.

A Hebrew man named Amram, who belonged to one of the nobler families, feared that his people would disappear for lack of young men to carry on their nation. This thought troubled him greatly, for his wife was pregnant, and he did not know what to do.

So he prayed to God. He asked God to show mercy to a people who had not broken the laws of his worship, to free them from their present suffering, and to frustrate their enemies' hopes of destroying the nation. God had mercy on Amram and was moved by his prayer. He appeared to him in a dream and urged him not to lose hope in the blessings that were still to come.

God told him that he had not forgotten the Hebrews' devotion and would continue to reward them, as he had once favored their ancestors and caused their small family to grow into a great nation. He reminded Amram that Abraham had come alone from Mesopotamia into Canaan. God had blessed him in many ways. Though Abraham's wife had been barren at first, God had later enabled her to conceive and bear sons. God had given Arabia to Ishmael and his descendants, Troglodytis to Abraham's sons by Keturah, and Canaan to Isaac.

"With my help," God said, "Abraham performed great deeds in war. Unless you have become impious, you must still remember them. Jacob, too, became known to strangers because of the great prosperity he enjoyed. He came to Egypt with no more than seventy people in his household, but you have now grown to more than six hundred thousand.

"Know, then, that I will provide what is good for all of you, and I will do something for you in particular that will make you famous. The child whose birth has so frightened the Egyptians that they have ordered the Hebrew boys killed is your own son. He will be hidden from those who seek to destroy him. When he is raised in a way that will astonish all who hear of it, he will free the Hebrew nation from the suffering imposed on it by the Egyptians.

"His name will be remembered for as long as the world lasts, not only among the Hebrews but among foreign peoples as well. All this will come through my favor toward you and your descendants. He will also have a brother who will become my priest, and his descendants will hold the priesthood to the end of the world."

After hearing these things in the vision, Amram awoke and told his wife, Jochebed. The dream made them even more afraid. They worried not only for the child but also about the great future promised to him.

Yet the mother's labor seemed to confirm God's words. Those watching her did not discover that she had given birth, for her labor was easy and her pains did not come upon her with great force. The parents kept the child hidden at home and cared for him in secret for three months.

After that, Amram feared that the child would be discovered. If that happened, the king's anger might destroy both the child and his parents, and God's promise might seem to fail. Amram decided it was better to entrust the child's safety to God than to rely on a hiding place he could not be sure of. He believed that God would find a way to save the child and fulfill his own prediction.

They made a small cradle from bulrushes, large enough for an infant to lie in without being cramped. They coated it with pitch so water could not seep between the reeds. Then they laid the child inside, set the cradle afloat on the river, and left his safety to God. The river carried him along, while Miriam, his sister, walked on the bank across from him, as her mother had instructed, to see where the cradle went.

Through this, God showed that human wisdom is powerless, while the Supreme Being can do whatever he chooses. Those who condemn others to death to protect themselves and work hard to carry out their plans may fail. Meanwhile, others may be saved in a surprising way and find good fortune even in the midst of disaster. This happens to those whose danger comes by God's appointment. In the case of this child, God's care plainly showed his power.

Thermuthis, the king's daughter, was enjoying herself along the riverbank. When she saw a cradle being carried by the current, she sent some swimmers to bring it to her. They brought it back, and when she saw the infant, she was taken with him because of his size and beauty.

God had formed Moses with such care that everyone who saw him wanted to raise and protect him, even those who had made deadly plans to destroy the Hebrew people because they feared his birth. Thermuthis ordered her attendants to find a woman who could nurse the child. But the child would not take her breast. He turned away from her, and did the same with several other women.

Miriam was nearby, though she had not made it seem that she was there for any purpose beyond watching the child. She said, "My queen, there is no use calling these women to nurse him, since none of them is related to him. But if you have a Hebrew woman brought here, he may accept the breast of someone from his own people."

Thermuthis thought this was good advice and told Miriam to find a Hebrew woman who was nursing a child. With permission to do so, Miriam returned with the infant's mother, whom no one there recognized. The child readily took her breast and clung to it. At the queen's request, the mother was then given full charge of nursing him.

Thermuthis named him Mouses because of what had happened when he was placed in the river. The Egyptians call water "Mo," and they call those saved from it "Uses." By joining the two words, they gave him the name Mouses.

As God had foretold, Moses became the greatest of the Hebrews, both in spirit and in his willingness to face hardship. Abraham was his ancestor in the seventh generation. Moses was the son of Amram, son of Caath, whose father Levi was the son of Jacob, who was the son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham.

Moses's understanding was far beyond what his age would suggest. When people taught him, he grasped things more quickly than other children his age, and his early actions promised even greater abilities when he became a man. God also gave him extraordinary height. At just three years old, he was already unusually tall.

His beauty was no less striking. No one was so plain or uncultured that they failed to marvel at his face. People who met him as he was carried along the road often turned back to look at him. They stopped whatever they were doing and stood watching for a long time. The child's natural beauty was so remarkable that it held the attention of everyone who saw him.

Because Thermuthis saw how exceptional the child was, she adopted him as her son. She had no child of her own. One day she brought Moses to her father and told him that she hoped to make the child her successor if God did not grant her a legitimate son.

"I have raised this child," she said, "who has a godlike appearance and a noble spirit. Since the river gave him to me, I thought it right to adopt him as my son and heir to your kingdom."

After saying this, she placed the infant in her father's arms. He took Moses and held him to his chest. To please his daughter, he jokingly placed his crown on the child's head. Moses threw it to the ground, then played with it, turning it over and trampling it under his feet. This seemed to foretell trouble for the kingdom of Egypt.

When the sacred scribe saw what had happened, he tried violently to kill the child. Crying out in terror, he said, "This is the child, O king, the one God foretold would bring down your rule. If we kill him, we will be safe. He has already confirmed the prediction by trampling your government and stepping on your crown. Remove him, then, and free the Egyptians from their fear. Take away the hope the Hebrews have placed in him."

But Thermuthis stopped him and snatched the child away. The king did not rush to kill Moses. God, whose care protected him, moved the king to spare his life. Moses was therefore raised with great care.

The Hebrews placed their hopes in him and expected great things from him. The Egyptians, meanwhile, feared what his upbringing might lead to. Still, they chose not to kill him. If Moses died, no one related to the king or adopted into his family had a divine prediction supporting a claim to the Egyptian throne, or seemed likely to benefit them more than he did.

CHAPTER 10

How Moses Made War Against the Ethiopians

Moses had been born and raised in the manner already described. When he reached adulthood, he showed the Egyptians his worth. It became clear that he had been born to bring them low and raise up the Israelites. The chance came when the Ethiopians, who lived next to Egypt, invaded the country and carried off Egyptian property. The Egyptians fought back in anger, seeking revenge for the insult. But they lost the battle. Some were killed, while the rest fled in disgrace and saved themselves by running away.

The Ethiopians pursued them. They thought it would be cowardly to stop before conquering all of Egypt, so they pressed forward with even greater force. Once they had enjoyed the country's riches, they continued the war. The nearby Egyptians had not dared to face them at first, and the Ethiopians advanced as far as Memphis and the sea. None of the cities could withstand them.

Under this harsh oppression, the Egyptians turned to their oracles and prophecies. God's counsel to them was to seek the help of Moses the Hebrew. The king ordered his daughter to bring Moses to him so he could command the army. She first made him swear that he would not harm her, then presented him to the king, believing he would be of great help. She also rebuked the priest. Earlier, he had urged the Egyptians to kill Moses, but now he had to admit that they needed his help.

At the urging of both Thermuthis and the king, Moses gladly took command. The sacred scribes of both nations welcomed the plan, though for different reasons. The Egyptian scribes hoped Moses would defeat their enemies through his courage, then be killed by the same plan. The Hebrew scribes hoped the Israelites would escape the Egyptians because Moses was leading the army.

Moses moved against the enemy before they knew he was coming. He led the army overland rather than along the river, showing great skill in his choice of route. The land was hard to cross because it bred great numbers of serpents. Some of these creatures were unlike those found in other countries, and more dangerous than the rest. They had a fierce gaze, rose unseen from the ground, and even flew through the air, attacking people without warning.

Moses devised a remarkable way to protect the army. He made baskets from reeds, shaped like little arks, filled them with ibises, and carried them along. These birds are the greatest enemies of serpents. Snakes flee when the ibises come near, and the birds catch and eat them as they run. Ibises are tame creatures, but they attack serpents. I'll say no more about them here, since the Greeks also know this kind of bird.

When Moses reached the land where the serpents bred, he released the ibises. They drove the snakes away and cleared the path before the army arrived. Moses continued his march and surprised the Ethiopians. He joined battle with them, defeated them, and destroyed their hopes of victory over the Egyptians. He went on to capture their cities and kill many of their people.

After the Egyptian army had won its first victories under Moses, it pressed the attack with such force that the Ethiopians faced enslavement and destruction. At last, they withdrew to Saba, the royal city of Ethiopia. Cambyses later renamed it Meroe, after his sister.

The city was very difficult to besiege. The Nile surrounded it, and the rivers Astapus and Astaboras made it hard for an enemy to cross. Saba stood in a remote place and was inhabited like an island. A strong wall enclosed it, while the rivers protected it from attack. Great embankments stood between the wall and the rivers, so even the highest floods could not submerge the city. These defenses made it nearly impossible to capture, even for those who managed to cross the rivers.

Moses was troubled that his army had nothing to do, since the enemy dared not come out to fight. Then an unexpected event took place. Tharbis, the daughter of the Ethiopian king, saw Moses leading the army near the walls and fighting with great courage. She admired his skill and believed he was the cause of the Egyptians' success. They had once despaired of recovering their freedom, while the Ethiopians had boasted of their victories. Now the Ethiopians faced great danger, and Tharbis fell in love with Moses.

Driven by her passion, she sent her most trusted servant to speak with him about marriage. Moses accepted her offer on the condition that she arrange for the city to surrender. He swore that he would take her as his wife and would not break his oath once he had captured the city. The agreement was carried out at once. After Moses defeated the Ethiopians, he gave thanks to God, married Tharbis, and led the Egyptians back to their own land.

CHAPTER 11

How Moses Fled from Egypt to Midian

After Moses had saved the Egyptians, they came to hate him and eagerly sought a way to carry out their plans against him. They suspected that his success would encourage him to stir up a revolt and bring changes to Egypt, so they told the king that Moses should be killed. The king was already considering the same thing. He envied Moses for his glorious campaign at the head of the army, feared that Moses might bring him down, and was urged on by the sacred scribes. So he was ready to have Moses killed.

But Moses learned of the plot in time and slipped away. Since the main roads were watched, he fled through the deserts, taking a route his enemies would never expect. He had no food, but pressed on bravely despite the hardship. At last he reached the city of Midian, which lay by the Red Sea and was named after one of Abraham's sons by Keturah. There he sat beside a well to rest after his difficult journey and all he had suffered. The well was not far from the city, and it was noon. By the custom of the country, Moses soon had a chance to show his virtue and improve his own circumstances.

Since water was scarce in that country, shepherds claimed the wells before others arrived, so their flocks would not go without water and others would not use it up first. Seven unmarried sisters came to this well. They were the daughters of Raguel, a priest whom the people of the country greatly honored. The young women cared for their father's flocks, a task that women commonly performed in the land of the Troglodytes. They arrived first and drew enough water for their flocks, pouring it into troughs made to hold it.

Then the shepherds arrived and drove the sisters away so they could take the water for themselves. Moses thought it would bring shame on him to watch the young women suffer unjustly and let the men's force overcome their right. He drove away the shepherds, who were trying to take more than their share, and helped the women.

The sisters returned to their father and told him how the shepherds had mistreated them, and how a stranger had come to their aid. They asked Raguel not to let such a generous deed go unrewarded. Their father was pleased that his daughters wanted to repay their benefactor, and he told them to bring Moses to him so he could give him the welcome he deserved.

When Moses came, Raguel told him what his daughters had said about his help. He admired Moses for his virtue and said that he had helped people who were grateful, and who were able and willing to return his kindness with even greater generosity. Raguel welcomed Moses into his family, gave him one of his daughters in marriage, and appointed him to care for his cattle. In ancient times, cattle were the chief wealth of the people in those lands.

CHAPTER 12

Concerning the Burning Bush and the Rod of Moses

After Moses had won the favor of Jethro, one of Raguel's names, he stayed there and tended his flock. Some time later, he led the flock to graze on Mount Sinai, the highest mountain in that region and the best place for pasture, with its rich grass. The shepherds had never grazed their flocks there because they believed God dwelt on the mountain, and they dared not climb it. There Moses witnessed a remarkable sight: a fire burned in a thorn bush, but its green leaves and flowers remained untouched, and even its fruit-bearing branches were not consumed, though the flames were strong and fierce.

Moses was startled by what he saw. He was even more amazed when the fire spoke, called him by name, and told him he had been bold to enter a place where no one had gone before, because it was holy. The voice warned him to stand well back from the flames and to be content with what he had seen. Though Moses was a good man and descended from great men, he was not to look any further. The voice also foretold that, with God's blessing, Moses would gain glory and honor among men.

Then God commanded him to go confidently to Egypt and lead the Hebrew people out of the suffering they endured there.

"They will live in this blessed land that your forefather Abraham inhabited," God said, "and enjoy all its good things."

God also commanded that, after Moses brought the Hebrews out of Egypt, he should return to this place and offer sacrifices of thanksgiving. These were the words God spoke from the fire.

Moses was astonished by what he had seen, and even more by what he had heard. He said, "Lord, I would be mad to doubt your power, for I honor you and know that you have shown your power to my ancestors. Still, I don't know how I, an ordinary man with no special abilities, can persuade my people to leave the land where they now live and follow me to another land. And even if they agree, how can I make Pharaoh let them go, when their labor and work add to his wealth and prosperity?"

God urged Moses to be brave in every circumstance and promised to stay with him. God would help him speak persuasively and give him the power to perform wonders. To prove that his words were true, God told Moses to throw his rod on the ground. Moses did so, and the rod crawled like a serpent, coiling itself and raising its head as if ready to strike anyone who attacked it. Then it became a rod again. Next, God told Moses to put his right hand inside his robe. He obeyed, and when he drew it out, his hand was white as chalk. A moment later, it returned to its usual color. At God's command, Moses also took some nearby water and poured it on the ground. It turned the color of blood. When Moses showed his wonder at these signs, God told him to take courage and trust that God would support him. He was to use the signs so that everyone would believe that God had sent him and that he acted at God's command. "Do not delay any longer," God said. "Hurry to Egypt, traveling day and night. Don't waste time and make the Hebrews' slavery and suffering last even longer."

After seeing and hearing these wonders, Moses could no longer doubt God's promises. He asked God to grant him the power to perform the signs in Egypt. He also asked to know God's name. Since he had heard and seen God, he wanted God to tell him his name, so he could call on him by name when making offerings. God then revealed his holy name, which had never before been made known to men. I am not permitted to say more about it. These signs accompanied Moses whenever he prayed for them. Of them all, he trusted most firmly in the fire in the bush. Convinced that God would support him with kindness, Moses hoped he could free his people and bring disaster upon the Egyptians.

CHAPTER 13

How Moses and Aaron Returned to Egypt to Speak with Pharaoh

When Moses learned that the Pharaoh who had ruled when he fled Egypt was dead, he asked Raguel for permission to return and help his people. He took with him Zipporah, Raguel's daughter and his wife, and their two sons, Gersom and Eleazer, and hurried toward Egypt. In Hebrew, the name Gersom means that Moses had been a stranger in a foreign land. Eleazer means that, with the help of the God of his fathers, Moses had escaped from the Egyptians.

As they neared the border, his brother Aaron met him, as God had commanded. Moses told Aaron what had happened to him on the mountain and what God had ordered him to do. As they continued on their way, the leading men of the Hebrews heard they were coming and went out to meet them. Moses told them about the signs he had seen. When they doubted him, he showed them the signs himself. At the sight of these surprising wonders, they took heart and began to hope for their complete deliverance. They now believed that God was watching over them.

Moses saw that the Hebrews were ready to obey his directions, as they had promised, and that they longed for freedom. So he went to the king, who had only recently taken power. Moses reminded him how much he had done for the Egyptians when the Ethiopians scorned them and ravaged their land. He had commanded their army and worked for them as though they were his own people. He also told the king how much danger he had faced during that campaign, and how little he had received in return for his service.

Moses then described what had happened to him at Mount Sinai, what God had said, and the signs God had performed to prove that his commands were true. He urged the king not to doubt his words or oppose God's will.

The king mocked Moses, so Moses showed him the signs God had given him at Mount Sinai. The king grew angry and called Moses a wicked man who had once escaped slavery in Egypt and now had returned with deceptive tricks, wonders, and magic to amaze him. He ordered his priests to perform the same wonders. The king knew that the Egyptians were skilled in such arts, and that Moses was not the only one who claimed to have divine power. He said Moses would impress only the ignorant.

When the priests threw down their staffs, they became serpents. Moses was not shaken. He said, "O king, I do not scorn the wisdom of the Egyptians. But what I do is far greater than their magic and tricks, just as God's power is greater than the power of man. I will show you that this is no trick, nor a false appearance. These things happen through the providence and power of God."

Then Moses cast his staff to the ground and commanded it to become a serpent. It obeyed him, moved about, and swallowed the Egyptians' staffs, which had appeared to be serpents, until it had consumed them all. Then it returned to its former shape, and Moses took it up again.

Yet the king was no more persuaded than before. In his anger, he said Moses would gain nothing by his cunning against the Egyptians. He ordered the chief taskmaster over the Hebrews to give them no relief from their labor, but to oppress them more than ever. Before, the Hebrews had been given chaff for making bricks. Now they would receive none. They had to make bricks during the day and gather chaff at night.

Their labor had doubled, and they blamed Moses because their hardship had grown worse on his account. But Moses did not lose courage because of the king's threats, nor did he give up because the Hebrews complained. He held firm and did all he could to win freedom for his people.

Moses went again to the king and urged him to let the Hebrews go to Mount Sinai and sacrifice to God, as God had commanded. He told the king not to oppose God's purpose, but to honor God's favor above all else and allow the Hebrews to leave. Otherwise, the king might unknowingly stand in the way of God's commands and bring punishment upon himself. Those who provoke God's anger, Moses said, face the worst afflictions. Neither earth nor air is friendly to them, and even their children may not be born as nature intends. Everything turns against them. Moses added that the Egyptians would learn this through bitter experience, and that the Hebrew people would leave Egypt whether or not the king consented.

CHAPTER 14

Concerning the Ten Plagues That Came Upon the Egyptians

The king scorned Moses' words and paid no attention to them, so terrible plagues fell upon the Egyptians. I will describe each one, both because no other nation has suffered such plagues as the Egyptians did, and because I want to show that Moses' predictions came true in every detail. This account also teaches mankind to avoid anything that may displease God, lest he become angry and punish their wrongdoing.

At God's command, the river ran with blood, and no one could drink from it. The Egyptians had no other source of water. It was not only the color of blood; anyone who tried to drink it suffered great pain and torment. But to the Hebrews, the river remained sweet and fit to drink, just as it had always been. The king, alarmed and unsure what to do, gave the Hebrews permission to leave. Yet as soon as the plague ended, he changed his mind and refused to let them go.

God saw that the king was ungrateful and had learned nothing when the first calamity ended, so he sent another plague upon Egypt. Countless frogs covered the land and destroyed its crops. The river was full of them, and those who drew water found it spoiled by the dead frogs. Filth covered the country as the frogs were born and died. They ruined the Egyptians' household vessels, filled their food and drink, and swarmed over their beds. A foul stench rose from them as they multiplied and died.

When the Egyptians could no longer bear these troubles, the king ordered Moses to take the Hebrews and leave. At once, the frogs disappeared, and both the land and the river returned to their former state. But when Pharaoh saw that the plague had ended, he forgot what had caused it and kept the Hebrews in Egypt. He had granted them permission to go only because he was afraid, not because he had truly changed his mind. It seemed he wanted to see what other judgments might come upon him.

God punished the king's deceit with another plague. An immense number of lice appeared on the Egyptians' bodies, and the people suffered terribly. They could not rid themselves of the vermin with baths or ointments. This dreadful punishment threw Pharaoh into confusion. He feared that his people would die, and that their manner of death would bring them shame. At last, he partly turned from his wicked course and gave the Hebrews permission to leave.

But when the plague ended, he demanded that they leave their wives and children behind as pledges that they would return. This provoked God to greater anger. Pharaoh acted as though he could deceive God's providence, as though Moses alone, and not God, had brought the punishments upon Egypt for the Hebrews' sake. God filled the country with many kinds of destructive creatures, each with its own harmful nature. Such creatures had never been seen before. They killed the people and left the fields without farmers to tend them. Whatever escaped the creatures was then destroyed by a disease that struck the people as well.

Pharaoh still refused to obey God's will. He allowed the men to take their wives, but insisted that the children remain behind. God then resolved to punish him with a series of calamities worse than those that had already afflicted Egypt. The Egyptians broke out in terrible sores and blisters, while disease consumed them from within. Many died.

When this plague failed to change the king's mind, hail fell from the sky. Egypt had never suffered hail like it, nor was it like the hail that falls in other lands during winter. It was larger than the hail that falls in the middle of spring in the northern and northwestern regions. The hail broke the branches heavy with fruit. Then a swarm of locusts consumed the seed that the hail had spared, leaving the Egyptians with no hope of future crops.

These calamities should have been enough to make even a foolish man, if he were not wicked, understand what was best for him. But Pharaoh was driven less by foolishness than by wickedness. Though he saw the cause of his troubles, he continued to defy God and turn away from what was right.

He told Moses to take the Hebrews, along with their wives and children, but to leave their cattle behind, since the Egyptians' own cattle had been destroyed. Moses answered that this was unjust, because the Hebrews needed their animals for sacrifices to God. As the dispute continued, a thick darkness spread across Egypt, leaving no light at all. The air grew so heavy that the Egyptians could neither see nor breathe freely. They died in misery, terrified that the dark cloud would swallow them.

After three days and three nights, the darkness lifted. But Pharaoh still would not repent or let the Hebrews go. Moses came to him and said, "How long will you disobey God's command? He orders you to let the Hebrews go. You will not be freed from these calamities unless you do so." The king grew angry and threatened to cut off Moses' head if he came again to trouble him with these matters. Moses answered that he would speak to him no more about it, for Pharaoh himself and Egypt's leading men would soon beg the Hebrews to leave. After saying this, Moses went away.

God had told Moses that one final plague would force the Egyptians to let the Hebrews go. He commanded Moses to tell the people to prepare a sacrifice and make ready on the tenth day of the month Xanthicus, so they would be prepared by the fourteenth. The Egyptians called this month Pharmuth, the Hebrews called it Nisan, and the Macedonians called it Xanthicus. Moses was to lead the Hebrews away with all that belonged to them.

Moses gathered the people for their departure and arranged them by tribes, keeping them together in one place. When the fourteenth day came and all were ready to leave, they offered the sacrifice and marked their houses with its blood, using bunches of hyssop. After their meal, they burned the remaining meat, since they were about to depart.

We still offer this sacrifice in the same way, and we call the festival Pascha, which means the Feast of the Passover. On that day, God passed over us and sent the plague upon the Egyptians. That night, their firstborn died. Many Egyptians who lived near the king's palace urged Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go. So he called for Moses and ordered the people to leave, believing that Egypt would be free of its troubles once they were gone. The Egyptians also gave the Hebrews gifts. Some did so to hurry their departure, while others gave gifts because they lived near them and had been friends with them.

CHAPTER 15

How the Hebrews Left Egypt Under the Guidance of Moses

The Hebrews left Egypt while the Egyptians wept and regretted having treated them so harshly. They traveled past Letopolis, a place that was deserted at the time. Babylon was later built there, after Cambyses laid Egypt waste. Because they were in a hurry, they reached a place called Beelzephon, on the Red Sea, by the third day.

Once they had left Egypt, they had no food from the land, since the place was a desert. They ate loaves made from flour and warmed over a gentle fire. This food lasted them thirty days. The provisions they had brought from Egypt could not last any longer, and they rationed them so each person had only enough to meet their needs, not enough to be satisfied. To remember the hardship we faced then, we keep an eight-day feast called the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

The whole multitude who left Egypt, including women and children, was too large to count. Those old enough to go to war numbered six hundred thousand.

They left Egypt in the month of Xanthicus, on the fifteenth day of the lunar month. This was four hundred and thirty years after our forefather Abraham entered Canaan, but only two hundred and fifteen years after Jacob moved to Egypt. (28) Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was three years older. They also took Joseph's bones with them, as he had instructed his sons to do.

The Egyptians soon regretted letting the Hebrews go. The king was deeply troubled, believing that Moses had accomplished this through magic. So they decided to pursue the Hebrews. They took their weapons and other equipment for war, intending to bring them back if they caught up with them. They thought the Hebrews could no longer pray to God against them, since they had already been allowed to leave. They also believed they could easily defeat them, because the Hebrews had no armor and would be worn out from their journey.

The Egyptians hurried after them, asking everyone they met which way the Hebrews had gone. The land was difficult to cross, not only for an army but even for a single traveler. Moses led the Hebrews along this route so that, if the Egyptians regretted letting them go and pursued them, they would suffer for their wickedness and for breaking the promises they had made.

He also chose this route because of the Philistines, who had long been at odds with the Hebrews and hated them. Their land lay near Egypt, and Moses did not want them to learn that the Hebrews had left. So he did not lead the people along the road to the land of the Philistines. Instead, he led them through the desert, where they would endure a long journey and many hardships before entering Canaan. God had also commanded Moses to bring the people to Mount Sinai, where they would offer sacrifices to him.

When the Egyptians caught up with the Hebrews, they prepared to attack. Their great numbers forced the Hebrews into a narrow place. The pursuing army had six hundred chariots, fifty thousand horsemen, and two hundred thousand armed foot soldiers. The Egyptians also took control of the routes they thought the Hebrews might use to escape, trapping them between steep cliffs and the sea. A range of rough, impassable mountains stood on each side and blocked their way. The Egyptian army pressed them where the mountains ended at the sea, placing its forces at the narrow openings between the mountains so the Hebrews could not reach the plain.

The Hebrews could neither stand their ground, since they had no provisions, nor see any way to escape. They had no weapons with which to fight, and they expected to be destroyed unless they surrendered to the Egyptians. They blamed Moses and forgot all the signs God had shown them to win their freedom. Their disbelief grew so great that, as the prophet encouraged them and promised they would be delivered, they were ready to stone him. They decided they would give themselves up to the Egyptians.

The women and children mourned, for destruction seemed to be all that lay before them. They were surrounded by mountains, the sea, and their enemies, and they could see no way to flee.

The people glared angrily at Moses, but he did not abandon them. Trusting in God, he faced every danger. God had already brought them through each step toward freedom, just as he had promised. Moses believed God would not now let their enemies defeat them, enslave them, or kill them.

Standing among the people, he said, "We should not distrust even men who have managed our affairs well until now, as though they would not continue to do so. It is madness to despair of God's care at this moment. By his power, everything he promised has come to pass, even when you did not expect it. I mean all that I have done to help you escape slavery and win your freedom.

"When we are in the greatest danger, we should hope all the more that God will help us. By his will, we have been brought into this narrow place so that he can rescue us from troubles no one can overcome, troubles from which neither you nor your enemies expect you can be saved. In this way, he will show his power and care for us.

"God does not usually help those he favors in small troubles, but in situations where no one can see any human way out. So trust in a protector who can make the small things great and show that this mighty force against you is powerless. Do not fear the Egyptian army, and do not despair because the sea lies before you and the mountains behind you, leaving no path of escape. If God wills it, these mountains can become level ground for you, and the sea can become dry land."

CHAPTER 16

How the Sea Parted for the Hebrews as They Fled from the Egyptians

After Moses had spoken, he led the Hebrews toward the sea. The Egyptians could see them, but their long pursuit had worn them out, so they decided to wait until the next day before fighting. When Moses reached the shore, he lifted his rod, prayed to God, and asked him to help them.

"You know, Lord, that no human strength or plan can free us from the danger we face. Our deliverance must come from you, for this people left Egypt at your command. We have no other help or plan to trust in, and we look only to you. If your providence can provide a way out, show it to us now. Let your power appear quickly, and give this people courage and hope, for they have fallen into despair. We are trapped in a place where no escape seems possible, yet this place belongs to you. The sea is yours, and so are the mountains surrounding us. At your command, the mountains could open, and the sea could become dry land. If you chose, we might even escape through the air."

After Moses had prayed, he struck the sea with his rod. At once, the waters parted and drew back, leaving dry ground for the Hebrews to use as a road and a means of escape. When Moses saw this sign of God's power and watched the sea withdraw, he stepped into the dry path first. He told the Hebrews to follow, and urged them to rejoice at the danger their pursuers faced. He also gave thanks to God for this astonishing deliverance.

The Hebrews moved ahead without stopping, as though God's presence were leading them. At first, the Egyptians thought they had lost their senses and were rushing toward certain death. But when they saw the Hebrews travel a great distance without harm or difficulty, they hurried after them, believing the sea would remain calm for them too. They sent their horses ahead, then went down into the sea themselves.

The Hebrews had gained time while the Egyptians put on their armor, and they crossed safely to the other shore before their pursuers could catch them. Seeing this, the Egyptians took heart and chased after them, certain that they too would escape unharmed. They did not understand that the path had been made for the Hebrews, not for anyone who meant to use it to destroy them. It was a road of deliverance for those in danger, not for their enemies.

As soon as the entire Egyptian army had entered the sea, the waters rushed back into place. A violent storm drove them forward and closed around the Egyptians. Rain poured from the sky, and terrible thunder and lightning flashed above them. Bolts of fire struck them as well. Every kind of disaster that God sends to show his anger fell upon them, and a dark, dreadful night covered them. They all perished, leaving no one alive to carry news of the calamity back to Egypt.

The Hebrews could hardly contain their joy at their escape and at the destruction of their enemies. They now believed they were safe, since those who had tried to enslave them were dead, and they had seen God protect them so plainly. After escaping the danger and witnessing the fate of their enemies, they spent the night singing hymns and celebrating. Moses also composed a song of praise and thanksgiving to God, written in hexameter verse.

I have told this story as it appears in the sacred books. No one should be surprised by its unusual account. Perhaps God willed this path to open for people of an earlier time, who were free from the wickedness of our own age. Or perhaps it happened by chance. The Pamphylian Sea also drew back to make a passage for Alexander, king of Macedonia, who lived only a short time ago. His army had no other route, and this happened when God willed the Persian monarchy to fall. Everyone who has written about Alexander's campaigns agrees that this event took place. As for the events I have described, each reader may judge for himself.

The next day, Moses gathered the Egyptians' weapons, which the sea's current carried to the Hebrew camp while the winds held the waters back. He understood that this, too, had happened by God's providence, so the Hebrews would not be left without weapons. After ordering them to arm themselves, he led them to Mount Sinai to offer sacrifices and gifts to God for the people's deliverance, as he had been instructed to do beforehand.