[23. Jacob Goes Down to Egypt]
The Lord spoke to Jacob in a vision, saying: Fear not to go down to Egypt, for I will be with thee and bring thee up again, and Joseph shall close thine eyes. So Jacob moved down to Egypt with his whole family, 70 souls, and all that he had. When Joseph heard of his coming he made ready his chariot, and went up to meet him in Goshen. And he fell on his father’s neck and wept a good while. Jacob said: Now let me die, since I have seen that thou art yet alive.—On Pharaoh’s command Joseph gave unto his father Goshen to dwell in, for in Goshen were good pastures, and Jacob and his sons were shepherds.—Jacob lived in Egypt 17 years, and became 147 years old. A short time before his death he blessed Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, and added: They shall be my sons, even as Reuben and Simeon. After that he gathered all his sons about him, blessed them and told them what should befall them in the latter days, and foretold of the Savior, whom he called the Prince of Peace.—Joseph brought his body up to Canaan and buried it in the sepulchre of Abraham and Isaac.
Joseph’s brothers feared that he would now revenge himself on them. When he heard this, Joseph wept and said: Am I in the place of God? Ye meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to save much people alive.—Joseph died, being 110 years old, and they embalmed his body and put it in a coffin in Egypt to take it with them up to Canaan, when God should visit them. (Gen. 46-50.)
[24. Moses Born and Hidden]
The children of Israel dwelt in Goshen for 430 years and became a numerous people. There arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph, and he said: The Israelites are more and mightier than we, and have become a menace to us. Therefore he afflicted them with hard labor; but the more he afflicted them, the more they multiplied, and the more they spread abroad. Then he charged his people, saying: Every son that is born to the Israelites ye shall cast into the Nile, and every daughter ye shall save alive.
At this time a woman of the tribe of Levi bore a son, and when she saw he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and she put the child in it, and laid it in the flags by the river’s bank. And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river; and she had the ark fetched, and opened it, and saw the child, and behold, the babe wept; and she had compassion on him. Then his sister came and asked: Shall I go and call a nurse? Pharaoh’s daughter said to her: Go. And the maiden went and called the child’s mother. And he grew, and the mother brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she called him Moses, that is, one that is drawn out of the water. (Exodus 1; 2: 1-10.)
[25. Moses in Midian]
When Moses was forty years old he went out to look on the burdens of his brethren, and he saw an Egyptian smiting an Israelite. Moses looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he smote the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When Pharaoh heard this thing he sought to slay Moses, but he fled to Midian, and came to a priest by the name of Jethro, who had seven daughters, of whom he gave Moses one, Zipporah, for wife. And Moses dwelt in Midian forty years.
Once, when he kept Jethro’s flocks at Mount Horeb, he saw a bush which burned and was not consumed. When he drew near to see, the Lord spoke to him from the bush: I am the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob; I have seen the affliction of my people and have heard their cry; now I will send thee to Pharaoh, and thou shalt bring my people out of Egypt. Moses answered: My brethren will not believe that Thou hast sent me. The Lord said: Cast thy rod on the ground. Moses did so, and it became a serpent, and Moses fled from it. At the Lord’s command Moses took it by the tail, and it became a rod again. The Lord gave him power to work other wonders; but Moses continued to excuse himself and said: I am slow of speech. The Lord answered: I will send thy brother Aaron to thee, and thou shalt put the words in his mouth, and he shall speak for thee. Then Moses returned to Egypt. He met Aaron on the road, and he went with him to the Israelites and told them the words of the Lord, and they rejoiced and bowed their heads and worshipped the Lord. (Ex. 2:15-4:31.)