My Christian Diary

Jacob had twelve sons, and of them all he loved Joseph best. Now, Joseph's older brother were jealous because he was the favorite.

One night Joseph dreamed a strange dream.

"We were binding sheaves in the field," he said to his brothers, "and lo! my sheaf arose and stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about and made obeisance to my sheaf."

When his brothers heard this dream, they hated him the more. They saw that it meant he was to be chief of them all.

Not long after this, his older brothers were feeding their flocks in the fields, and Joseph went to see how they were getting on.

When they saw him they said: "Behold, this dreamer cometh. Let us slay him and say some evil beast hath devoured him."

But Reuben, the oldest, would not agree to this. He said it would be better to throw Joseph into a pit and leave him there. Afterward, he thought, he could take Joseph out and carry him home.

So his brothers stripped Joseph of his beautiful coat of many colors, which his father had given him, and threw him into a pit.

But instead of leaving him there, they sold him to some merchants who came by on their way to Egypt.

Then they killed a kid and dipped Joseph's coat in the blood. They took this to their father and said, "This have we found."

Jacob thought that wild beasts had killed his son, and he mourned for him as dead.

Meanwhile, Joseph traveled on southward day after day until he reached the palm trees and pyramids on the banks of the Nile.

The merchants sold Joseph to one of the captains of the king of Egypt. After a while he was falsely accused of doing evil. He was thrown into prison, where he remained two years.

Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had a wonderful dream. He dreamed first that he saw seven fat cattle devoured by seven lean ones, which remained lean. Then he dreamed that he saw seven good ears of corn devoured by seven thin ears, which remained thin.

Now, in those days people thought that dreams were sent from heaven to teach them something.

So they were always very anxious to find out their meaning.

Pharaoh sent for all the wise man of Egypt, but not one could tell the meaning of his dream. And the heart of Pharaoh was troubled.

Then a man whose dream Joseph had explained told the king about him. So Joseph was sent for, and he explained Pharaoh's dream.

The seven fat cattle and the seven good ears of corn meant that there would come seven years of plenty. The seven lean cattle and the seven thin ears of corn meant that seven years of famine would follow. These would eat up all that had been produced in the seven years of plenty.

Joseph advised Pharaoh to find some wise man to gather food during the good years and store it up for the years of famine.

Then Pharaoh said: "There is none so wise as thou art. Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto they word shall all my people be ruled. Only in the throne will I be greater than thou."

And Joseph became ruler over all the land of Egypt.

The years of plenty come just as he had foretold. And he gathered up grain as the sand of the sea and put it in great storehouses. When the years of famine came, he opened them spread beyond the land of Egypt, and in Joseph's old home there was great need. Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, and he sent ten of his sons to buy food. He kept at home Benjamin, the youngest. When his brothers came before Joseph, he knew them at once. But they never thought that the mighty ruler of Egypt was the brother whom they had sold as a slave.

Joseph resolved so to act to his brothers as to make them tell what had happened at home. So he accused them of being spies.

They said they were not. They were all the sons of one father, and they had one other brother living, the youngest, whom they had left home.

Then Joseph said that he would know their words were true if they should return and bring their youngest brother with them. He took one of them to keep till they should come back.

This news made Jacob very sad. One of his sons was a prisoner in Egypt, and now they wished to take away Benjamin, the little one on whom he had set his heart since he had lost Joseph.

For a long time he would not consent to let Benjamin go. But at last all their food was gone. They must either send to Egypt for more or they must starve. And so Jacob had to let his sons go, taking Benjamin with them.

When the sacks were filled with grain, Joseph had his own silver cup put in the sack of his youngest brother. He did this to have an excuse to keep Benjamin with him.

Early the next morning the eleven brothers set out for home. Soon, by Joseph's order, his servant went after and overtook them. He accused them of having taken the cup.

The sacks were opened, Benjamin's last of all, because he was the youngest. And there in his sack was the silver cup.

Then the brothers went back to Joseph and said that as the cup had been found in Benjamin's sack, they would all be his servants.

But Joseph said, "the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant, and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father."

But the hearts of his brothers, which had been so hard and cruel to destroy Joseph and grieve their father, were kinder now.

Judah told in beautiful, touching words the story of their father's love for Benjamin. His gray hairs would be brought with sorrow to the grave of he lost the little one, the child of his old.

Then Joseph said, "I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that ye sold me hither; for GOD did send me before you to preserve your life."

And he kissed his brothers, and wept with them. Then Joseph said, "Tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen, and haste and bring down my father hither."

So his brothers went back home with food and gifts and joyful tidings. "Joseph is yet alive," they said, "and he is governor over all the land of Egypt."

Jacob said, "It is enough: Joseph, my son, is yet alive-I will go and see him before I die." And he with all his family went to Egypt and made his home there.

At last Joseph died, full of years and honors. And all the people mourned for the man who was great in rank and power, but greater yet in his loving, forgiving spirit.