<2(54 JOS 
fcarcity, which were feverely felt not only in Egypt, but 
in the land of Canaan and all the neighbouring nations. 
When the Egyptians had confumed all the corn that was 
in private hands, and were pinched for want of bread, 
they delivered petitions to Pharaoh for relief, who re¬ 
ferred them to Jofeph. Upon this he ordered his (tores 
to be opened, and the grain to be fold to thofe who ap¬ 
plied for it, whether Egyptians or ltrangers. This fcar¬ 
city obliged Jacob (fee vol. x. p. 666) to fend ten of his 
fons to Egypt to purchafe corn. Upon their arrival in 
that country, they were directed to appear in Jofeph's 
prefence, before whom they proltrated themfelves, with 
their faces to the ground, and entreated permiffion to 
carry what corn they wanted out of the country. Jofeph, 
who knew them immediately, though from the alteration 
in his perfon and circumftances they could not call him 
to mind, put on a fevere look, and in an angry tone alked 
them, by an interpreter, whence they came ? Upon their 
anfwering, from the land of Canaan, he accufed them of 
being fpies, who were come to difcover the weaknels of 
the land. In jultifying themfelves againll this charge, 
they allured him that they were all the Ions of one man, 
and that they had left a younger brother with their fa¬ 
ther, who once had another fon, who was now no more. 
Jofeph, having thus obtained information that his uterine 
brother was living, told them, in haughty commanding 
terms, that unlel’s one of them fetched this younger 
brother, while the reft of them remained in cultody, he 
fhould confider them to be fpies, and treat them accord¬ 
ingly. Upon this they were all fent to prifon, where 
they were confined three days; at the end of which Jo¬ 
feph fent for them, and let them know, in a milder tone, 
that he fhould detain only one of them, till their younger 
brother was brought before him, while the relt might go 
home with the necelfary corn for their families. He then 
ordered Simeon, who had probably been one of his greateft 
enemies, to be bound before their eyes, and fent to pri¬ 
fon. Jofeph had now the opportunity of hearing them 
accufe themfelves of the inhumanity with which they 
treated him, and to acknowledge that what they fuffered 
was a juIt punilhment inflkffed on them by Providence, 
for being unmoved by the anguifh of foul which he had 
difcovered when they threw him into the pit, and after¬ 
wards fold him into flavery ; while Reuben juftified him- 
felf from having been a (barer in their cruelty. Jofeph 
did not hear their mutual reproaches without much emo¬ 
tion, to conceal which he was obliged to withdraw, be¬ 
fore he finally gave them leave to depart, with an afi'ur- 
ance that, if by bringing their younger brother they proved 
'that their account of themfelves was true, they Ihould 
have liberty to traffic in the land. At length all but Si¬ 
meon were uifmiifed ; but not before Jofeph had given 
directions that, after their lacks were filled with corn, 
each man’s money fhould be returned in his fack’s mouth. 
When in the courfe of their journey homewards they had 
come to dn inn where they propofed to bait, one of them, 
who opened his fack in order to give fome provender to 
their beafts, was furprifed at finding his money in it. 
This circumftance filled them with the molt difmal ap- 
prehenfions, efpecially when they afterwards found that 
each man’s money was returned in the fame manner; and 
they concluded that the haughty Egyptian lord had given 
directions for that proceeding, that he might have a pre¬ 
tence to enllave them at their next coming. As foon as 
they had arrived at home, they acquainted their father 
with their adventures; who received the news of Simeon’s 
detention with grief, which was ftill further heightened 
when he found that Benjamin mull go to Egypt before 
he fhould be liberated. For fome time Jacob refolutely 
refufed to part with his youngaft fou; till at length, 
the fcarcity increafmg, and the fuppiy which they had 
brought being almoft fpent, Judah prevailed upon him to 
let Benjamin accompany them to Egypt, promifing to 
bring him fafe back, and offering to incur any perional 
hazard for his fecurity. Having reluctantly given his 
E P H. 
confent, he ordered them to carry double money, and 
prefents of fome of the moft valued productions of 
Canaan, that they might gain the favour of the proud 
Egyptian ; and then dilmilled them, after entreating Hea¬ 
ven for their good-fuccefs. 
No fooner had they arrived in Egypt, and prefented 
themfelves before Jofeph at his place of public audience, 
than he ordered his Iteward to take them to his houfe, 
where he intended that they fhould dine with him. Their 
fears, however, led them to apprehend, that their being 
fent to the houfe of Pharaoh's reprelentative was only a 
prelude to fome harffi rneafure determined againll them; 
and, when they came to the door, they endeavoured to 
bel'peak the favour of the iteward, acquainting him with 
the circumftance of their having found their money in 
their lacks, which they had again brought with them, to¬ 
gether with a new fuppiy in order to purchafe frelh pro- 
vilion. The Iteward bade them to difmifs all their appre- 
henfions, and brought them into the houfe, where they 
foon had the pleafure of meeting their brother Simeon, 
unbound, and were informed of the honour which was 
intended them of dining with the great lord. Upon this, 
they let about preparing their prelents, which they laid 
before him with the greateft reverence as loon as he en¬ 
tered. Jofeph enquired after the health of their father, 
and whether that perfon was their younger brother who 
flood before him; and, being informed that it was, he 
bleifed him, and found himlelf obliged to retire to con¬ 
ceal the eft'ett of his feelings on beholding the (on of his 
own mother. Having compol'ed himlelf, he returned to 
the company, and ordered the dinner to be brought in, 
directing that his brethren and his Egyptian gtiefts Ihould 
be placed at different tables, (it being confidered an abo¬ 
mination with the latter to eat with Hebrews,) while he 
fat at a table by himlelf. Jofeph, according to the cultom 
of thofe rimes, fent dilhes from his own table to all his 
brethren ; but they could not avoid expreffing their fur- 
prife to each other, when they found that he lerved them 
exactly according to their l'eniority, and more particu¬ 
larly l'o, when they faw that Benjamin’s portion was five 
times larger than that of any of the reft, which was con¬ 
fidered to be a mark of diftinguilhed honour. After 
the entertainment was over, Jofeph ordered his Iteward 
to fill their lacks with corn, putting every man’s mo¬ 
ney in his fack’s mouth, as before, and directing him to 
put into Benjamin’s fack the lilver cup out of which he 
himfelf drank. In the next place he ordered him to fol¬ 
low them, foon after they had left the city on their re¬ 
turn towards Canaan, and to charge them with the theft 
of his lord’s filver cup. This the Iteward did accordingly, 
and feverely reproached them oh account of the ungrate¬ 
ful return which he pretended they had rrmde for his 
lord’s hofpitality. Confcious of their innocence, they 
firmly denied the charge, readily offering, that, if it could 
be proved againll any one of them, he Ihould be put to 
death, and the reft be reduced to flavery. The Iteward 
proceeded to fearch their facks ; and, to their inexpreflible 
furprife and concern, produced the cup from that of Ben¬ 
jamin. Overwhelmed with grief and lhame, they were 
brought back before Jofeph, who warmly reprimanded 
them for fuch a requital of his kindnefs and civility ; to 
whom they could only reply, that God had taken this 
method of punilhing them for their iniquities, and that 
they mult lubmit to be his bondfmen. Jofeph affured 
them, however, that, though he might punilh them all, 
yet the perfon only upon whom the cup was found Ihould 
remain a (lave, while the relt might go home in peace. 
Upon this Judah, who had become furety for Benjamin to 
his father, addreffed himfelf to Jofeph in the moft fub- 
miffive and moving terms, acquainting him with his fa¬ 
ther’s extreme fondnefs for the lad, the difficulty which 
they had to perfuade him to part with one whom he fo 
tenderly loved, and the danger of his grieving to death 
for the lofs of him. At the lame time he offered himfelf 
as a lubftitute for his brother, with fuch zeal and con¬ 
cern, 
