Joseph and Asenath 4

1And thereupon she hasted and went down the stairs from her loft and came to her father and mother and kissed them.

2And Pentephres and his wife rejoiced over their daughter Asenath with exceeding great joy, for that they beheld her adorned and embellished as the bride of God; and they brought forth all the good things which they had brought from the possession of their inheritance and gave them to their daughter; and Asenath rejoiced over all the good things, over the late summer fruit and the grapes and the dates and over the doves, and over the mulberries and the figs, because they were all fair and pleasant to taste.

3And Pentephres said to his daughter Asenath: "Child."

4And she said: "Here am I, my lord."

5And he said to her: "Sit down between us, and I will speak to thee my words."

6And she sat down between her father and her mother, and Pentephres her father took hold of her right hand with his right hand and kissed it tenderly and said: "Dearest child."

7And she said to him: "Here am I, my lord father."

8And Pentephres said to her: "Lo! Joseph, the mighty one of God, cometh to us to-day, and this man is ruler of all the land of Egypt; and King Pharaoh appointed him ruler of all our land and king, and he himself giveth corn to all this country, and saveth it from the coming famine; and this Joseph is a man that worshippeth God, and discreet and a virgin as thou art to-day, and a man mighty in wisdom and knowledge, and the spirit of God is upon him and the grace of the Lord is in him.

9Come, dearest child, and I will give thee over to him to wife, and thou shalt be to him for a bride, and he himself shall be thy bridegroom for ever."

10And, when Asenath heard these words from her father, a great sweat was poured out upon her over her face, and she waxed wroth with great anger, and she looked askance with her eyes at her father and said: "Wherefore, my lord father, speakest thou these words?

11Wishest thou to give me over as a captive to an alien and a fugitive and one that hath been sold?

12Is not this the son of the shepherd from the land of Canaan, and he himself hath been left behind by him?

13Is not this he who lay with his mistress, and his lord cast him into the prison of darkness, and Pharaoh brought him out from the prison inasmuch as he interpreted his dream, as the older women of the Egyptians also interpret?

14Nay, but I will be married to the king's firstborn son, because he himself is king of all the land."

15When he heard these things Pentephres was ashamed to speak further to his daughter Asenath about Joseph, for that she answered him with boastfulness and anger.