Reading the Bible: Genesis, Episode 9
Yosef (Joseph) goes to Egypt
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Yaakov prefers Yosef. Yosef becomes hated.
The story begins by describing how Yosef becomes the hated brother. The brothers had all the reasons to hate him. Yosef was telling on his brothers' bad actions to his father. Yosef also did not like to herd the cattle or any other normal choirs. Yaakov, the father, obviously prefers Yosef over the other 11 brothers. On top of all that, Yosef was a storyteller and dreamt dreams where he is the master and all bow to him.
It might have been ok, until he dreamt that also his father and mother would bow to him. This pissed off his father as well…
Yosef arrives to Egypt
One day, the father sent Yosef to go see if his brothers are ok. He had to travel by himself for some days (from Hevron to Shchem), which might tell us about the length of the travels with herds. When Yosef finally meets his brothers, they plot to kill him. But Reuven, the eldest, does not allow this, and asks to put him in a pit instead. They stripped out of his beautiful clothes, specially made by Yaakov, and placed him there without food and water. While Reuven was away, Yehuda (Juda), suggested to sell Yosef to merchants instead. Reuven was sad to discover this. The brothers make it look as if an animal ate the boy. Yaakov mourns his son’s loss for many days.
Yehuda and Tamar
Its not so clear why the story of Yosef cuts in this way, but we receive one chapter about Yehuda’s family. Yehuda, the future father of the line of kings, met a woman from the Knaanim. these are the “locals”, the people with which the previous fathers were not allowed to marry. He made three boys with her.
For his firstborn he took a wife called Tamar, probably from the israelites. But his son died. Yehuda asked the second son to take Tamar to be his wife. But God didn't like him either (he actually was called Onan, which means “masturbation”, and the fact is that he masturbated instead of having sex with Tamar, and that is why God didn't like him apparently…).
Yehuda promised Tamar that when his third son will become a man, she will receive him. So she went to wait in the village of her origin.
One day, a few years after, Tamar heard rumors that Yehuda and his son are visiting. She sat in the entrance to the village, but covered her face so he would not recognize her. Yehuda, actually approached her, offering to sleep with her (….). She asked what will he give her in return, and he offered a herd of goats. She asked for something immediate as a pawn, and specifically asked for his staff, signature ring and his cloth (those sound like really big items…). Of course, he agrees, they sleep, and she gets pregnant.
A few weeks after, a friend of Yehuda arrives to the village with the herd of cattle that he promised (in order to return the pawned items). He couldn't find this lady. He even asked around about the whore, but was answered that there is no whore… He returns to Yehuda empty-handed, and although Yehuda is angry, he does not know what to do.
A few months after, Tamar is becoming pregnant. The message of her pregnancy comes to Yehuda, and he is angry with her. He asked to kill her. She sends Yehuda the items he gave her, and told him “these items belong to the man that I am pregnant from”. Obviously, he understands what happens, and understand where his two mistakes were (not giving his third son, and sleeping with her himself). We are also told that Tamar had 2 twins from this birth: Zerach and Peretz.
Yosef becomes the king’s best man in Egypt
Yosef is a really lucky person. Although he was traded many times, thrown by his brothers, eventually he arrives to be in a palace of the Faroe. And, he actually gets to do important jobs and not those of a slave. He also really good at it, and the king even notices that Yosef’s “luck” comes from the fact that he has God on his side (Genesis, 39:3). This for itself is quite unique and weird. Since it doesn't say that God revealed himself to the king or anything. The king just realized this by himself…
Faroe places Yosef in charge of all his property. Due to his “luck and blessing”, Yosef manages to get the king even richer. The king trusted Yosef greatly with everything, except for his wife.
Faroe’s wife incriminates Yosef
The wife tries several times to tempt Yosef to sleep with her. He refuses. Eventually, one day, she managed to stay at home alone with Yosef. She forced him to remove his clothes, but he refuses again and escapes. She cries for servants and claims he wanted to rape her.
When the king hears this, of course he throws Yosef to prison. But even while in prison, Yosef stays lucky. The head of prison likes him, and ignores whatever he is doing. He let Yosef speak with all the inmates.
Yosef solving dreams in Egypt
One day, two other workers sent to prison, the baker and the wine person. They sit with Yosef. After a year together, they both have dreams, that no other manages to solve. After hearing the first dream, Yosef offers a solution that has a good ending to the dreamer (forseeing that he will get back to serve the king). Then second dreamer sees that the solution was good, so he tells his dream as well. But Yosef predicts that he will be hanged… Yosef asks the first one to remind his name to the king when he gets out and meets Faroe again.
As Yosef predicted, few days later, Faroe invites his servents to his “birthday”. Both get as predicted. But the guy forgot about reminding the name of Yosef to the king.
read the chapter in hebrew.
