the physicians to embalm his father: and the physicians em- 95 balmed Israel. And forty days were fulfilled for him; for so are fulfilled the days of embalming and the Egyptians wept

for him threescore and ten days.

And Pharaoh 105 he made thee

and with him

4 And when the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph spake unto the house of Pharaoh, saying, If now I have found 100 grace in your eyes, speak, I pray you, in the ears of Pharaoh, saying, My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again. said, Go up, and bury thy father, according as swear. And Joseph went up to bury his father went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, and all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their 110 little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen and it was a very great company. And they came to the threshing-floor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they lamented with a very great and sore lamentation : 115 and he made a mourning 1 for his father seven days. And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abelmizraim, which is beyond Jordan. And his sons did unto him 120 according as he commanded them: for his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field, for a possession of a buryingplace, of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.

14 And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father. And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, It may be that Joseph will hate us,

1 For mourning read wailing,

125

CREY GRANITE SARCOPHAGUS OF NES QETIU

INCE SCRIBE IN THE LIBRARY OF AMEN RA ROYAL HERALD OVERSEER OF THE TREASURY
THE SON OF AAHMES A PRIEST OF THE CODDESS UATCHIT, AND THE LADY TASA EN ANKR
S&GODDESSES WHO PROTECTED THE DEAD THE BOAT THE SUN COO
EXVIDYNASTY ABOUT 8.C.600

AN EGYPTIAN COFFIN

and will fully requite us all the evil which we did unto him. 130 And they sent a message unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the transgression of thy brethren, and their sin, for that they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the transgression of the servants of the God 135 of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not for am I in the place of God? And as for you, ye meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, to bring 140 to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

22 And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father's house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years. And Joseph saw 145 Ephraim's children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were born upon Joseph's knees. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: but God will surely visit you, and bring you up out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph 150 took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

So

LESSON XV

MOSES' COMMISSION

A new dynasty oppresses the Israelites.

The birth and education of Moses. He flees to Midian, where he receives a divine commission to lead his people out of Egypt.

EXODUS I. 8—IV. 17

18 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we1: come, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come 5 to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land. Therefore they did set over them task-masters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more 10 they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field. And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every 15 son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.

21 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she 20 hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide

1 For more and mightier than we read too many and too mighty for us (R).