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wife had another son, and he called his name Benjamin. And Rachel died there, and Jacob set a pillar upon her grave, for he loved her very

much.

Then Jacob went on his journey to his father's home. And Jacob came again unto Isaac his father at Mamre, near Hebron.

A great many years had passed since Jacob had left the home of his father Isaac. He had gone forth alone, with his staff in his hand; but now God had brought him back to his father, with many sons, and with men-servants and maid-servants, and flocks and herds, and much goods. For more than twenty years he had lived a hard life as a servant in the house of his uncle Laban. But God had been with Jacob while he was with Laban, and had blessed him, and brought him back again to the land of Canaan, as He promised to him at Bethel.

After Jacob had come again to Isaac his father, Isaac died, being old, and full of years. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. They buried him in the same grave with Abraham his father,

in the cave which Abraham had bought to bury Sarah in.

Isaac was an hundred and eighty years old when he died.

Then Esau took his wives, his sons and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and all his cattle, and went away from Jacob his brother into another country, called Edom. But Jacob remained where Isaac his father had lived, in the land of Canaan.

To pitch a tent, means to set up a tent to dwell in.

Chapter XXXEE.

JOSEPH'S DREAM, AND THE BEGINNING OF
HIS TRIALS.

JACOB dwelt at Mamre near Hebron, in the land of Canaan, where Abraham and Isaac had lived. They lived as strangers among the people of that country, in the land which God had promised to give to them and to their seed.

Jacob had now twelve sons; their names were Reuben and Simeon, Levi and Judah, Issachar

and Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher, and the two sons of Rachel, Joseph and Benjamin.

Jacob loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a coat of many colours. And when Joseph's brethren saw that their father loved him more than them, they were jealous of him, and hated him.

When Joseph was seventeen years old, while he was keeping his father's sheep with his brethren, he dreamed two dreams. Joseph dreamed that his father and his brethren bowed themselves before him. And Joseph told his dreams to his father and his brethren, and his brethren envied him: and they hated him yet the more for his dreams.

After this, Joseph's brethren were keeping their flocks at Shechem, away from their father's home. And Jacob sent Joseph to see how his brethren were, and bring him word again.

When Joseph's brethren saw him coming, they thought that they would kill him. They said, "Behold, this dreamer cometh; let us slay him, and cast him into some pit, and we will say, Some

G

evil beast hath devoured him: and we shall see what will become of his dreams." When Reuben heard them say this, he said, "Let us not kill him ; let us cast him alive into this pit that is in the wilderness."

Reuben said this, because he meant to come again afterwards, when his brothers were gone, and take Joseph out of the pit, and bring him home again to his father.

And when Joseph had come to his brethren, they took him and stripped him of his coat of many colours, and they cast him into a pit.

After they had done this, they saw a company of Ishmaelites passing by. The Ishmaelites were going to a country a long way off, called Egypt. And Judah said to his brethren, "Let us not slay our brother; let us sell him to the Ishmaelites."

Then they took Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And the Ishmaelites brought Joseph into the land of Egypt.

After this, Reuben came back to the pit to take Joseph out of it, and when he saw that Joseph

was not there, he was very sorry, and he rent his clothes.

People used then to rend, or tear their clothes, when they were in great sorrow. It was a sign of

sorrow.

Then Joseph's wicked brethren killed a kid, and they dipped Joseph's coat of many colours in the blood, and they brought it to their father, and said, "This have we found: know now whether it be thy son's coat or no."

And Jacob knew the coat, and said, "It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces." And Jacob rent his clothes, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters tried to comfort him, but he would not be comforted. He said, "I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning." Thus Jacob wept for his son Joseph.

To devour, means to eat up.

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