Joseph and Aseneth

Historical English source page 35

vii] JOSEPH SEES ASENATH 31 envoys whom the women sent to him with gold and silver and precious gifts Joseph sent back with threatening and insult, saying : " I will not sin in the sight of the Lord God and the face of my father Israel." For Joseph had God ^ alway before his eyes and ever ^ remembered the injunctions of his father ; for Jacob often spake and admonished his son Joseph and all his sons : " Keep yourselves, children, securely from a strange woman so as not to have fellowship with her, for fellowship with her is ruin and destruction." Therefore Joseph said : "Let that woman depart from this house." And Pentephres said to him : " My lord, that woman whom thou hast seen standing in the loft is not a stranger, but is our^ daughter, one who hateth every man, and no other man hath ever seen her save thou only to-day ; and, if thou wishest, lord,^ she shall come and speak to thee, for that our daughter is as thy sister." And Joseph rejoiced with exceeding great joy, for that Pentephres said : " She is a virgin hating every man." * And Joseph said to Pentephres and his wife : " If she is your daughter, and is a virgin, let her come, for that she is my sister, and I love her from to-day as my sister.'' ^ B D Lat. Syr. Arm. om. ; in Slav, the sentence is different. 2 BD Lat. Syr. Slav. ins. "virgin." ' B D versions om. * Lat. ins. " and he said in his mind, ' If she is a virgin hating every man, she herself will never annoy me '" ; simi- larly Syr. Arm.