{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_30218/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_30218","id":"gutenberg_30218","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30218","summary":null,"tags":["Bible stories -- Old Testament","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Joseph (Son of Jacob) -- Juvenile literature"],"text":"[Illustration: Joseph as Ruler of Egypt speaks to his brothers.]\n\n\n                                JOSEPH\n\n                             THE DREAMER\n\n\n\n                           By AMY STEEDMAN\n\n\n                            [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n                         THOMAS NELSON & SONS\n\n                               NEW YORK\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n\n\n\nThe Story of Joseph\n\n[Illustration: The coat of many colours.]\n\n\nThis is the story of Joseph, the boy who had the strangest and most\nexciting adventures of any boy who ever lived.\n\nJoseph was but a little lad when his mother died. His father, Jacob,\nhad loved that mother more than any one else in the world, so that\nwhen she died leaving Joseph and a baby brother, Benjamin, all the\nlove in the father's heart turned to his two little sons.\n\nThe elder brothers were strong, grown-up men, quite able to look\nafter themselves, and no longer needing their father's care; so\nperhaps it was no wonder that Jacob made a special favourite of the\nlittle lad Joseph, and loved him best.\n\nAt first the older brothers took no notice of their father's way with\nthe younger boy; but as Joseph grew older they began to feel uneasy\nand envious. Why should this child be marked out for special favour?\nTheir father took no pains to hide the fact that the boy was the apple\nof his eye. Even his clothes showed this.\n\nWhile the brothers wore the ordinary shepherd clothing, Joseph had a\nbeautiful coat of many colours. His father had made it for him of\ndifferent pieces of coloured cloth joined together, and it was so gay\nand beautiful that every one who saw him wearing it said, \"This must\nbe the son of a great chief!\"\n\nBut if the gay coat made them angry, they were more angry still when\nJoseph began to dream strange dreams, which he always told to them.\n\nAs they sat around in the fields watching the sheep, the boy would\ncome running to them, full of excitement, as he begged them to listen\nto a wonderful dream he had had.\n\n\"Hear, I pray thee, this dream that I have dreamed!\" he cried, sitting\ndown amongst them. \"We were binding sheaves in a field, and lo! my\nsheaf arose and also stood upright, and, behold, your sheaves stood\nround about and bowed to my sheaf!\"\n\nAnother time his dream was about the stars; the sun and moon and\neleven stars, he said, had all bowed down before him. This was really\nmore than his brothers could bear. Did he really think he was going to\nrule over them? Were they to bow down before this boasting boy in his\nfine coat?\n\nEven his father did not quite approve of these dreams. But Joseph had\nnot really meant to boast. It was the wonder of the dreams that made\nhim repeat them. If he was proud of his coat of many colours, it was\nonly because it was a gift from his father. He was a straightforward\ngood-natured boy, clever and brave, and ready to take his turn in\nwatching the flocks or helping his brothers with their work in the\nfields.\n\nBut it grew day by day more difficult to keep the peace at home, and\nthe only quiet times were when the elder brothers went farther afield\nto find new pasture for their flocks.\n\nIt was at one of these times, when the brothers had been gone for some\ntime, that Jacob called Joseph to him, and bade him go and find his\nbrothers, and bring back news if they were safe and well.\n\nJoseph was now a lad of about seventeen, and this would be the first\njourney he had taken by himself, so he was eager to show that he was\nto be trusted, and he set out most cheerfully.\n\nAfter some days he arrived at Shechem, where his father had told him\nhe would find his brothers. But he could find no signs of them there.\nUnwilling to go home without news, Joseph wandered about until he met\na man who directed him to a place farther on where his brothers might\nbe, and at last he caught sight of their tents in a field far ahead.\nHow lucky he was to find them, he thought to himself, as he hurried\nforward eager to meet them.\n\nIt was a clear day, and the shepherds' keen eyes could see far along\nthe winding road that stretched out across the low hills towards\nShechem. Long before Joseph came within hail, his brothers saw his\nfigure in the distance hastening towards them. Perhaps it was the gay\ncolour of his coat that first told them who it was, and perhaps it was\nthe coat that reminded them of their hate and envy, and brought back\nto their memory again those dreams so full of pride.\n\n\"Behold, this dreamer cometh!\" they said one to another. \"Come now,\ntherefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we\nwill say, 'Some evil beast hath devoured him!' and we shall see what\nwill become of his dreams.\"\n\nWith dark looks of hate they watched the gay figure coming so joyfully\ntowards them, and only one heart felt any pity for the boy. Reuben,\nthe eldest brother, made up his mind quickly that he would save him if\npossible. Only he must set to work cunningly, for those other nine\nbrothers were very determined men.\n\nSo he began by suggesting that it seemed quite unnecessary to kill\nthe boy themselves when the easiest plan would be just to put him down\nthe pit, which was close at hand, and there leave him to die. (For he\nthought if he could persuade them to do this he would come back and\nsave Joseph when the others had gone.) Never dreaming of evil, Joseph\ncame on, and now he ran eagerly up to them and began to give them\ntheir father's message.\n\n[Illustration: \"Behold, this dreamer cometh!\"]\n\nBut the rough hands held out to him were not held out in welcome. The\nbrothers seized the boy and savagely tore off his beautiful coat, as\nif the very sight of it hurt their eyes, and then they hurried him\ntowards the pit which Reuben had pointed out.\n\nThen Joseph knew that they meant to kill him. He knew that if they\nthrew him into one of those deep narrow pits there was no chance of\nclimbing up its steep sides, even if he were not immediately drowned\nin the water which often gathered at the bottom.\n\nWas he never to see his father and little brother again? never to\nspend any more happy days in the fields under the blue sky? It was\nuseless to cry out and beg for pity. Reuben, the eldest brother, who\nmight have helped him, was not there, and the others he knew were\nmerciless.\n\nThe pit was reached, and in spite of his cries strong hands pushed him\nforward and over the edge. Down, down he fell into the blackness,\nuntil with a terrible thud he reached the bottom. There was no water\nto break his fall, for the pit was dry.\n\nWell--that was done! The cruel brothers went off to a little distance\nand began to eat their midday meal. But scarcely had they begun when\nthey caught sight of a company of travellers passing along the road\nclose by. There was a long train of camels laden with spices,\nevidently on their way down to Egypt.\n\n[Illustration: \"They sold Joseph to the Ishmeelites.\"\n\nGen. xxxvii. 28.]\n\nHere was a splendid opportunity of making some money out of their evil\nplan. Instead of leaving Joseph to starve in the pit, they would fetch\nhim out and sell him to these merchants. Most likely they would get\na good price for such a strong young slave.\n\n[Illustration: They hurried him towards the pit.]\n\nPerhaps when Joseph heard their voices at the pit's mouth, and when\nthey drew him up and lifted him out into the sunshine again, he\nthought for a moment that they meant to be kind to him after all. But\nthat thought soon vanished.\n\nThe Midianite merchants were waiting, the bargain was struck, and very\nsoon a rope was bound round his hands, and he was tied to the saddle\nof the man who had bought him. He knew now they had only taken him\nout of the pit to sell him as a slave.\n\nMeanwhile Reuben had been keeping out of sight, waiting to return and\nrescue his young brother as soon as it was safe to do so. Very\ncautiously at last he stole back. But, alas! when he reached the pit\nhe found that it was empty. In his distress he forgot his caution, and\ncared no longer if his brothers guessed what he had meant to do.\n\n\"The child is not, and I, whither shall I go?\" he cried to them in\nbitter sorrow when he met them.\n\nWith angry, sullen looks they told him that Joseph was now far away on\nhis road to Egypt. Reuben must keep their secret. There was but one\nthing to be done. Joseph's coat lay there, just as they had torn it\noff his back. They would dip the coat in goat's blood and carry it to\ntheir father.\n\nThe poor, gay-coloured little coat, all blood-stained and torn, was\nbrought and held up before Jacob's eyes.\n\n\"This have we found,\" said the brothers; \"know now whether it be thy\nson's coat or no?\"\n\nDid he not, indeed, know that coat of many colours? Had he not matched\nand joined together each of the pieces? Had not his heart been filled\nwith pride and love as he watched the boy wearing it with such a\ngallant air?\n\n\"It is my son's coat!\" he cried with a bitter cry of grief; \"an evil\nbeast hath devoured him! Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces!\"\n\n[Illustration: He was tied to the saddle of the man who had bought\nhim.]\n\nIt might perhaps have seemed better just then for Joseph if he had\nbeen dead instead of being carried away into slavery. It was a\nterrible fate, and he might well have become sullen and hopeless in\nthe strange land of Egypt to which the merchantmen took him.\n\nBut instead of being sorry for himself, and thinking only of the\nunkindness and wickedness of his cruel brothers, he made the best of\neverything, and set himself to do his new hard work as well as\npossible. If he was a slave he would, at any rate, be a thoroughly\ngood slave.\n\nAnd very soon his master, Potiphar, found that this fair-haired,\ngood-looking Hebrew boy was one to be trusted, and, as time went on,\nhe not only gave him his freedom, but made him the chief servant of\nthe house-hold. Then, just when happy days began to dawn for Joseph,\nmisfortune once more overtook him.\n\nHis master's wife accused him of doing wrong, and declared he was\nthoroughly bad. And so all his well-deserved favours were taken from\nhim, and he was put into prison.\n\nEven in prison Joseph's quiet goodness and his wise ways made him a\nfavourite. He was the friend of all the other prisoners, and before\nlong he became the governor's right hand.\n\nStill it was weary work to be shut up in prison, and he longed with\nall his heart for freedom, and a chance to win a place for himself in\nthe great world. He knew that Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, was not\nunfriendly to strangers. If only he could reach his ear all might be\nwell.\n\nAt last the chance came. There were two of Pharaoh's servants in the\nprison--one, the king's cup-bearer, and the other his chief baker, and\nboth these were sorely troubled one night because of the dreams they\nhad dreamt. They were sure these dreams had a meaning, but who was to\nexplain them?\n\n[Illustration: \"Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces!\"]\n\nNow Joseph had learned to know a great deal about dreams, and so he\nlistened to these men and told them what he thought their dreams must\nmean.\n\nThe chief baker's dream was a sad one. He had dreamt of three baskets\nwhich he carried on his head--baskets filled with the king's food--but\nthe birds had come and eaten up all the food. \"Alas!\" said Joseph,\n\"the three baskets must mean three days, and in three days the baker\nmust be hanged, and the birds would come and eat his flesh.\"\n\nBut the cup-bearer's dream was a happy one, for he had seen a vine\nwhich bore three clusters of grapes, which he had pressed out into the\nking's cup and presented to Pharaoh. The three clusters of grapes were\nagain three days, said Joseph, and in three days' time the cup-bearer\nwould be once more free and hand the king his golden cup.\n\n\"But think of me when it shall be well with thee,\" added Joseph to the\ncup-bearer, \"and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention\nof me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house. For, indeed, I was\nstolen away out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also have I done\nnothing that they should put me into the dungeon.\"\n\nIn three days all that Joseph had said came true. The chief baker was\nhanged, and the chief butler was set free, and stood once more before\nthe king; only he quite forgot the man who had been so kind to him in\nprison, and for two years never once thought of Joseph.\n\nBut at last something happened that reminded him. Once again it was a\ndream, but this time the dreamer was Pharaoh, the great king. He had\nsent for all the cleverest men in the land to explain his dreams to\nhim, but no one could find a meaning for them.\n\nThen the cup-bearer suddenly remembered Joseph, and came and told the\nking all that had happened to him when he was in prison. Surely it\nwould be worth while to try this man. So Pharaoh sent and brought\nJoseph out of prison, and asked him if it was true that he could tell\nthe meaning of dreams.\n\n[Illustration: He told them what he thought their dreams must mean.]\n\nThere was no pride nor boastfulness in Joseph's answer. Of himself, he\nsaid, he could do nothing; but with God's help he would tell the king\nall that he could.\n\nSo Pharaoh told his dreams, and as Joseph listened he knew at once\nthat they had been sent as a warning from God. Seven years of good\nharvests and plenty of food were coming, and after that seven years\nof famine, when, if all the food of the good years was eaten up, the\npeople would starve. The warning dreams had been sent so that the corn\nmight be saved up and stored. And it would be a good plan, said\nJoseph, to find the very wisest and best man in all the land who would\nundertake to do this.\n\nPharaoh listened thoughtfully, and soon made up his mind. He felt at\nonce that Joseph was a man to be trusted.\n\n\"Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all this,\" he said, \"there is none\nso discreet and wise as thou art. Thou shalt be over my house, and\naccording unto thy word shall all my people be ruled. Only in the\nthrone will I be greater than thou.\"\n\nWhat a wonderful adventure this was for Joseph! One day only a poor\nunknown prisoner, and the next the lord and ruler over all the land of\nEgypt--next only to the king in power.\n\nBut although Joseph's outside life was changed, he himself remained\njust the same. He was as keen as ever on doing his best, as brave and\nfearless in serving God and the king, as wise in ruling as he had been\nin serving.\n\nSo when the years of famine came there were great stores of corn laid\nup to feed the Egyptians, and not only the people of Egypt, but\nstrangers from other lands came to Joseph, the Ruler, to buy food.\n\n[Illustration: He felt at once that Joseph was a man to be trusted.]\n\nThen it was that one day ten tired, travel-stained men arrived at the\ncity, saying they had come from the far-distant land of Canaan to buy\ncorn for their wives and families, who were starving.\n\nJoseph knew them at once. They were his ten brothers--those brothers\nwhom he had last seen when, as a helpless boy, he had knelt and begged\nthem for mercy. Now they came kneeling to the great ruler, little\ndreaming that this powerful prince was the young brother they had\nbetrayed and sold into slavery.\n\nAnd Joseph did not mean to tell them just yet. He pretended to take\nthem for spies, and he spoke roughly to them.\n\n\"Thy servants are no spies,\" the brothers answered humbly. \"We are the\nsons of one man, in the land of Canaan, and, behold, the youngest is\nthis day with our father, and one is not.\"\n\nEven then Joseph pretended that he did not believe them. No, they must\nfirst prove their words by bringing their youngest brother to him.\nThey might leave one of their number behind as a hostage, and take\ncorn for their families, and return to fetch their brother. This he\nsaid because he longed to see Benjamin again.\n\nThe men listened sadly to what the great man said. They must have the\ncorn or their families would starve. And yet how could they leave one\nof their brothers behind when they knew their father would never allow\nBenjamin to return with them.\n\n\"This is just what we deserve,\" they said to one another. \"We would\nnot listen to Joseph when he begged for mercy, and now this is our\npunishment.\"\n\n\"Did I not beg you not to hurt the child?\" said Reuben.\n\nThey did not know, of course, that the great ruler could understand\nwhat they were saying in their own language; but as Joseph listened\nhe was obliged to turn away to hide the tears that were in his eyes.\n\n[Illustration: Lord and ruler over all the land of Egypt.]\n\nThere was nothing for it but to agree to the conditions, so it was\ndecided that Simeon should be left behind, and the order was given\nthat all the sacks should be filled with corn, and that every man's\nass should be laden with as much corn as could be carried; only,\ninstead of taking money for the corn, Joseph ordered that it should be\nsecretly hidden in the sacks, each man's money in his sack of corn.\n\nSo the men started off on their journey home, and travelling all day\ncame at night to an inn to rest. There one of the men opened his sack\nto give his ass some food. What, then, was his surprise to find his\nbundle of money tied up in the mouth of his sack!\n\nThe other brothers gathered round and looked on in amazement. Yes, it\nwas quite true. There was the money which was the price of the\ncorn--not a penny of it taken! What could it mean?\n\nBut they were still more amazed when at last they came to their\njourney's end and found, when they opened their sacks, that all their\nmoney had been returned. There was a bundle of money in each sack!\n\nIt was so strange that they grew uneasy and frightened. Then, too,\nthey were obliged to tell their father that Simeon had been left\nbehind as a hostage, and that the great lord of the country had taken\nthem for spies, and had demanded that Benjamin should return with them\nbefore he would believe their story.\n\nBut Jacob would not hear of parting with his youngest son. Had he not\nlost two sons already, first his beloved Joseph, and now Simeon?\n\n\"Will you also take Benjamin from me?\" he asked. \"All these things are\nagainst me!\"\n\nIn vain Reuben promised that he would bring Benjamin safely back.\nJacob only shook his head.\n\n\"My son shall not go down with you,\" he said. \"His brother is dead,\nand he is left alone. If mischief befall him by the way in the which\nye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the\ngrave!\"\n\n[Illustration: There was the money which was the price of the corn.]\n\nNow that was all very well while the corn lasted; but when the famine\nstill went on, and all the corn was eaten up, there was nothing to be\ndone but to go back to Egypt and try to buy some more.\n\nAnd it was no use going without Benjamin, for had not the great lord\nof the country declared, \"Ye shall not see my face except your brother\nbe with you.\"\n\nSo at last Jacob was obliged to let his precious son go with his\nbrothers, although it almost broke his heart to part with him.\n\nNow Joseph had been quite sure that his brothers would return, and\nwhen at last they appeared he was overjoyed to see that Benjamin was\nwith them. He ordered a great feast to be made, and invited them all\nto dine with him; but still he kept his secret, and they did not guess\nwho he was, although they could not help noticing that Benjamin was\nsingled out for special favor.\n\nSo their sacks were filled again with corn, and the brothers prepared\nto set out joyfully on their return journey. Only this time Joseph had\nordered his servants to put his silver cup into Benjamin's sack.\n\nThe men had not gone far before they were overtaken by the great\nruler's servants, who accused them of stealing their lord's silver\ncup. Of course they indignantly denied this; but when the baggage was\nsearched the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.\n\nNow indeed was their joy turned into blackest sorrow. They must go\nback at once to try and explain matters to the lord of the land. But\nwould he listen to them?\n\nAt first Joseph pretended to be very angry, but as he listened to\ntheir tale and heard how they dared not face their father without the\nbeloved youngest son, he saw that they had earned his forgiveness, and\nhe kept up the pretence no longer. Sending all the servants away he\nheld out his hands to his brothers, his eyes blinded with tears.\n\n\"I am Joseph, your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt,\" he said. \"Now,\ntherefore, be not grieved nor angry with yourselves that ye sold me\nhither, for God did send me before you to preserve life.\"\n\nAt first the brothers could scarcely believe their ears. Could this\ngreat lord really be their little brother Joseph? And could he really\nforgive them their cruelty?\n\nThen Joseph put his arm round Benjamin's neck and kissed him, and\nafterwards kissed each of his other brothers, so that they began to\nfeel that the wonderful story was real and not a mere dream.\n\nThere was no fear of famine for them now. Nothing in all the land was\ntoo good for the brothers of the great ruler, and ere long there were\nwagons and camels on their way to Canaan to fetch Jacob, the old\nfather, and all the wives and children belonging to the ten brothers.\nThey would all now share in Joseph's good fortune.\n\nSo Jacob's sorrow was turned into joy when the news was brought to him\nthat Joseph was alive and was governor over all the land of Egypt.\n\nIt sounded almost like a magic tale, and at first Jacob could not\nbelieve it; but at last, when he saw the wagons and heard Joseph's own\nmessage to him, his heart was filled with joy and thankfulness.\n\n\"It is enough,\" he cried. \"Joseph, my son, is yet alive; I will go\nand see him before I die.\"\n\nIt was a long journey for such an old man; but joy gave him strength\nto endure it, and at the end Joseph stood waiting to welcome\nhim--Joseph the great ruler, clad in rich robes, living in princely\nstate, whose word was law, and who held the highest honors in the\nland.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n\n\n\nBOOKS IN THIS SERIES\n\n\nJOSEPH THE DREAMER\n\nTHE BABE IN THE BULRUSHES\n\nDAVID THE SHEPHERD BOY\n\nTHE CHILD JESUS\n\nTHE GOOD PHYSICIAN\n\nTHE GOOD SHEPHERD\n\n       *       *       *       *       *","title":"Joseph the Dreamer","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":4098}