even if God had otherwise appointed, - if He saw fit to take from him his children, his faith would rise to this

also: "And I, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved!" - good is the will of the Lord, and he would bow before it.

It is touching, as it were, to watch the trembling hands of the old man as he makes feeble attempts to ward

off the wrath of the dreaded Egyptian. It was a famine-year, and, naturally, there would be scarcity of the

luxuries which were usually exported from the East to Egypt. Let them, then, take a present of such dainties

to the Egyptian - "a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds." As for the money

which had been put back into their sacks, it might have been an oversight. Let them take it again with them,

along with the price of what corn they were now to purchase. And so let them go forth in the name of the

God of Israel - Benjamin, and all the rest. He would remain behind alone, as at the fords of Jabbok, - no, not

alone; but in faith and patience awaiting t he issue. Presently the ten brothers, with more anxious hearts than

Joseph ever had on his way to Egypt or in the slave-market, are once more in the dreaded presence of the

Egyptian. Joseph saw the new-comers, and with them what he judged to be his youngest brother, whom he

had left in his home a child only a year old. Manifestly, it was neither the time nor the place to trust himself

to converse with them. So he gave his steward orders to take them to his house, and that they should dine

with him at noon. Joseph had spoken in Egyptian, which seems to have been unknown to the sons of Jacob.

When they saw themselves brought to the house of Joseph, it immediately occurred to them that they were

to be charged with theft of the former purchase-money. But the steward with kindly words allayed the fears

which made them hesitate before entering "at the door of the house."

The sight of Simeon, who was at once restored to them, must have increased their confidence. Presently

preparations were made for the banquet. It was a deeply trying scene for Joseph which ensued when he met

his brethren on his return home. Little could they imagine what thoughts passed through his mind, as in true

Oriental fashion they laid out the humble presents his father had sent, and lowly "bowed themselves to him

to the earth." His language ill concealed his feelings. Again and again he inquired for his father, and as they

replied: "Thy servant our father is in good health; he is yet alive," they again "bowed clown their heads, and

made obeis ance." But when he fastened his eyes on Benjamin, his own mother's son, and had faltered it out,

so unlike an Egyptian: "God be gracious unto thee, my son," he was obliged hastily to withdraw, "for his

bowels did yearn upon his brother." Twenty-two years had passed since he had been parted from his

brother, and Benjamin now stood before him - a youth little older than he when his bitter bondage in prison

had commenced. Would they who had once sacrificed him on account of jealousy, be ready again to

abandon his brother for the sake of selfishness? At the banquet a fresh surprise awaited the sons of Jacob.

Of course, after the Egyptian fashion, Joseph ate by himself, and the Egyptians by themselves; he as a

member of the highest caste, and they from religious scruples. We know from secular history that the

Egyptians abstained from certain kinds of meat, and would not eat with the knives and forks, nor from the

cooking utensils which had been used by those of any other nation. But it must have seemed

unaccountable, that at the banquet their places were arranged exactly according to their ages. How could

the Egyptian have known them, and what mysterious circumstances surrounded them in his presence? Yet

another thing must have struck them. In their father's house the youngest of their number, the son of

Rachel, had been uniformly preferred before them all. And now it was the same in the Egyptian palace! If the

Egyptian ruler "sent messes unto them from before him," "Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of

theirs." Why this mark of unusual distinction, as it was regarded in ancient times? 74

However, the banquet itself passed pleasantly, and early next morning the eleven, gladsome and thankful,

were on their way back to Canaan. But the steward of Joseph's house had received special instructions. As

before, each "bundle of money" had been restored in every man's sack. But, besides, he had also placed in

that of Benjamin, Joseph's own cup, or rather his large silver bowl. The brothers had not traveled far when

the steward hastily overtook them. Fixing upon the eleven the stain of base ingratitude, he charged them

with stealing the "bowl" out of which "his lord drank, and whereby, indeed, he divined." Of course this

statement of the steward by no means proves that Joseph actually did divine by means of this "cup." On the

contrary, such could not have been the case, since it was of course impossible to divine, out of a cup that

had been stolen from him, that it was stolen (ver. 15)! But, no doubt, there was in Joseph's house, as in that

of all the great sages of Egypt, the silver bowl, commonly employed for divination, in which unknown