Joseph as Ruler of Egypt speaks to his brothers.
JOSEPH
THE DREAMER
By AMY STEEDMAN
THOMAS NELSON & SONS
NEW YORK
The coat of many colours.The Story of Joseph
This is the story of Joseph, the boy who had the strangest and mostexciting adventures of any boy who ever lived.
Joseph was but a little lad when his mother died. His father, Jacob,had loved that mother more than any one else in the world, so thatwhen she died leaving Joseph and a baby brother, Benjamin, all thelove in the father's heart turned to his two little sons.
The elder brothers were strong, grown-up men, quite able to lookafter themselves, and no longer needing their father's care; soperhaps it was no wonder that Jacob made a special favourite of thelittle lad Joseph, and loved him best.
At first the older brothers took no notice of their father's way withthe younger boy; but as Joseph grew older they began to feel uneasyand envious. Why should this child be marked out for special favour?Their father took no pains to hide the fact that the boy was the appleof his eye. Even his clothes showed this.
While the brothers wore the ordinary shepherd clothing, Joseph had abeautiful coat of many colours. His father had made it for him ofdifferent pieces of coloured cloth joined together, and it was so gayand beautiful that every one who saw him wearing it said, "This mustbe the son of a great chief!"
But if the gay coat made them angry, they were more angry still whenJoseph began to dream strange dreams, which he always told to them.
As they sat around in the fields watching the sheep, the boy wouldcome running to them, full of excitement, as he begged them to listento a wonderful dream he had had.
"Hear, I pray thee, this dream that I have dreamed!" he cried, sittingdown amongst them. "We were binding sheaves in a field, and lo! mysheaf arose and also stood upright, and, behold, your sheaves stoodround about and bowed to my sheaf!"
Another time his dream was about the stars; the sun and moon andeleven stars, he said, had all bowed down before him. This was reallymore than his brothers could bear. Did he really think he was going torule over them? Were they to bow down before this boasting boy in hisfine coat?
Even his father did not quite approve of these dreams. But Joseph hadnot really meant to boast. It was the wonder of the dreams that madehim repeat them. If he was proud of his coat of many colours, it wasonly because it was a gift from his father. He was a straightforwardgood-natured boy, clever and brave, and ready to take his turn inwatching the flocks or helping his brothers with their work in thefields