Joseph and Aseneth

1 In the first year of plenty, in the second month, on the fifth day of the month, Pharaoh sent Joseph to go around all the land of Egypt; 2 and in the fourth month of the first year, on the eighteenth day of the month, Joseph came to the district of Heliopolis, 3 and he was gathering the grain of that country like the sand of the sea. 4 And there was a man in that city named Pentephres, who was a priest of Heliopolis⁠a and a satrap of Pharaoh, and chief over all Pharaoh's satraps and princes; 5 and this man was very rich and very wise and gentle, and he was also a counselor of Pharaoh, because he was more discerning than all Pharaoh's princes. 6 And he had a virgin daughter, named Asenath, eighteen years old, tall and graceful, and more beautiful to look at than any virgin on the earth.⁠b 7 Now Asenath herself did not resemble the Egyptian virgins, but was in every way like the daughters of the Hebrews, 8 being as tall as Sarah and as graceful as Rebekah and as beautiful as Rachel; 9 and news of her beauty spread throughout all that land and to the ends of the world, so that all the sons of the princes and the satraps wanted to court her, and even the sons of kings, all of them young and powerful men, 10 and there was fierce rivalry among them because of her, and they tried to fight against one another. 11 And Pharaoh's firstborn son also heard about her, and he kept begging his father to give her to him in marriage, saying: 12 "Father, give me Asenath, the daughter of Pentephres, the leading man of Heliopolis, as my wife." And his father Pharaoh said to him: 13 "Why are you asking for a wife of lower rank than yourself when you are king of all this land? 14 No! Look, the daughter of Joachim the King of Moab is promised to you in marriage, and she herself is a queen and extremely beautiful. Marry her."

1 But Asenath despised and looked down on every man and was boastful and arrogant, and no man had ever seen her, because Pentephres had a very large, tall tower adjoining his house, 2 and at the top of the tower was an upper floor containing ten rooms. 3 And the first room was large and very beautiful and paved with purple stones, and the walls of it were faced with precious and multicolored stones, 4 and the ceiling of that room was also made of gold. And countless gold and silver Egyptian gods were set in place inside that room, 5 and Asenath worshiped all of them, and she feared them, and she performed sacrifices to them every day. 6 And the second room also contained all Asenath's jewelry and chests, 7 and it held gold, much silver, countless garments woven with gold, valuable precious stones, and fine linen garments, 8 and all the finery she wore as a virgin was there. 9 And the third room was Asenath's storehouse, containing all the good things of the earth. 10 And the seven virgins who served Asenath occupied the remaining seven rooms, each one having one room, 11 because they were the same age, born on the same night as Asenath, and she loved them deeply; and they were also extraordinarily beautiful, like the stars of heaven, and no man or boy ever spoke with them. 12 Now Asenath's great room where she lived as a virgin had three windows; 13 and the first window was very large, looking over the courtyard to the east; and the second looked toward the south, and the third looked north over the street. 14 And a golden bed frame stood in the room facing east; 15 and the bed was covered with purple cloth interwoven with gold, with a bedspread woven from scarlet and crimson cloth and fine linen. 16 On this bed only Asenath slept, and no man or other woman had ever sat on it. 17 And there was also a large courtyard adjoining the house on all sides, and a very high wall around the courtyard built of large rectangular stones; 18 and there were also four gates in the courtyard overlaid with iron, and these were each guarded by eighteen strong, armed young men; 19 and fine fruit-bearing trees of every kind were also planted along the wall, and their fruit was ripe, for it was the season of harvest; 20 and there was also an abundant spring of water rising on the right side of the courtyard; and below the spring was a large cistern receiving the water of that spring, from which something like a river flowed through the middle of the courtyard and it watered all the trees of that courtyard.

1 And it happened in the first year of the seven years of plenty, in the fourth month, on the twenty-eighth day of the month, that Joseph came to the district of Heliopolis collecting the grain of that district. 2 And, when Joseph approached that city, he sent twelve men ahead of him to Pentephres, the priest of Heliopolis, saying: "I will stay with you today, 3 because it is noon, the time for the midday meal, and the sun is very hot, and I want to cool off under the roof of your house." 4 And Pentephres, when he heard these things, was overjoyed, and said: 5 "Blessed be the Lord God of Joseph, because my lord Joseph has considered me worthy." And Pentephres called the overseer of his house and said to him: 6 "Hurry and make my house ready, and prepare a great dinner, because Joseph, God's mighty one, is coming to us today." 7 And, when Asenath heard that her father and mother had come from their inherited estate, 8 she was delighted and said: "I will go and see my father and mother, because they have come from our inherited estate" (because it was the harvest season). 9 And Asenath hurried into her room where her robes lay and put on a fine linen robe made of crimson cloth and interwoven with gold, and fastened a golden belt around herself, and put bracelets around her wrists; and on her feet she put golden boots, 10 and she placed an expensive ornament and precious stones around her neck, which were decorated on all sides, with the names of the Egyptian gods engraved everywhere on them, both on the bracelets and the stones; 11 and she also put a tiara on her head and bound a diadem around her temples and covered her head with a head covering.

1 And then she hurried and went down the stairs from her upper floor and came to her father and mother and kissed them. 2 And Pentephres and his wife were overjoyed at the sight of their daughter Asenath, because they saw her dressed and decorated like the bride of God; and they brought out all the good things which they had brought from their inherited estate and gave them to their daughter; 3 and Asenath was delighted with all the good things: the late summer fruit and the grapes and the dates and the doves, and the pomegranates and the figs, because they were all fine and pleasant to eat. 4 And Pentephres said to his daughter Asenath: "Child." And she said: "Here I am, my lord." 5 And he said to her: "Sit down between us, and I will tell you what I have to say." 6 And she sat down between her father and her mother, and Pentephres her father took hold of her right hand with his right hand and gently kissed it and said: "Dearest child." And she said to him: "Here I am, my lord father." 7 And Pentephres said to her: "Look, Joseph, God's mighty one, is coming to us today, and this man is ruler of all the land of Egypt; and King Pharaoh appointed him ruler of all our land and king, and he himself distributes grain to this whole country, and saves it from the coming famine; 8 and this Joseph is a man who worships God, and self-controlled and a virgin as you are today, and a man of great wisdom and knowledge, and the spirit of God rests on him and the grace of the Lord is in him. 9 Come, dearest child, and I will give you to him as his wife, and you shall be his bride, and he himself shall be your groom forever." 10 And, when Asenath heard these words from her father, sweat broke out all over her face, and she became furious, and she gave her father a disapproving look and said: 11 "Why, my lord father, do you speak these words? Do you want to hand me over as a captive to a foreigner, a fugitive, and a man who has been sold as a slave? 12 Is this not the son of the shepherd from the land of Canaan? And has he himself not been abandoned by his father? 13 Is this not the man who slept with his mistress, and whose master threw him into the dark prison? And did Pharaoh not bring him out of prison because he interpreted his dream, just as elderly Egyptian women also interpret dreams? 14 No, but I will be married to the king's firstborn son, because he himself is king of all the land." 15 When he heard these things Pentephres was ashamed to speak further to his daughter Asenath about Joseph, because she answered him with arrogance and anger.

1 And look, a young servant of Pentephres rushed in and said to him: 2 "Look, Joseph is standing in front of the gates of our courtyard." And when Asenath heard these words she fled from her father and mother and went up into the upper floor, and she came into her room and stood at the large east-facing window to see Joseph coming into her father's house. 3 And Pentephres, his wife, all their relatives, and their servants came out to meet Joseph; 4 and, when the east-facing gates of the courtyard were opened, Joseph came in seated in the second chariot of Pharaoh; 5 and four horses as white as snow were yoked to it, with golden bits, and the chariot was made entirely of pure gold. 6 And Joseph was dressed in a fine white tunic, and the robe that was thrown around him was purple, made of fine linen interwoven with gold, and a golden wreath was on his head, and around his wreath were twelve selected stones, and above the stones twelve golden rays, 7 and in his right hand he held a royal staff with an outstretched olive branch, and there was plenty of fruit on it. 8 When Joseph had come into the courtyard and the doors of it had been shut, 9 and every stranger, man and woman, remained outside the courtyard, because the guards of the gates pulled the doors shut, Pentephres, his wife, and all their relatives came, except their daughter Asenath, 10 and they bowed down to Joseph with their faces to the ground; 11 and Joseph got down from his chariot and greeted them with a gesture of his hand.

1 And when Asenath saw Joseph she felt a sharp pain in her soul and her heart was crushed, and her knees gave way and her whole body trembled and she was terribly afraid, 2 and then she groaned and said to herself: "Oh, how miserable I am! Where can I go now, wretched as I am? Or where can I hide from his face? Or how can Joseph, the son of God, see me, when I have spoken evil things about him? 3 Oh, how miserable I am! Where can I go and hide, because he sees every hiding place, and knows all things, and no hidden thing escapes him because of the great light that is in him? 4 And now may the God of Joseph show me favor because in ignorance I have spoken wicked words against him. 5 What should I do now, wretched as I am? Have I not said: 'Joseph comes, the son of the shepherd from the land of Canaan'? So now he has come to us in his chariot like the sun from heaven, and he entered our house today, and he shines into it like light on the earth. 6 But I am foolish and arrogant, because I looked down on him and spoke evil words about him and did not know that Joseph is a son of God. 7 For who among men will ever father such beauty, or what woman's womb will give birth to such light? I am wretched and foolish, because I have spoken evil words to my father. 8 So now, let my father give me to Joseph as a female servant and a slave instead, and I will serve him as a slave forever."

1 And Joseph came into the house of Pentephres and sat on a chair. And they washed his feet, and set a separate table for him, because Joseph did not eat with the Egyptians, since this was an abomination to him. 2 And Joseph looked up and saw Asenath looking out, and he said to Pentephres: "Who is that woman who is standing on the upper floor by the window? Let her go away from this house." 3 For Joseph was afraid and thought: "She too may harass me." 4 For all the wives and daughters of the princes and the satraps of all the land of Egypt used to harass him so that they might sleep with him; but many wives and daughters of the Egyptians also, as many as saw Joseph, were distressed because of his beauty; 5 and Joseph sent back the envoys whom the women sent to him with gold, silver, and precious gifts, threatening and insulting them, saying: "I will not sin in the presence of the Lord God or my father Israel." 6 For Joseph always kept God in view and always remembered the instructions of his father; for Jacob often instructed and warned his son Joseph and all his sons: "Children, protect yourselves from a woman who is an outsider and do not become intimate with her, because intimacy with her brings ruin and destruction." 7 Therefore Joseph said: "Let that woman leave this house." 8 And Pentephres said to him: "My lord, the woman you saw standing on the upper floor is not a stranger, but is our daughter, one who hates every man, and no other man has ever seen her except you, today; 9 and, if you want, lord, she shall come and speak to you, because our daughter is like your sister." 10 And Joseph was overjoyed, because Pentephres said: "She is a virgin who hates every man." 11 And Joseph said to Pentephres and his wife: "If she is your daughter, and is a virgin, let her come, because she is my sister, and I love her from today as my sister."

1 Then her mother went up into the upper floor and brought Asenath to Joseph, and Pentephres said to her: "Greet your brother, because he also is a virgin just as you are today, and hates every woman who is an outsider just as you hate every man who is an outsider." 2 And Asenath said to Joseph: "Greetings, lord, blessed by God Most High." And Joseph said to her: "God who gives life to all things shall bless you, young woman." 3 Then Pentephres said to his daughter Asenath: "Come and kiss your brother." 4 When Asenath came up to kiss Joseph, Joseph stretched out his right hand, and placed it on her chest between her breasts (for her breasts were already standing out like lovely apples), 5 and Joseph said: "It is not right for a man who worships God, who praises the living God with his mouth, and eats the blessed bread of life, and drinks the blessed cup of immortality, and is anointed with the blessed perfumed oil of incorruptibility, to kiss a woman who is an outsider, who praises dead and deaf idols with her mouth and eats from their table the bread of strangulation and drinks from their drink offering the cup of deceit and is anointed with the perfumed oil of destruction; 6 but the man who worships God will kiss his mother and his sister born to his mother and his kinswoman born into his tribe and the wife who shares his bed, who praise the living God with their mouths. 7 In the same way, it is not right for a woman who worships God to kiss a man who is an outsider, because this is an abomination in the presence of the Lord God." 8 And, when Asenath heard these words from Joseph, she was deeply distressed and groaned; and, as she was looking intently at Joseph with her eyes open, they were filled with tears. 9 And Joseph, when he saw her weeping, felt deep compassion for her, because he was mild and merciful and reverent toward the Lord. 10 Then he lifted up his right hand over her head and said: "Lord God of my father Israel, the Most High and the mighty God, who gave life to all things and called from the darkness to the light and from error to truth and from death to life, bless this virgin also, 11 and give her life, and renew her with your holy spirit, and let her eat the bread of your life and drink the cup of your blessing, and include her among your people whom you chose before all things were made, and let her enter into your rest which you prepared for your chosen ones, and let her live in your eternal life forever."

1 And Asenath was overjoyed at Joseph's blessing. Then she hurried and went up to her upper floor by herself, and fell onto her bed, weak, because she felt joy, sorrow, and great fear; and sweat kept pouring off her when she heard these words from Joseph, and when he spoke to her in the name of God Most High. 2 Then she wept intensely and bitterly, and she repented and turned away from her gods whom she used to worship, and the idols, which she rejected, and waited for evening to come. 3 But Joseph ate and drank; and he told his servants to harness the horses to their chariots, and to go around all the land. 4 And Pentephres said to Joseph: "Let my lord stay here today, and in the morning you can go on your way." 5 And Joseph said: "No, I will go away today, because this is the day on which God began to make all His creation, and on the eighth day I will return to you and stay here."

1 And, when Joseph had left the house, Pentephres also and all his relatives left for their inherited estate, 2 and Asenath was left alone with the seven virgins, listless and weeping until sunset; and she ate no bread and drank no water, but while all slept she herself alone was awake and weeping and frequently beating her breast with her hand. 3 And after these things Asenath rose from her bed, and went quietly down the stairs from the upper floor, and when she reached the gateway, found the gatekeeper sleeping with her children; 4 and she hurried and took down from the door the leather cover of the curtain and filled it with ashes and carried it up to the upper floor and laid it on the floor. 5 And then she shut the door securely and slid the iron bolt across it and groaned deeply and wept bitterly. 6 But the virgin whom Asenath loved more than all the others heard her groaning, woke the other virgins, and hurried to the door and found it shut. 7 And, when she had listened to the groaning and the weeping of Asenath, she said to her, standing outside: "What is wrong, my lady, and why are you sad? And what is troubling you? 8 Open the door for us and let us see you." And Asenath said to her, from inside the locked room: "I have a terrible headache, and I am resting in my bed, and I cannot rise and open the door for you, because I am weak in all my limbs. So each of you, go to your room and sleep, and let me rest quietly." 9 And, when the virgins had left, each to her own room, Asenath rose and opened the door of her bedroom quietly, and went into her second room where the chests of her jewelry were, and she opened her chest and took a black and somber tunic which she had put on in mourning when her firstborn brother died. 10 She took this tunic and carried it into her room, and again shut the door securely, and slid the bolt across. Then Asenath took off her royal robe, and put on the mourning tunic, and untied her golden belt and tied a rope around herself, and took off the tiara, that is the turban, from her head, and the diadem too, and all the chains from her wrists and ankles were also laid on the floor. 11 Then she took her finest robe and the golden belt and the turban and her diadem, and she threw them through the window that looked toward the north, to the poor. 12 And then she took all her gods that were in her room, the countless gold and silver gods, and broke them up into fragments, and threw them through the window to poor men and beggars. 13 And again Asenath took her royal dinner and the fattened animals and the fish and the meat of heifers, and all the sacrifices of her gods, and the vessels containing wine for drink offerings, and threw them all through the window that looked north as food for the dogs. 14 And after these things she took the leather cover containing the ashes and poured them on the floor; 15 and then she took sackcloth and tied it around her waist; and she also untied her hairnet and sprinkled ashes over her head. 16 And she also scattered ashes on the floor, and fell on the ashes and kept beating her breast constantly with her hands and weeping all night with groaning until the morning. 17 And, when Asenath got up in the morning and saw, and look, the ashes were beneath her like mud from her tears, 18 she again fell on her face on the ashes until sunset. 19 Asenath did this for seven days, not tasting anything at all.⁠a

1 And on the eighth day, when the dawn came and the birds were already chirping and the dogs were barking at the passersby, Asenath lifted up her head a little from the floor and the ashes on which she was sitting, because she was exhausted and had lost the strength in her limbs because she had humbled herself so deeply; for Asenath had grown exhausted and faint and she was losing her strength, and then she turned toward the wall, sitting under the window that looked east; and she laid her head on her chest, interlacing her fingers over her right knee; and her mouth was shut, and she did not open it during the seven days and seven nights when she humbled herself. And she said to herself, without opening her mouth: "What should I do, lowly as I am, or where can I go? And with whom can I find refuge now? Or to whom can I speak, a virgin who is an orphan, desolate, abandoned by everyone, and hated? Everyone has now come to hate me, even my father and mother, because I rejected the gods with loathing and got rid of them and gave them to the poor so that people would destroy them. For my father and mother said, 'Asenath is not our daughter.' But all my relatives and everyone else have also come to hate me, because I have handed their gods over to be destroyed. And I have hated every man and all who courted me, and now in my humble state everyone has come to hate me and they delight in my distress. But the Lord and God of mighty Joseph hates all who worship the idols, because he is a jealous God who, as I have heard, is fearsome toward all who worship other gods; so he has hated me too, because I worshiped dead and deaf idols and blessed them. But now I have shunned their sacrifices, and my mouth has rejected the food from their table, and I have no courage to call on the Lord God of heaven, the Most High and powerful God of mighty Joseph, because my mouth is defiled by the sacrifices of the idols. But I have heard many people say that the God of the Hebrews is a true God, and a living God, and a merciful God and compassionate and patient and full of mercy and gentle, and one who does not count the sin of a humble person, and especially of one who sins in ignorance, and does not condemn an afflicted person for lawless deeds during that person's distress; so I too, humble as I am, will be courageous and will turn to him and seek refuge with him and confess all my sins to him and pour out my plea to him, and he will have mercy on my misery. For who knows if he will see how I have humbled myself and how desolate my soul is and pity me, and will see also how miserable and alone I am as an orphan and a virgin and defend me? For, as I hear, he is himself a father of orphans and a comfort to the afflicted and a helper of the persecuted. In any case I too, humble as I am, will be courageous and will cry out to him." Then Asenath rose from her place by the wall, and knelt upright facing east and looked up toward heaven and opened her mouth and said to God:

1 Asenath's prayer and confession: 2 "Lord God of the righteous, who created the ages and gives life to everything, who gave the breath of life to all your creation, who brought invisible things into the light, who made all things and made visible things that had not appeared, 3 who lifted up the sky and established the earth on the waters, who set the great stones over the watery abyss, and these stones will not sink but will do your will to the end, because you, Lord, spoke the word and all things came into being, and your word, Lord, is the life of all your creation, 4 I flee to you for refuge, Lord my God, from now on; I will cry out to you, Lord, and I will confess my sins to you; I will pour out my plea to you, Master, and I will reveal my lawless deeds to you. 5 Spare me, Lord, spare me, because I committed many sins against you, I did lawless and ungodly things, I have said unspeakable and wicked things in your presence; my mouth, Lord, has been defiled by the sacrifices of the idols of the Egyptians, and by the food from their gods' table: 6 I sinned, Lord, I sinned in your presence, I acted in ungodly ways both knowingly and unknowingly, because I worshiped dead and deaf idols, 7 and I am not worthy to open my mouth to you, Lord. I, miserable Asenath, daughter of Pentephres the priest, the virgin and queen, was once proud and arrogant and prospered through my father's riches more than anyone else, but now I am an orphan, desolate and abandoned by everyone. I flee to you, Lord, and I offer my plea to you, and I will cry out to you. Rescue me from those pursuing me, Master, before they capture me; 8 for, as a small child who is afraid of someone runs to his father and mother, and his father stretches out his hands and lifts him up against his chest, in the same way, Lord, stretch out your undefiled and fearsome hands over me like a father who loves his child, and snatch me from the grasp of the supernatural enemy. 9 For look, the ancient and savage and cruel lion pursues me, because he is the father of the gods of the Egyptians, and the gods of those obsessed with idols are his children, and I have come to hate them, and I got rid of them, because they are a lion's children, and I threw all the Egyptian gods away from me and did away with them, and the lion, their father the devil, is angry with me and is trying to swallow me. 10 But you, Lord, rescue me from his grasp, and I shall be rescued from his mouth, before he can tear me apart and throw me into the blazing fire. The fire would throw me into a storm, and the storm would overwhelm me in darkness and throw me into the depths of the sea, and the great beast that has existed from eternity would swallow me, and I would perish forever. 11 Rescue me, Lord, before all these things happen to me; rescue me, Master, desolate and defenseless as I am, because my father and my mother have denied me and said, 'Asenath is not our daughter,' because I broke their gods in pieces and got rid of them, because I hated them completely. And now I am an orphan and desolate, and I have no other hope except you, Lord, nor any other refuge except your mercy, you friend of humanity, because you alone are the father of the orphans and the champion of the persecuted and the helper of the afflicted.⁠a Have mercy on me, Lord, and keep me pure and a virgin, forsaken and orphaned, because you alone, Lord, are a loving, good, and gentle father. For what father is as loving and good as you, Lord? 12 For look, all the houses of my father Pentephres which he has given me for an inheritance are temporary and passing away; but the houses of your inheritance, Lord, are imperishable and eternal."

1 "Look at how I have humbled myself, Lord, and have mercy on my orphaned state and pity me in my suffering. For look, I, Master, fled from everything and sought refuge with you, the only friend of humanity. Look, I left all the good things of the earth and sought refuge with you, Lord, in sackcloth and ashes, naked and solitary. 2 Look, now I have taken off my royal robe of fine linen and of crimson cloth interwoven with gold and have put on a black tunic of mourning. 3 Look, I have untied my golden belt and thrown it away and tied rope and sackcloth around myself. 4 Look, I have taken my diadem and my turban off my head and thrown them away and I have sprinkled myself with ashes. Look, the floor of my room that was paved with multicolored and purple stones, which was once sprinkled with perfumes and was wiped dry with bright linen cloths, is now soaked with my tears and has been disgraced by being covered with ashes. 5 Look, my Lord, the ashes and my tears have formed thick mud in my room as on a broad road. 6 Look, my Lord, I have given my royal dinner and the meat dishes to the dogs. 7 Look, I have also, Master, been fasting for seven days and seven nights and have eaten no bread and drunk no water, and my mouth is as dry as a drum and my tongue is like horn and my lips are like a pottery shard, and my face is downcast, and my eyes have weakened from shedding tears. 8 But you, Lord my God, rescue me from my many acts of ignorance, and forgive me because, as an inexperienced virgin, I have gone astray. Look, now I know that all the gods whom I worshiped before in ignorance were deaf and dead idols, and I broke them in pieces and handed them over for everyone to trample, and the thieves plundered the ones made of gold and silver, and I sought refuge with you, Lord God, the only compassionate one and friend of humanity. Forgive me, Lord, because I committed many sins against you in ignorance and have spoken blasphemous words against my lord Joseph, 9 and did not know, miserable as I am, that he is your son, Lord, since the wicked men driven by envy said to me: 'Joseph is the son of a shepherd from the land of Canaan,' and I, miserable as I am, believed them and went astray, and I despised him and have spoken wicked things about him, not knowing that he is your son. 10 For who among men fathered or will ever father such beauty? Or who else is like him, as wise and mighty as the all-beautiful Joseph? But I entrust him to you, Lord, because I love him more than my soul. 11 Keep him safe in the wisdom of your grace, and entrust me to him as a female servant and a slave, so that I may wash his feet and make his bed and wait on him and serve him, and I will be a slave to him for all the days of my life."

1 And, when Asenath had finished making her confession to the Lord, look, the morning star also rose in the sky in the east; 2 and Asenath saw it and was delighted and said: "Has the Lord God heard my prayer? For this star is a messenger and herald of the light of the great day." 3 And look, close by the morning star the sky was torn open and a great and indescribable light appeared.⁠a 4 And when she saw it Asenath fell on her face on the ashes, and at once a man came to her from heaven, sending out rays of light, and stood above her head. And, as she lay on her face, the divine angel said to her, "Asenath, stand up." 5 And she said: "Who is it that called me? For the door of my room is shut and the tower is high, and how then has he come into my room?" 6 And he called her again a second time, saying, "Asenath, Asenath." And she said, "Here I am, lord, tell me who you are." 7 And he said: "I am the supreme commander of the Lord God and commander of the whole army of the Most High: stand up and stand on your feet, so that I may speak my words to you." 8 And she lifted up her face and saw, and look, a man like Joseph in every way, with a robe, a wreath, and a royal staff, 9 except that his face was like lightning, and his eyes like the light of the sun, and the hair of his head like the flame of a burning torch, and his hands and his feet like iron glowing from the fire,⁠b for what seemed like sparks came from both his hands and his feet. 10 Seeing these things Asenath was afraid and fell on her face, unable even to stand on her feet, for she became greatly afraid and all her limbs trembled. 11 And the man said to her: "Take heart, Asenath, and do not be afraid; but stand up and stand on your feet, so that I may speak my words to you." 12 Then Asenath stood up and stood on her feet, and the angel said to her: "Go without hesitation into your second room and take off the black tunic you are wearing, and remove the sackcloth from your waist, and shake out the ashes from your head, 13 and wash your face and your hands with spring water⁠c and put on a white robe that has never been worn and fasten around your waist the bright double belt of your virginity, 14 and come back to me, and I will tell you the message sent to you from the Lord." 15 Then Asenath hurried and went into her second room, where the chests of her jewelry were, and opened her chest and took a fine white robe that had never been worn and put it on, after first taking off the black robe, 16 and also untied the rope and the sackcloth from her waist and fastened on a bright double belt of her virginity, one belt around her waist and another around her breast. 17 And she also shook the ashes out from her head and washed her hands and face with spring water, and she took a very beautiful, fine head covering and covered her head.

1 And then she came to the divine supreme commander and stood in front of him, and the angel of the Lord said to her: "Take the head covering off your head now, because today you are a pure virgin, and your head is like a young man's." 2 And Asenath removed it from her head. And again the divine angel said to her: "Take heart, Asenath, pure virgin, for look, the Lord God heard all the words of your confession and your prayer, and he has also seen your humble state and suffering during the seven days of your self-denial, because your tears have formed thick mud on these ashes in front of you. 3 So take heart, Asenath, pure virgin, for look, your name has been written in the book of life and will never be erased;⁠a 4 but from today you shall be renewed and refashioned and given new life, and you shall eat the blessed bread of life and drink a cup full of immortality and be anointed with the blessed perfumed oil of incorruptibility. 5 Take heart, Asenath, pure virgin, look, the Lord God has given you to Joseph as his bride today, and he himself shall be your groom forever. 6 And from now on you will no longer be called Asenath, but your name shall be 'City of Refuge,' because in you many nations shall seek refuge and they shall take shelter under your wings, and many nations shall find shelter through you, and on your walls those who cling to God Most High through repentance shall be kept secure; 7 because Repentance is the daughter of the Most High, and she herself pleads with God Most High for you every hour and for all who repent, since he is the father of Repentance, and she herself is the perfection of all virgins and the one who watches over them, loving you deeply and pleading with the Most High for you every hour, and for all who repent she will provide a place of rest in the heavens, and she renews everyone who has repented. 8 And Repentance is very beautiful, a pure, gentle and mild virgin; and therefore God Most High loves her, and all the angels revere her, and I love her deeply, because she herself also is my sister, and because she loves you virgins, I also love you. 9 And look, I am going to Joseph and will tell him all these words about you, and he will come to you today and see you and be delighted with you and love you and be your groom, and you shall be his beloved bride forever. 10 So listen to me, Asenath, and put on a wedding robe, your ancient, original robe that has long been stored in your room, and put on all your finest jewelry too, and make yourself look like a good bride and make yourself ready to meet him; 11 for look, he himself is coming to you today and will see you and be delighted." 12 And, when the angel of the Lord in the shape of a man had finished speaking these words to Asenath, she was overjoyed by everything he had said, 13 and fell on her face on the ground, and bowed down at his feet and said to him: "Blessed is the Lord your God who sent you to rescue me from the darkness and to bring me from the foundations of the abyss itself into the light, and blessed is your name forever. 14 If then I have found favor with you, my lord, and can know that you will fulfill everything you have told me, let your female servant speak to you." And the angel said to her, "Speak." And she said: "Please, lord, sit for a little while on this bed, because this bed is pure and undefiled, because no other man or woman has ever sat on it, and I will set a table and bread in front of you, and you shall eat, and I will also bring you fine aged wine, whose fragrance will reach heaven, and you shall drink it and afterward go on your way." And he said to her: "Hurry and bring it quickly."

1 And Asenath hurried and set an empty table in front of him; and, as she was starting to fetch bread, the divine angel said to her: "Bring me a honeycomb too." And she stood still and was puzzled and distressed because she did not have a honeycomb in her storehouse. And the divine angel said to her: "Why are you standing still?" 2 And she said: "My lord, I will send a boy to the outskirts of the city, because our inherited estate is near, and he will quickly bring one from there, and I will place it in front of you." 3 The divine angel said to her: "Go into your storehouse and you will find a honeycomb lying on the table; pick it up and bring it here." And she said, "Lord, there is no honeycomb in my storehouse." And he said, "Go and you will find it." 4 And Asenath entered her storehouse and found a honeycomb lying on the table; and the comb was large and white like snow and full of honey, and that honey was like the dew of heaven, and its fragrance was like the fragrance of life. Then Asenath was amazed and said to herself: "Is this comb from the mouth of this man himself?" 5 And Asenath took that comb and brought it and placed it on the table, and the angel said to her: "Why did you say, 'There is no honeycomb in my house,' and look, you have brought it to me?" 6 And she said: "Lord, I have never put a honeycomb in my house, but you spoke, and it came into being. Did this come from your mouth? For its fragrance is like the fragrance of perfumed oil." And the man smiled at the woman's understanding. 7 Then he called her over, and, when she came, he stretched out his right hand and took hold of her head, and, when he shook her head with his right hand, Asenath was very afraid of the angel's hand, because sparks came from his hands like red-hot iron, and so she was constantly gazing with great fear and trembling at the angel's hand. And he smiled and said: "Blessed are you, Asenath, because the inexpressible mysteries of God have been revealed to you; and blessed are all who cling to the Lord God in repentance, because they shall eat of this comb, 8 because this comb is the spirit of life, and the bees of the paradise of delight have made this from the dew of the roses of life and every flower in the paradise of God, and the angels eat of it and all God's chosen ones and all the sons of the Most High, and whoever eats it will never die." 9 Then the divine angel stretched out his right hand and took a small piece from the comb and ate, and with his own hand placed what was left in Asenath's mouth and said to her, "Eat," and she ate. 10 And the angel said to her: "Look, now you have eaten the bread of life and have drunk the cup of immortality and been anointed with the perfumed oil of incorruptibility; 11 look, now today your flesh produces flowers of life from the fountain of the Most High, and your bones shall grow strong like the cedars of the paradise of delight of God and tireless powers will sustain you; 12 so your youth shall not see old age, and your beauty shall never fade, but you shall be like a walled mother city for everyone." 13 And the angel stirred the comb, and many bees rose from the cells of that comb, and the cells were countless, tens of thousands upon tens of thousands and thousands of thousands. And the bees also were white like snow, and their wings were like purple, crimson, and scarlet cloth; and they also had sharp stings and harmed no one. 14 Then all those bees encircled Asenath from feet to head, and other large bees like their queens rose from the cells, and they circled around her face and her lips, and made a comb on her mouth and on her lips like the comb that lay before the angel; and all those bees ate from the comb that was on Asenath's mouth. 15 And the angel said to the bees, "Go now to your place." Then all the bees rose and flew⁠a and departed to heaven; 16 but all those who wanted to injure Asenath fell to the ground and died. 17 And then the angel stretched his staff over the dead bees and said to them: "Rise and go to your place, you too." Then all the dead bees rose and went to the courtyard that adjoined Asenath's house and settled in the fruit-bearing trees.

1 And the angel said to Asenath, "Have you seen this thing?" And she said, "Yes, my lord, I have seen all these things." 2 The divine angel said to her: "This is how all the words I have spoken to you today will be fulfilled." 3 Then the angel of the Lord for the third time stretched out his right hand and touched the side of the comb, and at once fire came up from the table and consumed the comb, but did not harm the table in the least. 4 And, when a strong fragrance had come from the burning comb and filled the room, Asenath said to the divine angel: "Lord, I have seven virgins who were brought up with me from my youth and were born on the same night as me, who serve me, and I love them all as my sisters. I will call them and you shall bless them too, just as you blessed me." 5 And the angel said to her: "Call them." Then Asenath called the seven virgins and set them before the angel, and the angel said to them: "The Lord God Most High shall bless you, and you shall be pillars of refuge of seven cities, and all the chosen people who live together in that city shall rest on you forever." 6 And after these things the divine angel said to Asenath: "Take away this table." And, when Asenath turned to remove the table, at once he vanished from her sight, and Asenath saw something like a chariot with four horses traveling eastward into heaven, and the chariot was like a flame of fire, and the horses like lightning, and the angel was standing above that chariot. 7 Then Asenath said: "I am naive and foolish, lowly as I am, because I have spoken as though a man came into my room from heaven, and I did not know that a god came into it; and look, now he is returning to heaven to his place." And she said to herself: "Show favor to your slave, Lord, and spare your female servant, because I have unknowingly said rash things in your presence."

1 And, while Asenath was still speaking these words to herself, look, a young man came, one of Joseph's servants, saying: "Joseph, God's mighty man, is coming to you today." 2 And at once Asenath called the overseer of her house and said to him: "Hurry and prepare my house and make a good dinner ready, because Joseph, God's mighty man, is coming to us today." And the overseer of the house, when he saw her (for her face was downcast because of the seven days' suffering, weeping, and self-denial) was distressed and wept; and he took hold of her right hand and gently kissed it and said: "What is wrong with you, my lady, that your face is so downcast?" And she said: "I have had a severe headache, and I have lost sleep." 3 Then the overseer of the house went away and prepared the house and the dinner. And Asenath remembered the angel's words and his instructions, and hurried and entered her second room, where the chests of her jewelry were, and opened her large chest and brought out her first robe, which looked like lightning, and put it on; 4 and she also fastened on a bright royal belt of gold and precious stones, 5 and on her hands she put golden bracelets, and on her feet golden boots, and a precious ornament around her neck, and she put a golden wreath on her head; and on the front of the wreath was a large sapphire stone, and around the large stone were six valuable stones, 6 and she covered her head with a wonderful head covering. 7 And, when Asenath remembered the words of the overseer of her house, because he said to her that her face was downcast, she was deeply distressed, and groaned and said: "Oh, how wretched I am, lowly as I am, since my face is downcast. Joseph will see me like this and despise me." And she said to her female servant, "Bring me pure water from the fountain." And, when she had brought it, she poured it out into the basin, and, bending down to wash her face, she saw her own face shining like the sun, and her eyes like the morning star when it rises, and her cheeks like a star of heaven, and her lips like red roses, and the hair of her head was like the vine that blooms among its fruits in the paradise of God, and her neck was like a multicolored cypress. And Asenath, when she saw these things, was amazed at what she saw and was overjoyed and did not wash her face, for she said, "I might wash off this great and lovely beauty." The overseer of her house then came back to tell her, "Everything is done that you commanded"; and, when he saw her, he was very afraid and trembled for a long time, and he fell at her feet and began to say: "What is this, my lady? What is this beauty that surrounds you that is great and marvelous? Has the Lord God of Heaven chosen you as bride for his son Joseph?"

1 And, while they were still speaking these things, a boy came saying to Asenath: "Look, Joseph is standing in front of the gates of our courtyard." Then Asenath hurried and went down the stairs from her upper floor with the seven virgins to meet Joseph and stood in the porch of her house. And, once Joseph had entered the courtyard, the gates were shut and all strangers remained outside. 2 And Asenath came out from the porch to meet Joseph, and when he saw her he was amazed at her beauty, and said to her: "Who are you, young woman? Tell me quickly." And she said to him: "My lord, I am your female servant Asenath; I have thrown all the idols away from me and they were destroyed. And a man came to me today from heaven and has given me bread of life and I ate, and I drank a blessed cup, and he said to me: 'I have given you as a bride to Joseph, and he himself shall be your groom forever; and your name shall not be called Asenath, but it shall be called "City of Refuge," and the Lord God shall reign over many nations, and through you they shall seek refuge with God Most High.' And the man said: 'I will also go to Joseph so that I can tell him these things about you.' And now you know, lord, if that man has come to you and if he has spoken to you about me." Then Joseph said to Asenath: "Blessed are you, woman, by God Most High, and blessed is your name forever, because the Lord God has laid the foundations of your walls, and the sons of the living God shall live in your city of refuge, and the Lord God shall reign over them forever. For that man came from heaven to me today and said these words to me about you. And now come here, you pure virgin, why are you standing so far away?" 3 Then Joseph stretched out his hands and embraced Asenath, and Asenath embraced Joseph, and they kissed one another for a long time, and both came to life again in their spirits. And Joseph kissed Asenath and gave her the spirit of life, then the second time he gave her the spirit of wisdom, and the third time he gently kissed her and gave her the spirit of truth.

1 And, when they had embraced one another for a long time and clasped their hands together, Asenath said to Joseph: "Come here, lord, and enter our house, because I have prepared our house and a great dinner." 2 And she took hold of his right hand and led him into her house and seated him on her father Pentephres' chair; and she brought water to wash his feet. And Joseph said: "Let one of the virgins come and wash my feet." 3 And Asenath said to him: "No, lord, because from now on you are my lord and I am your female servant. And why do you want another virgin to wash your feet? Because your feet are my feet, and your hands are my hands, and your soul is my soul, and another shall not wash your feet." And she insisted and washed his feet. 4 Then Joseph took hold of her right hand and gently kissed her and Asenath gently kissed his head, and then he seated her at his right side. 5 Her father and mother and all her relatives then came from their inherited estate, and they saw her sitting with Joseph and dressed in a wedding garment. And they were amazed at her beauty and were delighted and glorified God who gives life to the dead. 6 And after these things they ate and drank; and, when everyone had enjoyed themselves, Pentephres said to Joseph: "Tomorrow I will call all the princes and satraps of all the land of Egypt, and will hold a wedding for you, and you shall take my daughter Asenath as your wife." 7 But Joseph said: "I am going tomorrow to Pharaoh the king, because he himself is my father and appointed me ruler over all this land, and I will speak to him about Asenath, and he will give her to me in marriage." 8 And Pentephres said to him: "Go in peace."

1 And Joseph stayed that day with Pentephres, and he did not sleep with Asenath, because he used to say: "It is not right for a man who worships God to sleep with his wife before his marriage." And Joseph got up early and went to Pharaoh and said to him: "Give me Asenath, daughter of Pentephres, priest of Heliopolis, as my wife." And Pharaoh was overjoyed, and he said to Joseph: "Look, has she not been promised to you in marriage since eternity? So let her be your wife from now on and forever." 2 Then Pharaoh sent and called Pentephres, and Pentephres brought Asenath and had her stand in front of Pharaoh; 3 and Pharaoh when he saw her was amazed at her beauty and said: "The Lord God of Joseph shall bless you, child, and this beauty of yours shall last forever, because the Lord God of Joseph chose you as Joseph's bride: for Joseph is like the son of the Most High, and you shall be called his bride from now on and forever." 4 And after these things Pharaoh took Joseph and Asenath and set golden wreaths on their heads, which had been in his house since long ago, since ancient times, and Pharaoh set Asenath at Joseph's right side. 5 And Pharaoh put his hands on their heads and said: "The Lord God Most High shall bless you and shall multiply your descendants and make you great and glorious for all time." 6 Then Pharaoh turned them around to face one another and brought their mouths together, and they kissed one another. 7 And Pharaoh held a wedding for Joseph with a great feast and abundant drinking for seven days, and he called together all the rulers of Egypt and all the kings of the nations, after making a proclamation in the land of Egypt, saying: "Every man who does any work during the seven days of the wedding of Joseph and Asenath shall surely die." 8 And, while the wedding was going on, and when the dinner had ended, Joseph slept with Asenath, and Asenath conceived by Joseph and bore Manasseh and Ephraim his brother in Joseph's house.

1 And, when the seven years of plenty had passed, the seven years of famine began. 2 And, when Jacob heard about Joseph his son, he came into Egypt with all his family in the second year of the famine, in the second month, on the twenty-first day of the month, and settled in Goshen. 3 And Asenath said to Joseph: "I will go and see your father, because your father Israel is like a father and a god to me." And Joseph said to her: "You shall go with me and see my father." 4 And Joseph and Asenath came to Jacob in the land of Goshen, and Joseph's brothers met them and bowed down to them with their faces to the ground. 5 Then both went in to see Jacob; and Jacob was sitting on his bed, and he himself was an old man who was healthy in his old age. And, when Asenath saw him, she was amazed at his beauty, because Jacob was extraordinarily handsome, and his old age was like the youth of a handsome man, and his whole head was white like snow, and the hair of his head was very dense and thick, and his beard was white, reaching to his chest, his eyes were cheerful and bright, his sinews, shoulders, and arms were like an angel's, his thighs, calves, and feet were like a giant's. Then Asenath, when she saw him like this, was amazed and fell down and bowed down with her face to the ground. And Jacob said to Joseph: "Is this my daughter-in-law, your wife? She shall be blessed by God Most High." Then Jacob called Asenath to himself and blessed her and gently kissed her; and Asenath stretched out her hands and took hold of Jacob's neck and hung on to his neck and gently kissed him. 6 And after these things they ate and drank. 7 And then both Joseph and Asenath went to their house; and Simeon and Levi, the sons of Leah, alone escorted them, but the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, the female servants of Leah and Rachel, did not join in escorting them, because they envied and detested them. And Levi was at Asenath's right and Simeon at her left. 8 And Asenath took hold of Levi's hand, because she loved him far more than all Joseph's other brothers and loved him as a prophet, a worshiper of God, and a man who revered the Lord. For he was a discerning man and a prophet of the Most High, and he himself saw writings recorded in heaven and read them and revealed them to Asenath in secret, because Levi himself also loved Asenath deeply and saw the place of her rest in the highest places.

1 And it happened, as Joseph and Asenath were passing by, when they were going to Jacob, Pharaoh's firstborn son saw them from the wall, 2 and when he saw Asenath, he became mad with desire for her because of her extraordinary beauty. 3 Then Pharaoh's son sent messengers, and called Simeon and Levi to him; and, when they came and stood in front of him, Pharaoh's firstborn son said to them: "I know that today you are mightier than any other men on earth, and with these right hands of yours the city of the Shechemites was overthrown, and with your two swords 30,000 warriors were cut down. 4 And today I will take you into my service as companions and give you much gold and silver and male and female servants and houses and large inherited estates, so fight on my side and do me a kindness, because I have suffered great insult from your brother Joseph, since he himself took Asenath as his wife, and this woman was promised to me in marriage long ago. 5 And now come with me, and I will fight against Joseph to kill him with my sword, and I will take Asenath as my wife, and you shall be like brothers to me and trusted friends. 6 But, if you will not obey my words, I will kill you with my sword." And, when he had said these things, he drew out his sword and showed it to them. 7 And Simeon was a bold and daring man, and he considered putting his right hand on the hilt of his sword and drawing it from its sheath and striking Pharaoh's son because he had spoken harsh words to them. 8 Levi then saw what he was thinking, because he was a prophet, and stepped with his foot on Simeon's right foot and pressed it, signaling him to stop being angry. 9 And Levi said quietly to Simeon: "Why are you angry with this man? We are men who worship God and it is not right for us to repay evil for evil." 10 Then Levi said to Pharaoh's son openly and gently: "Why does our lord speak these words? We are men who worship God, and our father is a friend of God Most High, and our brother is like a son of God. And how could we do this wicked thing and sin in the presence of our God, our father Israel, and our brother Joseph? 11 And now listen to my words. It is not right for a man who worships God to harm anyone in any way; and, if anyone wants to harm a man who worships God, that man who worships God does not aid his attacker, because there is no sword in his hands. And be careful not to say these things again about our brother Joseph. 12 But, if you continue in your evil plan, look, our swords are drawn against you." 13 Then Simeon and Levi drew their swords from their sheaths and said: "Do you see these swords now? With these two swords the Lord punished the insult the Shechemites inflicted on the sons of Israel through our sister Dinah, whom Shechem the son of Hamor defiled." 14 And Pharaoh's son, when he saw the swords drawn, was terrified and trembled from head to foot, because they glittered like a flame of fire, and his sight grew dim, and he fell on his face on the ground beneath their feet. 15 Then Levi stretched out his right hand and took hold of him, saying: "Stand up and do not be afraid, only be careful not to say anything evil again about our brother Joseph." 16 And so both Simeon and Levi left him.

1 Pharaoh's son then remained full of fear and grief because he feared Joseph's brothers, and again he was madly obsessed because of Asenath's beauty, and was deeply distressed. 2 Then his servants whispered in his ear: "Look, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, the female servants of Leah and Rachel, Jacob's wives, are bitter enemies of Joseph and Asenath and hate them; these men will do whatever you want." 3 So at once, Pharaoh's son sent messengers and called them, and they came to him at the first hour of the night, and they stood in front of him, and he said to them: "I have learned from many people that you are mighty men." 4 And Dan and Gad, the older brothers, said to him: "My lord, please tell us, your servants, what you want, so that we can listen and do what you want." 5 Then Pharaoh's son was overjoyed and said to his servants: "Leave me now for a short while, because I need to have a private conversation with these men." 6 And they all withdrew. Then Pharaoh's son lied, and he said to them: 7 "Look, now blessing and death are in front of you; so take the blessing rather than the death, because you are mighty men and will not die like women; but be brave and take revenge on your enemies. 8 For I have heard Joseph your brother saying to Pharaoh my father: 'Dan and Gad and Naphtali and Asher are not my brothers, but children of my father's female servants: 9 So I am waiting for my father to die, and will wipe them and all their descendants off the earth, so that they do not inherit with us, because they are children of female servants. 10 For these also sold me to the Ishmaelites, and I will repay them for the insult they maliciously inflicted on me; only let my father die.' 11 And my father Pharaoh commended him for these things and said to him: 'You have spoken well, child. So take from me mighty men and go against them in return for what they did to you, and I will be there to help you.'" 12 And when Dan and Gad heard these things from Pharaoh's son they were deeply troubled and distressed, and they said to him: "We beg you, lord, help us; for from now on we are your slaves and servants and will die with you." And Pharaoh's son said: "I will be there to help you if you will also listen to my words." And they said to him: "Tell us what you want us to do and we will do what you want." 13 And Pharaoh's son said to them: "I will kill my father Pharaoh tonight, because Pharaoh is like a father to Joseph and said to him that he would help him against you; and you kill Joseph, and I will take Asenath as my wife, and you shall be my brothers and joint heirs of all my possessions. Only do this thing." 14 And Dan and Gad said to him: "We are your servants today and will do all things that you have commanded us. And we have heard Joseph saying to Asenath: 'Go tomorrow to our inherited estate, because it is the grape harvest season'; and he sent six hundred mighty warriors with her and fifty advance guards. So now listen to us and we will speak to our lord." And they told him all their secret plans. 15 Then Pharaoh's son gave the four brothers five hundred men each and appointed them their chiefs and commanders. 16 And Dan and Gad said to him: "We are your servants today and will do all the things that you have commanded us, and we will set out at night and wait in ambush in the ravine and hide ourselves in the thick reeds; 17 and you take fifty mounted archers with you and go a long way ahead of us, and Asenath will come and fall into our hands, and we will cut down the men who are with her, 18 and she herself will flee ahead in her chariot and fall into your hands and you shall do to her whatever you desire; 19 and after these things we will kill Joseph also while he is grieving for Asenath; and we will also kill his children before his eyes." 20 Pharaoh's firstborn son then, when he heard these things, was overjoyed, and he sent them out and two thousand soldiers with them. 21 And when they came to the ravine they hid themselves in the thick reeds, and they divided into four companies, and took up their positions at the front on the far side of the ravine, five hundred men on either side of the road, and the remaining men stayed on the near side of the ravine in the same way, and they also took up positions in the thick reeds, five hundred men on either side of the road; and between them was a broad and wide road.

1 Then Pharaoh's son got up that same night and came to his father's bedroom to kill him with the sword. His father's guards then prevented him from entering his father's room and said to him: "What do you command, lord?" 2 And Pharaoh's son said to them: "I want to see my father, because I am going to harvest the grapes from my newly planted vineyard." 3 And the guards said to him: "Your father is in pain and was awake all night and is resting now, and he said to us that no one was to come in to him, not even his firstborn son." 4 And when he heard these things he went away in anger and at once took fifty mounted archers and went ahead of them as Dan and Gad had said to him. 5 And the younger brothers Naphtali and Asher spoke to their older brothers Dan and Gad, saying: "Why are you acting wickedly again against your father Israel and against your brother Joseph? And God protects him like the apple of his eye. 6 Look, did you not once sell Joseph? And today he is king of all the land of Egypt and its food provider. 7 So now, if you again want to act wickedly toward him, he will cry out to the Most High, and he will send fire from heaven and it will consume you, and the angels of God will fight against you." 8 Then the older brothers grew angry with them and said: "And should we die like women? Never!" And they went out to meet Joseph and Asenath.

1 And Asenath rose in the morning and said to Joseph: "I am going to our inherited estate as you said; but my soul is very afraid because you and I will be apart." 2 And Joseph said to her: "Take heart and do not be afraid, but rather go joyfully, fearing no one at all, because the Lord is with you and he himself will protect you like the apple of his eye from every evil. 3 And I will set out to distribute food and will give to everyone in the city, and no one shall die of hunger in the land of Egypt." 4 Then Asenath set out on her way, and Joseph set out to distribute food. 5 And, when Asenath reached the place of the ravine with the six hundred men, suddenly those who were with Pharaoh's son came out from their ambush and attacked those who were with Asenath, and cut them all down with their swords, and they killed all her advance guards, 6 but Asenath fled in her chariot. 7 Then Levi, the son of Leah, perceived all these things through the spirit as a prophet and told his brothers about the danger Asenath was in, and at once they each strapped a sword to their thigh, put a shield on their arm, and took a spear in their right hand and pursued Asenath at great speed. 8 And, as Asenath was fleeing ahead, look, Pharaoh's son met her, and fifty horsemen were with him: and Asenath, when she saw him, was terrified and trembled, and she called on the name of the Lord her God.

1 And Benjamin was sitting with her in the chariot on the right side; 2 and Benjamin was a strong young man of eighteen, and he was indescribably handsome and had the strength of a lion's cub, and he was also a man who deeply revered God. 3 Then Benjamin leaped down from the chariot, and took a round stone from the ravine and gripped it firmly and hurled it at Pharaoh's son and struck his left temple, and wounded him severely, and he fell from his horse to the ground half-dead. 4 Then Benjamin ran up onto a rock and said to Asenath's charioteer: "Give me stones from the ravine." And he gave him fifty stones. 5 And Benjamin hurled the stones and killed the fifty men who were with Pharaoh's son, all the stones sinking in through their temples. 6 Then the sons of Leah, Reuben and Simeon, Levi and Judah, Issachar and Zebulun, pursued the men who had waited in ambush against Asenath and attacked them by surprise and cut them all down; and the six men killed 2,076 men. 7 And the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah fled from them and said: "Our brothers have destroyed us, and young Benjamin has also killed Pharaoh's son, and the boy Benjamin killed everyone who was with him. So come, let us kill Asenath and Benjamin and flee to these thick reeds." 8 And they came against Asenath holding their drawn, blood-covered swords. And Asenath when she saw them was very afraid and said: "Lord God, who gave life to me and rescued me from the idols and the corruption of death, just as you said to me that my soul shall live forever, rescue me now also from these wicked men." And the Lord God heard Asenath's voice, and at once the swords of the enemies fell from their hands to the ground and were turned into ashes.

1 And the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, when they saw the extraordinary miracle that had been performed, were afraid and said: "The Lord fights against us on Asenath's behalf." 2 Then they fell on their faces on the ground and bowed down to Asenath and said: "Have mercy on us your slaves, because you are our lady and queen. 3 We committed wicked deeds against you and against our brother Joseph, but the Lord repaid us according to our deeds. Therefore we, your slaves, beg you, have mercy on us, lowly and miserable as we are, and rescue us from the hands of our brothers, because they will avenge the insult done to you and their swords are against us. So show favor to your slaves, my lady, when you stand in front of them." 4 And Asenath said to them: "Take heart and do not be afraid of your brothers, because they themselves are men who worship God and revere the Lord; 5 but go into these thick reeds until I persuade them to spare you and calm their anger because of the great crimes which you have dared to commit against them. 6 But may the Lord see and judge between me and you." 7 Then Dan and Gad fled into the thick reeds; 8 and their brothers, Leah's sons, came running like stags at great speed against them. 9 And Asenath stepped down from the shelter of her chariot and greeted them with her right hand while crying, and they themselves fell down and bowed down to her on the ground and wept loudly; and they kept asking where their brothers, the sons of the female servants, were so that they could put them to death. 10 And Asenath said to them: "I beg you, spare your brothers, and do not repay them evil for evil. 11 For the Lord saved me from them and shattered their daggers and swords out of their hands, and look, they have melted and were burned to ashes on the ground like wax near a fire, and it is enough for us that the Lord fights for us against them. So spare your brothers, because they are your brothers and the blood of your father Israel." 12 And Simeon said to her: "Why does our lady speak in support of her enemies? No, rather we will cut them down limb from limb with our swords, because they plotted evil against our brother Joseph and our father Israel and against you, our lady, today." 13 Then Asenath stretched out her right hand and touched Simeon's beard and gently kissed him and said: "Brother, never repay your neighbor evil for evil, because the Lord will avenge this insult. They themselves are your brothers and the offspring of your father Israel, and they fled far from you. So pardon them." 14 Then Levi came up to her and gently kissed her right hand, 15 because he knew that she was eager to save the men from their brothers' anger so that they would not kill them. And they themselves were close by in the thick reeds in the reed bed: and their brother Levi knew this but did not tell his brothers, for he was afraid that in their anger they would cut their brothers down.

1 And Pharaoh's son got up from the ground and sat up and spat blood from his mouth; for the blood was running down from his temple into his mouth. 2 And Benjamin ran up to him and took his sword and drew it from Pharaoh's son's sheath (for Benjamin was not wearing a sword on his thigh) and wanted to strike Pharaoh's son in the chest. 3 Then Levi ran up to him and took hold of his hand and said: "Brother, never do this, because we are men who worship God, and it is not right for a man who worships God to repay evil for evil, or to trample on someone who has fallen, or to crush his enemy to death. 4 And now put the sword back in its place, and come and help me, and let us treat his wound; and, if he lives, he will be our friend and his father Pharaoh will be our father." 5 Then Levi lifted Pharaoh's son from the ground and washed away the blood from his face and tied a bandage over his wound and set him on his horse and led him to his father Pharaoh, 6 telling him everything that had happened. 7 And Pharaoh rose from his throne and bowed down to Levi to the ground and blessed him. 8 Then, on the third day, Pharaoh's son died from the stone with which he was wounded by Benjamin. 9 And Pharaoh mourned deeply for his firstborn son, 10 and because of his grief, Pharaoh became ill and died at the age of 109, and he left his diadem to the all-beautiful Joseph. 11 And Joseph reigned alone in Egypt for 48 years; 12 and after these things Joseph gave back the diadem to Pharaoh's younger child, who was still nursing when the elderly Pharaoh died. And Joseph was from then on like a father to Pharaoh's younger child in Egypt until his death, glorifying and praising God.