The end of Jacob and Joseph

And Solomon says: these are all the seven sons of Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant. The blessed Jacob, having lived all his years 142, died in Egypt, having previously blessed each of his sons with diverse blessings. And the blessing of the firstborn was given to Joseph, and not to Reuben; because Joseph, not having yielded to the pleasure of Egypt, was justified, but Reuben, having been defeated, sinned; also because the firstborn was from Rachel, and he allotted the kingship to the tribe of Judah, and not to Reuben; because Judah was reproached in a woman, but he was justified, confessing himself to be responsible for the sin with good judgment, and not the woman. But even for this reason he was appointed to rule, since among all the other tribes he was more fervent for zeal and the vengeance of God; therefore also he prophesies that the Christ is to come from him according to the flesh, and the calling of the Gentiles through him.

And to Levi alone he bequeathed the priesthood, since Amram was born from him, who diverted the decree of Pharaoh and brought his son Moses to life. But he made Reuben great only in number, because he did not agree to the plot against Joseph. So, when Jacob had died in Egypt, they carried him away to the land of Canaan, and likewise all his sons. At the end also they carried Joseph away, having departed from Egypt, to the place where their forefather Abraham had previously grazed sheep 780 years before.

In that place the terebinth was also, under which Jacob had hidden the idols from Laban, which is even now worshipped by the neighbors for the honor of the ancestors; for even until now there is an altar beside its trunk, on which they offered both burnt offerings and hecatombs; and they say it is a rod of one of the angels who had visited Abraham, which he planted in the place then being present, and from it the worthy terebinth grew. For if it is touched by fire, it all becomes, and it is believed by all to be dissolved into dust from the flame, yet even when extinguished, it is entirely clean and shown to be intact.

But after the death of Joseph, the Egyptians, forgetting the kindness, subjected the race of the Israelites to various misfortunes, being disposed toward them in envy and jealousy.

For the Israelites, being enduring through hardships, overcame the Egyptians by virtue and wealth, while the latter were steeped in drunkenness, laziness, and constantly laid low by dissipation. A certain scribe among the Egyptians signaled to Pharaoh that someone would be born among the Israelites who would humble all Egypt, but would greatly increase the prosperity of the dwelling nation, having acquired everlasting glory. Because of this, Pharaoh intended to utterly destroy the Hebrews; he commanded them to toil in labors, to wall all the cities of Egypt, and to cut many canals through the river; and to raise lands, commanding that they should be devastated so that the city would not be flooded at all; and in addition to these things, to build pyramids, and to cast into the river all the infants being born to them, thinking that he would destroy and overthrow Egypt by abolishing what had been decreed upon the river.

There was, therefore, someone from the tribe of Levi named Amram, who having taken a wife named Jochebed, from her he begat the destined Moses, and he hid him for a certain time. But when he saw the king's law prevailing more fiercely, fearing he might be discovered, having placed the child in a basket, he set it by the banks of the river. And the daughter of Pharaoh, having come for the sake of bathing, seeing the basket, opened it, and having been drawn to the beauty of the child, she entered as one lacking a child; and having called many Egyptian nurses, she did not have the means how the child might be suckled, for none of them approached with a breast together.

In the end, therefore, the mother was commanded to bring the child secretly to the queen to suckle; for she alone received the breast from them, I think, the local race approaching it, while the foreign one being repelled. When he had grown, the Thermouthis (for this was the name of the queen) spoke to Moses, since he was saved from the water; for the Egyptians call water 'mou' and 'ses' for being saved. But his parents called him before him Melchi. He was indeed handsome and quite lovely to look upon, so that he would stand amazed at him meeting him on the road, and would marvel at his beauty. Thus, having grown, she brings him to...