SCENE III

Place: Pharaoh's palace.

Characters: Joseph, His Eleven Brothers, Servants, Pharaoh.

[Joseph is seated on his high seat. A servant comes in.]

Servant: Master, the men that came down from Canaan to buy food of thee have returned and would have a word with thee.

Joseph: Bring them in. [To another servant]: Go see that a feast is prepared for these men.

[The brothers enter bringing Benjamin. They all fall on their faces.]

Joseph: Arise! And have you returned bringing with you your youngest brother?

Reuben: O sir, we have brought our youngest brother; he is here.

[Benjamin is led forward. Joseph goes near and puts his hand on Benjamin.]

Joseph: And is this your younger brother of whom ye spake unto me? God be gracious unto thee, my son! [To the brothers:] Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive?

Levi: Thy servant, our father [all bow heads], is in good health; he is yet alive.

[Joseph turns away and begins to weep; he leaves them abruptly and walks to the other side of the room.]

Joseph [to the servants]: Cause every man to go out from me! [All begin to leave the room, brothers included.] [To the brothers. He walks quickly after them and holds his arms out toward them.] Stay! I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? Come near to me, I pray you. [They come somewhat nearer and fall to the ground.] I am Joseph, your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now, therefore, be not grieved nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me thither, for God did send me before you to preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in the land; and yet there are five years more. God hath sent me before you to save your lives. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, "Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt. Come down unto me, and tarry not. And thou shalt be near unto me, thou and thy children, and thy flocks, and thy herds and all thou hast. Oh, do you not see that I am Joseph that speak unto you?" [He weeps again and turns away.]

Fig. 1.—Pharaoh's court

Brothers: Joseph, our brother Joseph! Can he forgive us?

[Pharaoh enters here]

Joseph: O King, these are my brethren, and from my father's tent.

Pharaoh: Say unto thy brethren: "This do ye: Go back unto the land of Canaan and take your father and your household goods, and come unto me. And I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat of the fat of the land. Now ye are commanded: This do ye: Take ye wagons out of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come, for the good of the land shall be yours."

One Brother: We thank thee, O great Pharaoh, and our brother Joseph. This is greater than we deserve. We will bring our father down straightway.

Joseph: Praise be to God who has done this good thing!

End