YASHAR 49 (Jasher 49)

1 After these matters the sovereign sent and assembled all his officers and servants, and all the princes and nobles of the sovereign, and they all came before the sovereign.

2 And the sovereign said to them, “Look, you have seen and heard all the words of this Iḇri, and all the signs which he declared would come to be, and not any of his words have fallen to the ground.

3 “You know that he has given a right interpretation of the dream, and it will indeed come to be. Now therefore take counsel, and know what you will do and how the land will be delivered from the scarcity of food.

4 “Seek now and see whether the like can be found, in whose heart there is wisdom and knowledge, and I will appoint him over the land.

5 “For you have heard with what the Iḇri has advised concerning this to save the land from the scarcity of food, and I know that the land will not be delivered from the scarcity of food except by the advice of the Iḇri, him that advised me.”

6 And they all answered the sovereign and said, “The counsel which the Iḇri has given concerning this is good. Now therefore, our master and sovereign, see, the whole land is in your hand, do that which seems good in your eyes.

7 “He whom you choose, and whom you in your wisdom knows to be wise and capable of delivering the land with his wisdom, him shall the sovereign appoint to be under him over the land.”

8 And the sovereign said to all the officers, “I have thought that since Elohim has made known to the Iḇri all that he has spoken, there is none so discerning and wise in the whole land as he is. If it seems good in your eyes, I will place him over the land, for he will save the land with his wisdom.”

9 And all the officers answered the sovereign and said, “But indeed it is written in the laws of Mitsrayim, and it should not be violated, that no man shall reign over Mitsrayim, nor be the second to the sovereign, but one who has knowledge in all the languages of the sons of men.

10 “Now therefore our master and sovereign, see, this Iḇri can only speak the Iḇri language, and how then can he be over us, the second under reign, a man who not even knows our language?

11 “Now please send for him, and let him come before you, and prove him in all matters, and do as you see fit.”

12 And the sovereign said, “It shall be done tomorrow, and the word that you have spoken is good.” And all the officers came on that day before the sovereign.

13 And on that night 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 sent one of his ministering messengers, and he came into the land of Mitsrayim to Yosĕph. And the messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 stood over Yosĕph, and see, Yosĕph was lying in the bed at night in his master’s house in the dungeon, for his master had put him back into the dungeon because of his wife.

14 And the messenger roused him from his sleep, and Yosĕph rose up and stood on his feet, and see, the messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 was standing opposite to him. And the messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 spoke with Yosĕph, and he taught him all the languages of man in that night, and he called his name Yahoseph.

15 And the messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 went from him, and Yosĕph returned and lay on his bed, and Yosĕph was astonished at the vision which he saw.

16 And it came to be in the morning that the sovereign sent for all his officers and servants, and they all came and sat before the sovereign. And the sovereign ordered Yosĕph to be brought, and the sovereign’s servants went and brought Yosĕph before Pharaoh.

17 And the sovereign came out and went up the steps of the throne, and Yosĕph spoke to the sovereign in all languages, and Yosĕph went up to him and spoke to the sovereign until he arrived before the sovereign on the seventieth step, and he sat before the sovereign.

18 And the sovereign greatly rejoiced because of Yosĕph, and all the sovereign’s officers rejoiced greatly with the sovereign when they heard all the words of Yosĕph.

19 And the word seemed good in the eyes of the sovereign and the officers, to appoint Yosĕph to be second to the sovereign over the whole land of Mitsrayim, and the sovereign spoke to Yosĕph, saying,

20 “Now you gave me counsel to appoint a wise man over the land of Mitsrayim, in order with his wisdom to save the land from the scarcity of food. Now therefore, since Elohim has made all this known to you, and all the words which you have spoken, throughout the land there is not a discerning and wise man like you.

21 “And no more shall your name be called Yosĕph, but Tsaphnath Pa’nĕaḥ shall be your name. You shall be second to me, and according to your word shall be all the affairs of my reign, and at your word shall my people go out and come in.

22 “Also from under your hand shall my servants and officers receive their salary which is given to them monthly, and to you shall all the people of the land bow down; only in my throne will I be greater than you.”

23 And the sovereign took off his ring from his hand and put it on the hand of Yosĕph, and the sovereign dressed Yosĕph in a princely garment, and he put a golden crown on his head, and he put a golden chain on his neck.

24 And the sovereign commanded his servants, and they made him ride in the second chariot belonging to the sovereign, that went opposite to the sovereign’s chariot. And he caused him to ride upon a great and strong horse from the sovereign’s horses, and to be conducted through the streets of the land of Mitsrayim.

25 And the sovereign commanded that all those that played on timbrels, harps and other musical instruments should go out with Yosĕph: one thousand timbrels, one thousand dancers, and one thousand lyres went after him,

26 and five thousand men, with drawn swords glittering in their hands. And they went marching and playing before Yosĕph, and twenty thousand of the great men of the sovereign girded with girdles of skin covered with gold marched at the right hand of Yosĕph, and twenty thousand at his left. And all the women and maidens went up on the roofs or stood in the streets playing and rejoicing at Yosĕph, and gazed at the appearance of Yosĕph and at his good looks.

27 And the sovereign’s people went before him and behind him, perfuming the way with frankincense and with cassia, and with all kinds of fine perfume, and scattered myrrh and aloes along the way. And twenty men proclaimed these words before him throughout the land in a loud voice:

28 “Do you see this man whom the sovereign has chosen to be his second? All the affairs of the reign shall be governed by him, and he that transgresses his orders, or that does not bow down before him to the ground, shall die, for he rebels against the sovereign and his second.”

29 And when the heralds had ceased proclaiming, all the people of Mitsrayim bowed down to the ground before Yosĕph and said, “May the sovereign live! Also may his second live!” And all the inhabitants of Mitsrayim bowed down along the way, and when the heralds approached them, they bowed down, and they rejoiced with all kinds of timbrels, flute and lyre before Yosĕph.

30 And on his horse, Yosĕph lifted up his eyes to the shamayim, and called out and said, “He raises the poor man from the dust, He lifts up the needy from the dunghill. O 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 of hosts, baruḵ is the man who trusts in You.”

31 And Yosĕph passed throughout the land of Mitsrayim with Pharaoh’s servants and officers, and they showed him the whole land of Mitsrayim and all the sovereign’s treasures.

32 And Yosĕph returned and came on that day before Pharaoh, and the sovereign gave to Yosĕph a possession in the land of Mitsrayim; a possession of fields and vineyards. And the sovereign gave to Yosĕph three thousand kiḵars of silver and one thousand kiḵars of gold, and shoham stones and bdellium and many gifts.

33 And on the next day the sovereign commanded all the people of Mitsrayim to bring to Yosĕph offerings and gifts, and that he that violated the command of the sovereign should die. And they made a high place in the street of the city, and they spread out garments there, and whoever brought anything to Yosĕph put it onto the high place.

34 And all the people of Mitsrayim threw something onto the high place, one man a golden earring, and the other rings and amulets, and different vessels of gold and silver work, and shoham stones and bdellium he cast upon the high place; every one gave something of what he possessed.

35 And Yosĕph took all these and placed them in his treasuries, and all the officers and nobles belonging to the sovereign exalted Yosĕph, and they gave him many gifts, seeing that the sovereign had chosen him to be his second.

36 And the sovereign sent to Poti-Phera, son of Aḥiram priest of On, and he took his young daughter Asenath and gave her to Yosĕph for a wife.

37 And the maiden was very lovely – a maiden – one whom man had not known, and Yosĕph took her for a wife. And the sovereign said to Yosĕph, “I am Pharaoh, and beside you none shall dare to lift up his hand or his foot to govern my people throughout the land of Mitsrayim.”

38 And Yosĕph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, and Yosĕph went out from before the sovereign, and he became the sovereign’s second in Mitsrayim.

39 And the sovereign gave Yosĕph a hundred servants to attend him in his house, and Yosĕph also sent and purchased many servants and they remained in the house of Yosĕph.

40 Yosĕph then built for himself a very magnificent house like the houses of sovereigns, before the court of the sovereign’s palace. And he made in the house a large palace, very elegant in appearance and spacious for his dwelling. Yosĕph was three years in building his house.

41 And Yosĕph made for himself a very elegant throne of a great amount of gold and silver, and he covered it with shoham stones and bdellium. And he made on it the likeness of the whole land of Mitsrayim, and the likeness of the river of Mitsrayim that waters the whole land of Mitsrayim. And Yosĕph sat safely upon his throne in his house and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 increased Yosĕph’s wisdom.

42 And all the inhabitants of Mitsrayim and Pharaoh’s servants and his princes loved Yosĕph exceedingly, for this matter was from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 to Yosĕph.

43 And Yosĕph had an army that fought, going out in companies and divisions to the number of forty thousand six hundred men, capable of bearing arms to assist the sovereign and Yosĕph against the enemy, besides the sovereign’s officers and his servants and inhabitants of Mitsrayim without number.

44 And Yosĕph gave to his mighty men, and to all his army, shields and spears, and helmets and scaled armour and stones for slinging.