Joseph and Asenath 24

1Pharaoh's son then continued to be full of fear and grief for that he feared Joseph's brethren, and again he was exceedingly mad by reason of Asenath's beauty, and grieved greatly.

2Then his serving-men say in his ear: "Lo! the sons of Balla and the sons of Zelpha, the handmaids of Leah and Rachel, Jacob's wives, are at great enmity against Joseph and Asenath and hate them; these will be unto thee in all things according to thy will."

3Straightway therefore Pharaoh's son sent messengers and called them, and they came to him at the first hour of the night, and they stood in his presence, and he saith to them: "I have learned from many that ye are mighty men."

4And Dan and Gad, the elder brethren, said to him: "Let my lord now speak to his serving-men what he wisheth, that thy serving-men may hear and we may do according to thy will."

5Then Pharaoh's son rejoiced with exceeding great joy and said to his serving-men: "Withdraw now for a short space from me, for that I have secret speech to hold with these men."

6And they all withdrew.

7Then Pharaoh's son lied, and he saith to them: "Lo! now blessing and death are before your faces; do ye therefore take the blessing rather than the death, because ye are mighty men and will not die as women; but be brave and avenge yourselves upon your enemies.

8For I have heard Joseph your brother saying to Pharaoh my father: 'Dan and Gad and Nephthalim and Asher are not my brethren, but children of my father's handmaids: I wait therefore for my father's death, and will blot them out from the earth and all their issue, lest they should inherit with us, because they are children of handmaids.

9For these also sold me to the Ishmaelites, and I will render unto them again according to their despite which they wickedly committed against me; only my father shall die.'

10And my father Pharaoh commended him for these things and said to him: 'Thou hast well spoken, child.

11Accordingly, take from me mighty men and proceed against them according to what they wrought against thee, and I will be a helper to thee.'"

12And when Dan and Gad heard these things from Pharaoh's son they were much troubled, and grieved exceedingly, and they said to him: "We pray thee, lord, help us; for henceforth we are thy slaves and bondmen and will die with thee."

13And Pharaoh's son said: "I will be a helper to you if ye also will hearken to my words."

14And they said to him: "Command us what thou wishest and we will do according to thy will."

15And Pharaoh's son saith to them: "I will slay my father Pharaoh this night, for that Pharaoh is as Joseph's father and said to him that he would help against you; and do ye slay Joseph, and I will take Asenath to myself to wife, and ye shall be my brethren and fellow-heirs of all my possessions.

16Only do this thing."

17And Dan and Gad said to him: "We are thy serving-men to-day and will do all things that thou hast commanded us.

18And we have heard Joseph saying to Asenath: 'Go to-morrow to the possession of our inheritance, for that it is the season of the vintage'; and he sent six hundred men mighty to war with her and fifty forerunners.

19Now therefore hear us and we will speak unto our lord."

20And they spake to him all their secret words.

21Then Pharaoh's son gave the four brethren five hundred men each and appointed them their chiefs and leaders.

22And Dan and Gad said to him: "We are thy serving-men to-day and will do all the things that thou hast commanded us, and we will set forth by night and lie in wait in the ravine and hide ourselves in the thicket of the reeds; and do thou take with thyself fifty bowmen upon horses and go a long way before us, and Asenath will come and fall into our hands, and we will cut down the men that are with her, and she herself will flee before with her chariot and fall into thine hands and thou shalt do to her as thy soul desireth; and after these things we will slay Joseph also while he is grieving for Asenath; likewise also his children will we slay before his eyes."

23Pharaoh's firstborn son then, when he heard these things, rejoiced exceedingly, and he sent them forth and two thousand fighting men with them.

24And when they came to the ravine they hid themselves in the thicket of the reeds, and they divided into four companies, and took up their station on the far side of the ravine as in the front part, five hundred men on this side of the road and on that, and on the near side of the ravine likewise the rest remained, and they themselves also took up their station in the thicket of the reeds, five hundred men on this side and on that of the road; and between them was a broad and wide road.