The delegation from the land of Canaan was larger than Lapis expected. Usually, such matters were handled by someone far below Joseph in rank. It was the right of citizens to approach their leaders with problems and requests, but rarely was that opportunity exercised. After all, anyone who brought a trivial matter before an important person was risking their life.
But these men were foreigners. There were often delegations coming to Egypt for food. But when they represented other lands, they usually sent a much smaller group to represent them. One or two to negotiate the deal. They wore sackcloth robes and sandals. Their heads were covered in the usual Bedouin style, so they had come directly from their journey. The smell of livestock was faint, but certain. They were likely shepherds. The Egyptian style was to keep the face and head shaved, so these men seemed shaggy in comparison.
There were ten men standing before Joseph. They were bowing respectfully, but waiting around. Joseph was staring at them like he was expecting them to vanish if he took his eyes away. Lapis hurried to a place between Joseph’s throne, and his guests, bowing to Joseph. It was protocol. One that Joseph rarely required, but when interpreting for foreigners, it was important to make sure newcomers knew the reality of their bargaining position.
Sure enough, the ten men swiftly bowed, matching his pose precisely. Joseph hadn’t even acknowledged Lapis when he came in. His eyes had been roving constantly back and forth between the ten men. When they all did obeisance to him, mirroring Lapis’ pose, Joseph finally snapped out of it. Lapis was close enough to hear a gasp from his master. Lapis dared to look up. He’d seen that expression before. He’d been struck by some kind of revelation.
Joseph jumped to his feet. “Lapis, translate.” He said harshly in Egyptian.
Lapis jumped to his feet, startled by the tone. What have I missed here? What does he know? He has some kind of Sight. What has he seen?
“Where have you come from?!” Joseph nearly roared.
“My master, Zaphenath-paneah, who stands in authority over all that land, and who feeds the entire Earth; demands to know where you have come from!” Lapis shouted at the men, mirroring his harsh tone.
The attack worked. The ten men stayed low, submissive. “My lord, we have come from the land of Canaan to buy food.” One of them said, voice hitched.
Joseph spoke Hebrew better than Lapis, but he waited for the translation. Lapis was impressed by the strategy. It gave Joseph more time to consider his responses, while the others were always rushed. “You are spies!” Joseph barked at them. “With the nation in the grip of famine, you have come to observe our defenses! With our fields empty, you’re looking for vulnerabilities in the land!”
Lapis translated quickly, matching his loud, angry tone. It gave the effect of having these visitors surrounded by hostiles, instead of pleading their case to one man.
It worked. The eldest of them didn’t know who to plead to. “No! My lord, I swear to you, we are not spies! We are brothers, all of us! The son of one man, who has sent us to buy food for the rest of our tribe!”
After the translations went back and forth, Joseph scorned their response. “You expect me to believe that one man would send all his sons to another nation, just for a food deal? We have whole nations begging us for scraps that do not send such a huge delegation! You are here to spy on our land!”
“No!” The other begged. “We are not all the…” He stammered out his response. Whatever he’d been planning to say when he arrived here, he was fighting for words in this most unexpected direction now. “We are not the whole family. We are eleven brothers, but only ten are here. The youngest is with our father in Canaan. We have others depending on us. Our father, servants, workers… The food has all but run out, and we are shepherds. If we slaughter our flocks, we have nothing. Our father has sent us to bring you his compliments, and beg your indulgence; that we may buy food at a fair price.”
Lapis swiftly translated, and Joseph was immovable, barking back his response.
Lapis translated for him. “Zaphenath-paneah does not believe this story. He demands you send one of your number back to Canaan, and bring your youngest brother here. If you can produce him, then we will consider your story to be true. Otherwise, you will never leave this place! He swears this by our Pharaoh himself!”
The ten brothers looked at each other in horror. Enough that Lapis felt himself fighting back a smile. Joseph was right! It was a lie! And the Revealer of Hidden Things had them exposed in seconds!
Finally, the eldest spoke. “Please!” He begged Lapis. “Talk him down, somehow! We can’t do what you ask. Our father… He would not let our youngest brother come with us to Egypt for a trade, let alone...”
“If you expect me to believe you when my Master clearly doesn’t, you’re a fool.” Lapis returned shortly.
He struggled to explain. “Listen, please! We were once twelve brothers. The twelfth is... no more. Our father is terrified that the same will happen to Benjamin one day. That’s why he wouldn’t let him come with us! We are honest men, and every word we have told you is the truth, but what Zaff… Zap…” He stumbled on the Egyptian name before giving up. “What your master asks us is not within our power to grant. Please!”
Lapis turned to Joseph, who had, of course, understood every word. “Well, if he’s lying, it’s an odd story.” He said in Egyptian. “Twelve brothers, and their father is willing to send ten, but doesn’t dare be parted from one in particular? Does he not love as many as two of them?” He shrugged. “On the other hand, if they were spies, would they bring so many people before you for food? Wouldn’t they send one or two, while the others went exploring the rest of Egypt?”
Joseph gave no sign that he heard, eyes still on the oldest. “Have them put into custody for three days. Then we’ll bring them back, and check on their story. If it matches what they’ve just told us…” He trailed off.
Lapis nodded, and turned back to the ten men. He let them look at him, waiting for his translated response. Lapis let them look, before he yelled for the guards to seize them. The look of horror on their faces would do a better job of getting the truth than anything Lapis could say.
~/*\~
Egypt was a land known for its worship of the sun. The Palace reflected this, letting in warm healing sunlight at every opportunity. During the night, the windows allowed for views of the stars, and the Palace was kept well lit by torches and lanterns, so that the Guards could keep watch.
When Lapis came to Joseph’s office that night, he thought perhaps the rooms were empty, for the torches were not lit. He turned to go, when a voice called him back. “I’m here.” It was Joseph’s voice, but he sounded… darker. “Was there any trouble?”
“With the men from Canaan? No, my lord. They’re in the Pit.”
“Where I was, when we met.” Joseph uncoiled from the dark corners of the room, and Lapis nearly stepped back from him. There were dark circles under red, swollen eyes. Joseph hadn’t been this upset when they had met in prison. He made his way to the door. “I’m going home. You should do the same.”
Lapis bit his lip, suddenly remembering Joseph hadn’t been informed about Montu yet. “There is another matter that you should be made aware of-”
“Not. Now.” Joseph actually growled at him.
“Of course.” Lapis bowed and fled the room.
~/*\~
Three days passed. Lapis didn’t give the foreign men much thought, but it was clear there was something on Joseph’s mind. It was a light week. Joseph had set the food distribution of Egypt up so skillfully that it all worked on it’s own. Everyone knew their part, everyone played it. Lapis could handle the routine matters.
But after three days, Lapis reminded Joseph that it was time to address the prisoners again. He nodded, steady as stone. Whatever had upset him three days before, he had a firmer grip on it now.
Lapis fetched the prisoners himself. During his own time in Prison, three days was all it had taken to beat the pride and dignity out of him. Of course, he was under forced labor at the time. When he brought them out of the pit, he could see the fear had settled in. Three days in prison had given them a taste of what their lives could be like. If one of them was going to change their story, it would be now.
~/*\~
Lapis spoke for Joseph, maintaining the air of suspicion. “I hope you’re a little more forthcoming now. My master could throw you all back in that prison and not give you a second thought. You might be playing for your lives, but your Lord Zaphenath-paneah is concerned with things that go far beyond you.”
One of the older men stepped forward, and bowed low. “M-my lord, Zaphenath-paneah,” He groveled. “We are your servants, and beg you to believe our words. What we have told you was, and remains the truth. We are brothers, sent by our father to buy food for the rest of our families. Please, sir! We have children, and they are close to hunger! Our father, and youngest brother… they will starve!”
Lapis translated, knowing that Joseph understood every word. Joseph spoke in Egyptian, letting Lapis translate. “While I still doubt your story, I am charged by Pharaoh to feed the hungry. It is a task I take seriously, and one I am proud to do. I would not have children starve because I have suspicions regarding the integrity and sins of their… brothers. I know well the bonds that brothers share in protecting each other from harm.”
Lapis translated this, and saw the ten men look at each other. The look was full of meaning. Whatever it was, Joseph had hit them with something personal. They were reacting to the words strongly.
Whatever his God has shown him this time, it must be important. Lapis thought, impressed as always by Joseph’s prescient knowledge.
Joseph continued his blistering warning. “So I have decided to allow your request, and send food back with you, for I am a God Fearing man, and I would not deny my duty to Him. But, I do still have my doubts about you. It makes no sense to me that a man who has eleven sons would choose to keep one with him, if he thought there was danger, while willingly letting ten others take the risk. Either it’s a poor story to cover your espionage, or your father has… another reason to keep his youngest safe.”
This set off another series of hard looks between the ten of them. Lapis found he was fascinated by the whole thing. Whatever Joseph suspected, he was tearing them apart with just a few words.
“One of you will remain here!” Joseph commanded. “The rest can take as much food as your animals can carry, and return to your father. And when you do, you will tell him what has happened here, and you will return with your youngest brother. Present him to me. If your story matches with his, I will decide you have been truthful.” He waited while Lapis translated. “I will let you decide which one stays. Those are my terms.”
Reuben bowed again. “My lord, please. We cannot do this-
Joseph didn’t wait for the translation before he erupted, roaring loud enough to send all of them groveling to the floor in panic, even as Lapis rushed to translate. “IF THESE TERMS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE, I WILL THROW YOU ALL BACK IN THE PIT RIGHT NOW!”
The marble walls rang with his terrible fury. Lapis looked, and saw that half the brothers were weeping. It wasn’t fear. Lapis had spent enough time in Prison, and in the Royal Court to recognize someone collapsing emotionally when they had been caught out at a guilty secret.
“So… Show compassion to your brother.” Joseph declared, dripping scorn. A tone that Lapis did his best to imitate as he translated. “Bring your youngest back before me, so that I know you’re telling the truth. If you are, I will make amends for the inconvenience. If you do not return with him, I’ll know you are lying. I’ll want repayment for the deception, and my wrath will be without equal in Egypt! Choose who stays behind.”
Lapis translated, but Joseph had swept out of the room before he had gotten the words out.
There was stunned silence for several moments afterward. Lapis found himself stuck, with nowhere to go. He hadn’t been dismissed, or given any orders. But Joseph had stormed out. Do I let them go? Do I stay here?
“It’s finally happened.” He heard one of them say, hushed and horrified. “We’re being punished. Our sins have finally caught up with us, haven’t they? Jehovah is patient, but He hasn’t forgotten.”
Lapis almost stayed to listen in. Whatever Joseph was worried about, this was probably the time to find out. But Lapis was playing the part of an interpreter. With his master gone, there was no reason for him to remain in the room. The Palace Guards would keep watch on them.
Lapis went looking for Joseph, and found him in the corridor, behind one of the ornate pillars. He kept his back to Lapis deliberately. He was praying fervently. Lapis knew not to interrupt such things.
When Joseph’s mumblings went silent, Lapis spoke. “I believe they’ve started gathering sacks of grain for their caravan. They haven’t decided who remains yet. Shall I have their animals brought and loaded for when the rest of them leave?”
Still with his back to Lapis, and his head bowed, Joseph nodded. Lapis turned to go and give the order.
“Lapis.” Joseph called him back, and Lapis turned to listen… stunned to see that Joseph was weeping. “Lapis, would you do something for me?”
“Of course.” Lapis nodded automatically. What is going on?
Joseph let out a hard, shuddering breath. “Give them the money back. It was confiscated, yes? Return it all.”
“You’re calling off the deal?”
“No.” Joseph shook his head swiftly. “No, they can have the food, but… I don’t want their money. Give it back to them.”
Lapis blinked. “My lord, I don’t need to understand your reasoning on this. But their first question will be ‘why’. If there’s something you want me to tell them, for whatever reason-”
Joseph shook his head. “Then don’t tell them. Just… Hide it in their bags if you have to, but I’m not taking their money.”
Lapis had no idea how to respond to any of this. But he nodded. “My lord, I have never understood your thinking. Not from the days when I saw you feeding old men in prison before eating yourself. I stopped trying to understand how your mind worked when I realized you could see the future. No matter where the interpretations came from, you know better than I do. If there’s something you need me to do for those ‘Promises’ you live by to come true; I will do it.”
“Thank you, Lapis.” Joseph wiped his eyes. He was still on the verge of tears.
~/*\~
Lapis had collected the money and put it into their donkey’s feed bags; and then returned to the ten men, speaking in their language. “Your caravan has been loaded with all the food your animals can carry. Have you decided who stays?”
One of them came forward. “I will. My name is Simeon, and I am your servant, sir.”
~/*\~
Lapis had expected to put Simeon back in the Palace Prison, but Joseph had directed him to place Simeon under house arrest. The house was not lavish, but it was nicer than a cell, if only because he had some privacy.
Lapis posted a guard, and set their instructions. Simeon hadn’t committed any proven crime, but he was under suspicion. He was to be watched, and have no contact with anyone.
After the orders were given, Lapis went to Joseph’s household. On the way, he mulled over recent events. Montu’s derision was still relatively fresh, reminding Lapis that sooner or later, even Joseph would have an enemy. Someone that Joseph would gleefully torture and destroy, because it was easy for him to do so. The timing of the conversation was chilling.
~/*\~
Joseph wasn’t in the same dark mood as three days before. In his private rooms, he could see the question Lapis wanted to ask, and got there first. “Lapis, I don’t keep secrets from you often. Your help has been invaluable for the last ten years. I would not have achieved all I have without you.”
“I think we both know you would have, sir.” Lapis said plainly. “But thank you.”
“There is a reason I’m not telling you everything this time. I want you to take charge of Simeon’s arrest personally. I know it’s a task far beneath your station, but I need this handled by someone I trust.”
Lapis nodded. “Of course, my lord.”
“Simeon… has used violence in the past, even without his lord’s permission. If he’s feeling trapped and offended, we’ll see his true character revealed soon. He may have some liberty, at your discretion. He is not to be harmed in any way, but don’t give him a chance to escape, or act violently.”
“I will inform his guards.” Lapis nodded. “If I may ask, if you suspect the people who came this morning to be spies, then how-” He paused. “I almost asked you how you know something impossible. You’d think after ten years I’d know better.”
Joseph almost smiled. “Don’t tell him anything about me. And don’t mention the dreams. That, above all else, is to remain a secret from him.”
“As you say.” Lapis bowed, and turned to follow his instructions.
“Lapis.” Joseph called him back. “I know you don’t understand my reasons just now, but the real test is not for Simeon. It’s for his brothers. I need to know if they’ll abandon him here. If they come back, I want to be informed immediately.”
“Yes, my lord.”
~/*\~
Asenath was waiting for Lapis as he returned to the foyer of their home. Her ability to appear at the right moment bordered on precognition equal to that of her husband. “How is he?”
“I’ve never seen him like this.” Lapis admitted. “The men from Canaan did a better job of upsetting him than being brought to Pharaoh in chains.”
“He’s barely eaten or slept in two days. It’s like he’s in mourning.” Asenath shuddered. “He told me to keep the boys away from him tonight, and from your prisoner, indefinitely. Why would the children even be interested in a man under house arrest? I don’t understand.”
“Nor do I. For that matter, why is he under house arrest?” He shook his head, banishing the question. “No. Whenever I’ve not understood something Zaphenath-paneah said or did, it always worked out for the best. Because he Knows things. When I saw his predictions and interpretations come true, I was… unnerved. But this? For the first time, he seems… scared.”
“Zaphenath-paneah has enemies in the Court. My father among them.” Asenath said carefully.
“And you, Daughter of the High Priest of Ra…” Lapis challenged, without any real anger or worry “Would you feel obligated to share this news with your father? That there was someone in our custody who could cause such a reaction in Pharaoh’s most trusted advisor?”
Asenath understood his question. “Do I seem like a gossip, Lapis?”
Lapis met her gaze, and she regarded him, nodding imperceptibly. Whatever was going on, the two of them were allies. If Joseph was being brought undone by something unexpected, then the two people who loved and needed him more than anyone else in Egypt would protect him.
~/*\~
Lapis was worried for his friend. He would have gone to the Temple and made an offering on Joseph’s behalf. His lord had forbidden that in the past, but this seemed like an exceptional circumstance…
And then Lapis remembered he had nothing to offer. Almost all of his savings had gone on Montu’s boat. He had no wealth to offer at the Temple. He had no idols of gold and silver that he could pray to, nor woven silks with the likeness of any god. His home had been stripped of every idol and deity and sign of wealth.
He could get it all back, of course, but it would take time to make the savings. In the meantime, he had little that would appeal to the Priests. Lapis walked the halls of the Palace, eyes roving over the bright and colorful hieroglyphs. The history of the gods, written in stone; etched on every wall.
And yet… Lapis bit his lip, looking back the way he’d come.
And yet the High Priest had cast him into jail, knowing he was innocent. Joseph had saved him. Joseph, who avoided all the Egyptian Temples; and denied every Egyptian God.
Lapis returned to the Palace, and went to his office. He often had some work to catch up on. With no family of his own waiting, his office was more comfortably appointed than his home now, stripped of all it’s luxury. Lapis went to his window, and looked out. Egypt was laid out before the Palace, a thousand tiny points of torchlight, and above a view of eternity. A blanket of stars so vast and deep in rich colors that it was easy to forget the sky could be so fierce. The stars above were more than any artisan could hope to copy.
How many nights did I spend, straining to see out my prison windows, hoping for a glimpse of those stars. And now that I’m a free man, I spend so much time staring down at my ledgers…
His quarters had a view of the city, and of the sky. In the courtyard below, the Acolytes were preparing their regular rituals. Lapis thought for a moment, knelt down beside his window, and looked up to the sky. “Jehovah, god of Joseph…” He began to pray. “I’ve never spoken to You before. You have no temple in Egypt, no idols I can make offerings to… I don’t know why You would listen, if I make no offering.” His head sank. “Joseph makes no offerings of gold; though he commands the treasuries of Egypt. I’ve spent my life in service to the gods of my homeland… But tonight I pray You will listen to an appeal from a friend to Your servant. And yes, he is my friend, though he was once my slave, and now my master. Zaph… Joseph is the greatest man I know. I would consider his knowledge to be above those of every High Priest, and his patience far beyond those of any Egyptian King or Lord.”
Outside, Lapis could hear the evening chants. The acolytes chanted day and night in the opulent stable of the Apis Bull. “Ptah the begetter of the first beginning!”
Lapis tried to ignore it. “Jehovah God, who reveals the truth to His servant in Egypt… I don’t know what happened today to make Joseph lose control. I’ve seen him whipped. I’ve seen him locked in fetters, and spat on by random passersby as he worked. He was forgiving and generous when the people who falsely threw him in jail came on their knees.” He bowed his head, spreading his hands wide. “Jehovah, You are the only God that I have ever appealed to without knowing what words to chant, what glorious victories to recite. Egyptian Gods would not hear me. I’ve heard Joseph praying, and he just… talks to You. God with no idols, Joseph insists that all he has comes from You. If his way is what You value in a servant… Then I beg of You, help him now!”
“Ptah the God who made himself to be God!” The acolytes chanted in perfect, well trained rote. “Ptah the double being!”
Lapis squeezed his eyes shut. “Montu insists that Joseph would eventually find an offense that he could not forgive, and his wrath would be terrible. I pray that he was wrong, but if Joseph has finally found an enemy… He rules at Pharaoh’s right hand. There’s nothing beyond his reach now. There’s no punishment he could not order, no suffering he could not inflict… So if Joseph’s good nature is another of the gifts You give to him, then for his sake, and the sake of my nation; I beg You to restore him to goodness again.” He opened his eyes and looked back to the stars. “Because You’re the only God he worships. I can’t ask anyone else.” The thought chilled him. “Only one God. How quickly one could lose his way, with only one path to follow.”
~/*\~ Ellis ~/*\~
They’d covered more than one study guide. Ellis was attending meetings, even making comments on the material. The next step, after meeting with the Congregation Elders, was to begin taking part in the Preaching Work.
“This shouldn’t be so nerve wracking.” Ellis commented, feeling a hand squeezing around his heart. “You’ve been drilling me for days on what to say, how to respond to questions...”
“I know. It’s stressful.” Del reassured him. “You’ve done this informally.”
“Can’t really preach to coworkers. People on site? They’d think I was pushing them to convert or face fines. I could be fired for that. I tried to tell my brother what I was learning, and he laughed me out of the room.” Ellis admitted. “He thinks it’s a reaction to the divorce. He told me to have a normal midlife crisis and just go buy a sports car.”
Del burst out laughing. Despite himself, Ellis chuckled too.
The first door. Ellis knocked. A woman answered the door. Ellis could barely hear anything over the pounding in his chest, but he made himself smile. “Good morning-”
The woman registered two well-dressed strangers at her door, and then caught a look at the study guides in their hands. “Not interested.” She said automatically, and the door swung shut before Ellis could use any of the carefully prepared ways to overcome conversation stoppers.
Del wasn’t surprised, already turning to head back to the street. Ellis followed. “That happen often?”
“More often than not.” Del admitted. “What’s really amazing is that they all use one variation or another of the exact same words. I know it’s not likely that they sat and down agreed on a response, but-”
“They don’t even know what they’re saying ‘no’ to.” Ellis complained. “I didn’t, when I said no to you for the first time. How many of them would agree if they had to sit and listen for a day?”
“The eternal question.” Del admitted.
“I mean, there are specific rules about proselytizing at work, but if I ever told the foremen on the site I inspected that they could get me on side by attending meetings for a month-”
Del burst out laughing. “Well, for one, you’d get fired.” He calmed down, still grinning. “But for another, how many of them would go against their will? History has examples of people who try to ‘force faith’. Wars have been fought over that. They still are, to this day. And very little of it could change what was in a person’s heart.”
“Well, that’s my point. It wouldn’t be right to force them to become believers, but why doesn’t it bother you that so many people are rejecting the idea out of hand without thinking about it?”
“Jesus Christ himself couldn’t overcome people who did that.” Del reminded him. “The teacher arrives when the student is ready.”
“What verse is that?”
“Not a verse. Something one of the Elders said to me once.” Del explained with a smile. “I’ve shown you the experiences of other brothers. When they prayed for help, or understanding, and our brothers showed up at their door almost immediately? It’s happened often enough that it’s not a coincidence. What about you, Ellis? Wondering about right and wrong, and moral or unforgivable? What were our first studies about?”
Ellis blinked. “I guess I just assumed we went there because those were the questions on my mind.”
“And then we answered them. In a few weeks. You could have stopped there. You wanted to keep going, and now here we are, knocking on doors. Behind every one of these doors is a story like yours. Everyone has a question. They could ask them, and we’d answer them. Instead, they say ‘not interested’; because they don’t want to take that chance, or make that effort.” He gave Ellis a look. “You remember what you said when I asked you if you ever went looking for the answers to ‘the Big Questions’?”
“I said I tried not to think about it.” Ellis admitted quietly.
“We could try forcing people to get baptized; like we’re holding an inquisition of our own. But if God was willing to force slaves to obey Him mindlessly, He could do it a lot better than us.” Del nodded. “What does that tell you about Him?”
Ellis gave it some thought, but said nothing, not knowing how to put it into words.
“You’re angry at these people, for following obvious wrong thinking.” Del led him there. “God can hear every wrong thought that everyone, including us, thinks every day. If He’s going to respect people’s right to say ‘no’; a capacity, incidentally, that He gave them, then don’t we have to do the same?”
“Is it worth it?” Ellis asked. “I mean, when you stack up what’s going on in the world, is it worth it?”
“Isn’t that what the ‘Last Days’ are all about?” Eleanor came up to them, apparently close enough to have overheard that. “There’s a verse in the Psalms that I’ve always liked. ‘Do collect my tears in your skin bottle. Are they not recorded in your book?’ He’s keeping a record of everything we go through. Believe Him when he says He’ll repay us once He’s running the world.”
Ellis considered that. “Making it up to us.” He said, heavy with meaning. “Because for a Loving God, it’s not enough to make the suffering stop. He wants to replace all that bad news with goodness, too.”
Del regarded him. “What are you thinking?”
Ellis winced. “I have experience with people trying to change my mind with generosity. And there are a number of people I’ve hurt. My family mainly. But if I try to ‘repay’ all that hurt somehow, aren’t I bribing them to forgive me? It’s certainly how Piper would take it. If my gifts to my kids are a bribe, then what about God’s?”
Del’s head tilted. “Well. That sounds like a question to study next.”
~/*\~ Lapis ~/*\~
Lapis had slept in his office. Joseph was back at work before he’d woken up. Odds were, Joseph had a sleepless night too.
Heading to meet him, Lapis wiped his mouth absently, nervous about their first words. If Joseph was still in a violent mood, he was making himself a target. Two instincts warred in him. The first was Montu’s warning that even good men had enemies they’d torment. The second was his years of watching Joseph feed elderly prisoners, and policies of taking care of those who couldn’t offer profit or labor.
Unsure which Joseph was waiting, Lapis edged into the room, half expecting to be struck the second he showed his face. Joseph was at his desk, poring over reports from every corner of the country.
Joseph didn’t even turn to face Lapis before his voice held a note of concern. “Are you alright?”
Lapis paused. “Me?”
Joseph turned to face him, gesturing at his hand. Lapis looked down, and saw the dark smear over the back of his fingers. “Oh.” Lapis wiped at the stain, embarrassed. “Tobacco.”
(Author’s Note: There is little specific information in the Bible on what unhealthy vices people may have had at the time. Indeed, there are few strict commandments on the subject of usage, beyond a warning to keep your senses at all times. Scientists have detected traces of hashish, cocaine, and nicotine in Egyptian Mummies, but the Egyptian empire covered thousands of years. There’s no direct word on what might have been around in Joseph's day. This direct mention of tobacco is a minor plot point, and speculative.)
“You chew too much of it, Lapis.” Joseph said sadly. “You have for as long as I’ve known you. Thanks to your friend Montu, you weren’t even cut off in prison-”
“Montu is gone.” Lapis said swiftly, grateful for the opening. He quickly explained to his lord everything that had happened the day before, including the implications for the Royal Court.
“Potiphera is always searching for an angle.” Joseph was unconcerned. “He’ll find a convincing lie sooner or later, and some days he will honestly be in the right.”
Lapis relaxed. Joseph was back to normal. “My lord, this is mortifying to admit, but it’s my fault. I thought… I thought I could do for Montu what you did for me. And now Potiphera has access to a great deal of information he didn’t have before.”
“So?” Joseph didn’t even blink. “He’s an influential man, and the more facts he has, the more effective he is in his job. I’m not interested in fighting for control of the Court against the High Priest of Ra. Potiphera can be as skilled a manipulator as he wants. God still has the advantage over him, no matter what tricks he plays.”
“Your God is not Egyptian.” Lapis reminded him. “What does Jehovah want with Pharaoh’s Court?”
“He doesn’t want it. He wants to ensure His purpose is carried out.” Joseph said plainly.
Lapis blinked. “His purpose?”
Joseph looked at him. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”
Lapis nodded.
Joseph sat, and gestured for Lapis to do the same. “Egypt has a story of how the world began. My story is also a family story. My father could trace our bloodlines back all the way to the Great Flood, even back to Eden.”
“I’ve heard that story. I won’t pretend I believe it.” Lapis said carefully. “No more than you believe our gods made the world.”
Joseph nodded. “Which of us is right is for God to say. But in my family story, it was foretold that Jehovah would provide a champion to defeat evil, and undo all sin. The story of my family, going all the way back to the beginning, is one of service to Jehovah, and to that goal. When Jehovah made the world, He made a Paradise, where nobody would ever get sick, ever grow old, ever sin, ever die. One way or another, Jehovah will bring us back to that perfect world. And as His servant, I vowed to do whatever I could in that work.”
“Did your God tell you what that was?” Lapis asked seriously. Joseph’s powers of precognition had gained him authority over Egypt.
“When I was a child, I was given a dream that foretold my ascendancy. What I would do with it… or for that matter, the fact that it would be in Egypt came as a surprise to me. But when Pharaoh was given a dream of his own, I understood my task. To ensure that nobody goes hungry. Jehovah God has few servants in Egypt, but many others in other lands. And it appears to be my part to protect them from hunger.”
Lapis suddenly felt things realign in his head. “Ah. That explains it.”
“Explains what?” Joseph asked sharply.
“Simeon’s brothers. I couldn’t understand why you had me return their money in secret, along with the food they had purchased.” Lapis admitted. “It’s not the first time that your instructions defied conventional wisdom, but it made no sense to me. If you feel your being in Egypt is an act of your God, specifically to protect your fellow servants of Jehovah from the famine; then I can understand giving the money back anonymously.”
Joseph looked away. “Well. Whatever else they are, they are servants of Jehovah. At least, their father is. This much I am certain of.”
Lapis shook his head, awed. “The years of imprisonment didn’t change your thinking? You never questioned, in all that time-”
“Oh, I had plenty of questions.” Joseph admitted. “I never doubted the destination, but the direction to take was always a mystery to me. Still is, sometimes. When all seemed lost, I wondered what I had done wrong, what chance I had missed; to make my path turn out so differently from what was promised. But of course, the Promise could not be undone by anything I did, or did not do.” Joseph almost smirked. “It’s an awesome feeling, Lapis: To know what you were born for. When I was a boy, I was given a prophecy. It came in the first dream that I was blessed to interpret. I foresaw that I would rise to ascendancy over my kin. Something that should have been impossible. The tradition is that authority is given to the eldest, and I was the youngest. It seemed even more impossible, when my family was lost to me, and I became a slave, then a prisoner.”
“Then you never thought the men were spies?”
“That’s the point I’m making sure of. My knowledge of my homeland ends the second I was taken by Ishmaelite Slavers.” Joseph admitted.
Lapis felt his face change, but forced his expression to hold. Why did you never go home? Or at least send a message?
But such matters were none of his business, and Lapis bowed, quick to follow his instructions.
~/*\~
Simeon was under guard, but the guards were unobtrusive. There was always one in the same room as Simeon, when he wasn’t in his quarters. Zaphenath-paneah had all the resources of Egypt, so the guards could be cycled regularly, usually with new faces. Lapis wondered if Simeon could be sure which guards were watching him, and which ones were simply… there.
He recognized Lapis, though; and once they made eye contact again, the conversation was inevitable. Simeon had gone no further than the Temple courtyard. He didn’t speak the Egyptian tongue. Lapis received constant reports on who he met with, any deals he made. So far, there had been none. Simeon was, by all accounts, lost and alone in a foreign land.
Lapis, at least, spoke Hebrew, so he came over closer and sat beside Simeon as they observed the temple door being sealed up. The next day would begin with the Priest breaking the seals on the door, opening the statue’s chamber ceremonially. Water was being placed around the door, so that the Priest could start the morning by washing the statue with incense infused water, adorning the icon with royal garments and precious stones, before sweeping his footsteps away.
“It’s not like this at home.” Simeon admitted, by way of introduction. “There are prayers. My father makes an altar of stones, and we make an offering to Jehovah for His blessing.” He gestured at the acolytes. “Nothing so elaborate. Nothing by rote. My father, like his father, and Abraham before… They view Jehovah as a friend, more than…”
“An idol?” Lapis supplied. “I know a man who worships Jehovah. He refuses all other Egyptian Gods.”
Simeon nodded. “Abraham was the forefather to many peoples. Some of them we know, some of them have nothing to do with my family.”
The story had the ring of truth to it. Lapis had seen Joseph’s most bizarre orders turn out beneficial for all concerned. But he was normally open about it. With Simeon, Joseph was almost unwilling to speak at all.
If Montu was still here, I would have options. If his sources were available, I could inquire about Simeon’s past, his reputation, his dealings with others…
The thought gave Lapis pause. On the other hand, my orders do not say Simeon can’t be questioned.
“We do have questions that need answers.” He said to Simeon, his voice going harder in a carefully calculated way. “I deeply regret to say that we are prepared to do what is needed to get that information; and to be sure of your… sincerity.”
Simeon swallowed hard.
Lapis felt like a fiend. He was inflicting a kind of torture on this man, just by implying all the things that could happen. Lapis had felt the lash any time he stopped moving. He’d been a prisoner long enough that he couldn’t wish that on an innocent man. Joseph could say the same. So what is Simeon? Innocent? Guilty? Spy?
“Follow me.” Lapis told Simeon, and he led the way back to Simeon’s room, where he was awaiting the return of his brothers. The guards flanked him, close enough to strike if Simeon attempted anything.
~/*\~
Once they were alone, Simeon directed him into a chair, and sat across from him. “So. Let’s talk.” Lapis said coolly, though he was spinning a lie. “I have a large army of informants, admittedly overpaid, and more focused on Egypt, but the name Simeon is known to us.”
“Is it?” Simeon said, and his tone was one of dread.
“I understand you have a reputation for violence.” Lapis challenged him. “One that has reached us here.” This was a calculated lie. Joseph was the only one that suggested Simeon had a dark past, but Lapis would take his word above anyone else.
“T-that’s not exactly true. Or, it is, but there’s a lot more to it.” Simeon protested.
“Well, I’m a reasonable man.” Lapis nodded. “Convince me. Because right now, I see a dangerous man, accused of espionage, under house arrest.”
Simeon looked too terrified to really be dangerous. Montu would never let this much emotion show. Lapis thought.
“H-Here’s what happened.” Simeon coughed. “My sister, Dinah… She was violated by the son of a Hivite Chieftain.”
“Ah, so you sought revenge?” Lapis nodded. “Any man would for his daughter, but his sister? Was this not your father’s responsibility?”
“My father…” Simeon shook his head. “I took action.” It was clear he wanted to leave it there, but Lapis glared hard at him, and Simeon wilted, telling him everything. “His name was Shechem, son of Havor. And after he’d done this terrible thing, he decided he was in love with Dinah.” He looked up at Lapis. “You couldn’t really love someone, if you forced them, could you?”
Lapis smothered his reaction. “The old Warden in our prisons… he had a special hatred for such men. After all, don’t all rapists use that defense?”
Simeon nodded. “That was certainly my thinking. Mine and my brothers.” His face had hardened as he justified what came next. “Shechem sent his father to our home. Told him to get Dinah as a bride. Any price, he said.” His eyes were hard. “Except Dinah wasn’t allowed to come home until the deal was struck. He was trying to buy us off.” He looked back at Lapis. “You tell me, sir? What price would you ask, to sell your sister, your family to someone like that?”
“A man can’t stand for that sort of thing.” Lapis agreed, drawing the story out.
“I certainly couldn’t.” Simeon nodded.
“So, you… what? Challenged Shechem to a duel? Demanded he be turned over for trial?”
“We are a tribal nation, sir. My father built houses and purchased a tract of land, but Shechem was from another tribe. Son of their chief.” Simeon admitted. “So when his father came to make his offer of a dowry… My brother and I got there first.”
“Which brother?” Lapis pressed, to test the story.
Simeon hesitated. “I don’t want to say.”
“That could look like a lie.” Lapis warned. “You’ve been suspected as a spy. If so, none of those men who came with you were your brothers. If their story doesn’t match your own…”
“How did this happen?!” Simeon demanded, and for a moment, Lapis thought he was talking to the sky, as if in prayer. “All we wanted was to buy food for our family.”
Lapis didn’t respond to that. “So. The Hivite Chief came to your father, and…”
“My brother and I got there first. We told him that no daughter of our tribe could be married to an uncircumcised man.”
“Oof.” Lapis coughed. “And you people call us brutal.”
“We told the Hivite Chief that if all his men did the same, then we’d be able to merge the tribes completely. Marry our sons to his daughters, and vice versa.” Simeon wasn’t even trying to hold back anymore, making a full confession. “Shechem wanted Dinah. But his father wanted everything we had.”
“Could be he was just trying to buy your father’s goodwill back, offering any sum as a dowry.”
“Bribe.” Simeon corrected flatly. “It’s not a bridal price if you offer it after the fact. His son had done an evil thing, and he was trying to buy my family’s good graces. Can you imagine telling Dinah that? Telling her that her family had decided to leave her with him? Telling her exactly what amount of wealth she was worth to her own father?”
“But it wasn’t your father negotiating, was it? It was you.” Lapis challenged. “And it was you who told him the tribes could merge. I don’t imagine your father gave you permission for that, either.”
Simeon looked down. “The Hivites agreed, and before they had recovered, my brother and I went to their home, and we took our revenge.”
Lapis blinked. “Wait. On who?”
“All of them.” Simeon wouldn’t meet his gaze.
“All of them.” Lapis repeated. “Because one man did an evil thing, you wiped out his family, his soldiers, his workers…”
“Anyone who might have tried it again. Anyone who might have avenged Shechem. We won every fight that could have started before they even began.” Simeon nodded.
“Unless you missed one.” Lapis commented, thinking.
Simeon looked up. “What do you mean?”
Lapis held up a hand and made a point of writing something down, keeping Simeon quiet. In truth, he was reviewing everything he knew about his master, and decided it all made sense now. Joseph had known about Simeon’s violent past. If he was young enough to escape Simeon’s sword, Joseph could easily be a survivor of the Hivite Massacre.
It would explain why he never tried to go home once he ascended to power here. If the sons of Jacob destroyed his tribe, it would explain how Joseph could have ended up as a slave…
The thought chilled him as he looked back at Simeon. His fear was that Joseph had finally found someone who was worthy of nothing but his vengeance.
“Zaphenath-paneah could starve your family with a word. If you’re telling the truth, then you brought most of your family to us for food, and all he has to do is say no.” Lapis said shortly. “You spent three days in an Egyptian prison? I’ve seen men thrown into the pit as boys and remain there till they die of old age. Long after their enemies have forgotten their slights. Long after their families have forgotten they existed.” He gestured around. “You, on the other hand, have been put in comfortable quarters and given food and liberty.”
Simeon swallowed hard, intimidated by his surroundings, and the implied threat.
“I don’t know why, but one assumes he has something special planned. He’s Prime Minister of Egypt. He’s gone through far bigger men than you.” Lapis said pointedly. “If there’s something you’re not telling me, your only hope is to confess.”
Simeon looked… lost. Like a terrified child, who didn’t know why he was being punished. “I don’t know!” He insisted. “We aren’t spies! I’m not lying!”
“Then you’re very lucky Zaphenath-paneah doesn’t treat you the way you treat others.” Lapis rose to leave the room. “You have a dozen brothers, all of them under suspicion. If any one of them committed any kind of crime, what would we do, do you think? By your measure, he’d strike out in vengeance against your Tribe. Wiping out a tribe of shepherds in Canaan would not be a hardship for our soldiers.”
“It’s not the same thing!” Simeon jumped to his feet, sinking back as his guards reacted, automatically ready to protect Lapis. “What Shechem did was evil. What we did was… just show up and ask to buy food. They started that fight! We didn’t start anything when we came here!”
“Didn’t you?” Lapis said with unsettling calm, but he didn’t wait for an answer before he shut the door, leaving Simeon locked away.
~/*\~
It all made sense. Simeon had inflicted considerable damage on a neighboring tribe; and done it without the permission of his father. It would stand to reason that any scattered survivors of the massacre might find themselves at the mercy of slave traders.
How Joseph’s father could be a follower of Jehovah was anyone’s guess, but Simeon had said that their family tree branched into many nomadic peoples. Religions traveled with their followers. So if Joseph finally found Simeon’s family, at his mercy, begging for food…
Stuck between following his part in his God’s Purpose by feeding his fellow believers, and getting justice for what Simeon did. Lapis thought. Well, I guess I can understand all of this. He looked out of the Palace windows, gazing in the direction of Canaan. It also explains why he’s so interested in Simeon’s brothers coming back for him.
~/*\~
Time passed. Joseph knew how long it would take the rest of Simeon’s party to return from their homeland, and was patient as ever. Until they got word on what the others would do, the only thing to do was wait.
Lapis had asked a few questions, had a few conversations, but he couldn’t really get any further answers out of Simeon. He didn’t even know what the questions were, really. Joseph was a prophet. Whatever was going on in his head, whatever he knew; there was no chance Lapis could work it out on his own.
After a few days, Simeon became low on the list of priorities.
~/*\~
“Egypt is broke.” Pharaoh declared. “That much has been made clear to me by my vast array of reports, from Memphis to the Wadi.”
Maat spoke, summarizing the reports for the Royal Court. “Our people have been buying food cheaply from our stockpiles, but the famine has lasted long enough that nobody is willing to spend money on anything beyond food.” He let that sink in. “A full third of our people are in dire circumstances. For many people, living from meal to meal was their normal situation. With trade breaking down, most of the workers and laborers have no income left; and no savings.”
“And that’s just within Egypt.” Lapis put in. “With so many people beyond our lands going hungry, the stockpiles are the only thing seeing income at all.”
There was a moment, as the Courtiers glanced at each other. All of them had wealth. They would be the last to starve, but someone had to muck out their livestock.
“There’s no longer any option, Lord.” Potiphera insisted. “The wealth of other nations is required now. We can’t count on foreign lands buying enough in open free trade. Our people have nothing left to give but their lives.”
“That’s what they’re offering.” Joseph declared. It was the first time he’d spoken at today’s meeting. Everyone was watching him, as he rose, and made his case to Pharaoh directly. “The normal economics don’t apply right now. There’s an unlimited demand to eat, and no supply anywhere. The point to remember is that the famine will end in exactly four years. The effects of conquest and war will last a generation. Or longer.”
“He exaggerates.” The Priest scoffed.
“I do not, my lord. I’ve seen it before.” Joseph said sharply. “When one tribe acts viciously and deceitfully, their neighbors will universally reject them. For all our power and authority, we’re still neighbors to someone. What is the point of being a king with no followers?” He looked to Pharaoh. “Isn’t that why we’re trying to keep our workers alive?”
Lapis had not shared what he had learned from Simeon, with Joseph or anyone else. He was curious, but it wasn’t entirely his business. Even so, this comment confirmed what Lapis had supposed. It was likely that Simeon had ostracized his tribe from all their neighbors with his vengeance over Dinah.
“The people don’t have four years.” Potiphera stood beside Joseph, both of them giving counterpoints. “In less than a season, a third of our people will starve. A year, we’ll lose two-thirds. We’re the food supply for most of the world now. They should be at our feet, paying taxes to our King, and worshiping our gods. We’re keeping them alive, after all.”
“And I recall…” Pharaoh commented. “You opposed the idea of building granaries in the temples, Priest. You thought it was an unacceptable waste of room in spaces that were already devoted to the gods.”
Potiphera said nothing to that for a long moment. “My lord-”
“What do you suggest?” Pharaoh asked Joseph.
“The people do have something to offer.” Joseph said. “Themselves. Their service. By entering under contract with the government, they and their lands become the property of Pharaoh. Without conquest.” He held out a scroll of papyrus. “I’ve done the math, my people have checked it twice. Maat concurs. We’d have to resettle the people in the cities.”
“And then what?” Potiphera demanded. “Have the land sit empty? Vulnerable to attack?”
“Didn’t you say nobody had the strength to invade Egypt as long as we were feeding them?” Joseph countered. “Remember, the famine only lasts four more years. Then our workers will be able to return to the fields. And in exchange for food rations during this time, everyone in Egypt agrees to pay us a fifth of all their gain. It’s an investment that won’t involve burning half the civilized world, or creating a dozen generations of hatred and resistance to Egypt.”
“Unless our enemies, or even our allies, start to get decent food supplies back up sooner than that.” Potiphera countered.
“They won’t.” Joseph said simply.
“When resources run short, there is a battle for the remainder.” Potiphera insisted. “It’s always been that way. This solution might not be perfect, or easy. But it’s quick, and decisive. We don’t know what tomorrow brings, and-”
“Invade anyone, and you’ll have to bring enough food to feed your soldiers anyway!” Joseph said over him. “The whole point of this is that other nations don’t have any food stores to pillage by war!”
“I’ve had enough of this!” Pharaoh roared over them both. “Politics is our business here, and it’s only natural that each of you advance your positions; but everywhere on the map is starving to death. We’re the only nation with plenty, and we’re still fighting over it. I gave specific instructions that Zaphenath-paneah was to be the final authority on anything pertaining to our food supply in time of famine. I have given him my authority to act, and you keep trying to turn it into a political fight over personal power.” He turned away from all of them, striding to his throne. “Pharaoh speaks!”
The scribe took up his stylus instantly. The Court went silent.
The King made his ruling. “Zaphenath-paneah, The Royal Vizier, Prime Minister of Egypt, second only to myself, will rule in matters of taxation and rationing for those who cannot afford to feed themselves. The rations that people are given, and whatever tithes they make to Egypt once they return to the fields are his to decide. But the Priests and the Temples will be exempt from these taxes. They are, after all, instrumental in distributing food. It makes no sense to make them pay for what they do to keep my nation fed.”
Potiphera bowed. “Thank you, Great One.”
“Priest, you’ve been pushing to march on other lands to bring more people into Egypt’s temples.” Joseph said seriously. “Well, in a month you’ll be having every man, woman and child in the nation coming to your temples daily, receiving their daily bread.” He let the thought hang for half a heartbeat. “They will be grateful for your service, yes? Just because they have no further wealth to offer beyond their thanks, and their service? After all, this is about serving the gods, and the people; more than the money they bring, yes?”
Lapis smothered the smirk. Even Pharaoh was looking for a reaction.
“The Temples exist to serve.” Potiphera said graciously. “And in times of famine, when people are living from meal to meal, what better time to properly educate the people on how much we owe our deities?” He bowed to the throne. “And to our God-King especially.”
(Author’s Note: Ancient Egypt was an empire that lasted for thousands of years. Like any civilization, there were changes from one ruler to another, but exactly when each order went into effect is up for debate. For example, we know that Egypt considered Pharaoh to be a god himself, but when that became accepted is less clear.
Historians say that in Ancient Egypt, the state collected the crops, and the temples distributed them. The only people trained in math and reading were temple-trained scribes, so the temples had that responsibility. Palaces, warehouses, and granaries were built inside the temple compounds. The fertile land was divided into plots, and agricultural villages formed in them. The Egyptian Government and the Temples were the biggest landowners. I have elected to make Joseph instrumental in the origin of that policy, but obviously, this is my own speculation.
The Insight Book, on the subject of ‘Joseph’, has this to say about the Famine’s effect on the Egyptians: “As the famine continued, the Egyptians gradually exhausted all their money and their livestock in exchange for food. Finally they even sold their land and themselves as slaves to Pharaoh. Then Joseph settled them in cities, doubtless to facilitate the distribution of grain. Apparently, though, this resettlement in cities was a temporary measure... Once they were again enjoying a harvest from the land, the Egyptians, according to Joseph’s decree, were required to give a fifth of their produce to Pharaoh for using the land. The priests, however, were exempted.”)
The High Priest bowed again, dismissed. Pharaoh gestured for Joseph to wait, until they were alone. Lapis bowed as well, and left the Throne Room, going no further than the door, waiting for his master to finish his business.
“The Priests can say as they like. I remember who it was that saw this famine coming, while they were still staring into smoke, looking for signs.” Pharaoh said grandly. “You could have used your power in any number of ways, Zaphenath-paneah. You used it to save lives, and gave all credit to your God. I’ve spent enough time on the throne to know that Power corrupts, and power of religion is the heart of everything in Egypt. But you seem to be the exception. You honor yourself, and your God Jehovah with such humility. Potiphera helps me keep my people in line, but never forget that I look to you for guidance before all others.”
~/*\~
Lapis was amazed, yet again, at how smoothly the transition took place. Joseph had reorganized the entire social and economic structure of the nation in time so that nobody missed a meal. The Palace gained more power over individual people by the day. For now, it was only the poor that had to trade ownership of themselves to survive. In time, that list would expand to far more people, as savings and livestock ran out.
Lapis administered much of it in the outer areas of Egypt, when word came that Simeon had received a message from his homeland. A courier had delivered it, and the message was intercepted by his guards before he could see it.
Lapis considered the scroll, made from some kind of thin hide, and unrolled it with a deep breath. It wasn’t his business, and he doubted Joseph thought Simeon was actually a spy. But there was a mystery to be solved, and Lapis was discreet enough to trust himself with whatever the message said.
~/*\~
My brother,
When we left Egypt, we paused to feed our animals, and found the money we brought as payment for the food had been returned to us. We don’t know by who, as all the food was there. We don’t understand what it means, but we were expecting to be run down and arrested all the way home.
We told father that you were still in Egypt, and that Lord Zaphenath-paneah had demanded we bring Benjamin back. He reacted much as you would suspect. He’s already in mourning.
We’ve had this conversation before, but I am growing more certain each day that father has realized what we did. That’s why he didn’t let Benjamin come with us last time. But the food we bought from Egypt has run out; so we have to come back. Father was nearly destroyed by the news that he could have lost another son. In the end, I had to leave my own two boys with him; as a guarantee that we would bring you and Benjamin back. If I do not bring him home, my sons’ lives are forfeit.
Father agreed to that. He knows, Simeon. He must know. He must have always known. May Jehovah God have mercy on us all.
We’re on our way back. It will take another few days to get the caravan there, so I sent a message ahead. I don’t understand what is happening. The money being returned to us is surely punishment from Jehovah. There’s nothing else it can be, but a way to ensure Zaphenath-paneah meets us with the sword.
But there’s nothing else for it, or we will starve. I hope that God will be merciful. We will see you again soon, Simeon. One way or another, we’ll be together when this ends. I want to make a promise with you, that we’ll do what we can to send Benjamin home, if anyone. We’ve taken enough from our Father.
~/*\~
Lapis read it twice. There was nothing to counter his theory that Joseph was avenging his conquered tribe, but there was nothing more to prove it. Certainly no reason to refuse delivery. But the reference to their brother unnerved him for a reason he couldn’t place. He’d known that for tribal people, family and hierarchy was almost the same thing. Sinning against a brother was a grave sin in most cultures. To do so in secret would be worse. No wonder the brothers thought they were under a curse. Lapis thought to himself.
“Our sins have finally caught up with us, haven’t they? Jehovah is patient, but He hasn’t forgotten.”
He had thought the comment was about the tribe Simeon had struck. But apparently it wasn’t. Lapis played the words over and over in his head; until he reached Simeon and delivered the message. Lapis watched the man carefully as he read the message. Simeon’s shoulders slumped slightly. He agreed with Reuben’s dire opinion.
(Author’s Note: The April 2017 Study Watchtower says: “Note, however, that there is nothing in the Scriptures to indicate that Joseph ever told anyone—not even Pharaoh—that his brothers were his kidnappers. In fact, when his brothers came to Egypt and were reconciled with Joseph, Pharaoh welcomed them and invited them to make their home in Egypt and to enjoy “the best of all the land.” That moment was after their family was reunited. Of the time before, there is even less said plainly.
Also, there is no direct mention of how long the journey took. Jacob refused to let Benjamin go back with them at first, and Rueben made the comment that they could have made the trip twice by the time Jacob let him leave. I’ve dragged out the timeline a bit, for storytelling purposes. Joseph still had a country to run.)
“I thought it was your sister you avenged.” Lapis commented as Simeon looked up from the message.
“You’ve read it?” Simeon wasn’t pleased.
“You’ve been charged with espionage. We’re not going to let you send private messages back and forth to foreign lands.” Lapis scoffed.
Simeon scowled. “My brother refers to a sin we committed in the past. One that shames us, even today.”
“You slaughtered a tribe of men for the actions of one member against your sister. What else have you done that you actually feel bad about?”
“That really isn’t your business.”
“It is because I say it is.” Lapis barked. “Are you under the impression we are having a polite conversation? You’re suspected of plotting against the State. I am Zaphenath-paneah’s chief of staff. I should have a dozen guards beating the truth out of you!”
Simeon said nothing, eyes downcast, shoulders hunched.
Lapis glared at him. Joseph’s orders about Simeon were clear. He could go no further than this. “Get used to questions you don’t like, foreigner.” He warned. “My master says you could be spies. If he’s right… and he’s never been wrong once, then that letter was meant to convince me of your cover story. If I decide that letter is deceptive in some way, then you’re a dead man. If that letter is genuine, then your brothers are an inch away from deciding you deserve what you get here.” Lapis let that sink in for a moment. “Either way, this room is your whole world now.”
“They won’t leave me.” Simeon said, his voice was low and broken, but sure of what he said.
“They’ll risk it because they love you so much?” Lapis scorned. “They could have gone to Canaan and back twice by now.”
“Our father could not lose another son.” Simeon croaked, tears threatening in his eyes as he waved the message. “Benjamin least of all.”
Lapis stared at him. Something was shifting. Lapis was making connections to half remembered conversations. Somewhere outside the room, he could hear someone strumming a tune. “What happened to your brother?” He asked without thinking about it.
Simeon covered his eyes, shamed. “We just wanted him gone. We never should have… Our father had two wives; but he only wanted one of them.” He looked up at Lapis. “Would it really be so terrible, after giving him ten sons, for our father to love our mother as much as we did? To love us as much as he loved that boy?”
“You killed him.” Lapis said flatly.
“No. We were going to, but Reuben convinced us it would bring a curse on us all.” He gestured at the message, and Lapis could tell he’d wanted to confess to this sin for a long time. “So we sent him away. With some slavers who happened to be near the well…” Simeon looked up, as if asking forgiveness, all of it pouring out of him. “We would have done anything for our father to see us. Really see us. But what we did was worse. We just… broke him. Our father was in mourning for years and years.” Simeon leaned in. “You work for Zaphenath-paneah. Benjamin is precious to my father, and to lose him would be fatal. Please: Tell me what I must do to ensure his safe passage home? I will do whatever it takes.”
Lapis was only half listening at this point. He was making connections to old conversations that he hadn’t realized he remembered. “Two wives.” “Ten sons.” “Sold to slavers.”
Lapis rose, promising him nothing. “We’ll talk more later. You should eat.”
~/*\~
Lapis went no further than the door, leaning against the wall like he was going to fall over, realization making him weak in the knees. Simeon was brought food, and Lapis observed him as he ate, as if testing the theory. Simeon prayed before he ate. He prayed in his own language. He prayed to Jehovah by name. No ritual words were used, and his head was bowed, his eyes closed.
Lapis covered his mouth before his gasp was audible. It had been more than a decade since Joseph had left prison. He’d followed the Egyptian custom of shaving his head and beard closely for years now. But when they had met, Joseph had a full head of hair, and a beard; young though he was at the time.
If he’d been wearing sackcloth robes, Joseph would have looked just like this when he prayed over his prison rations. The thought came to Lapis from somewhere, and he felt pole-axed by the revelation.
Those men are his brothers!
~/*\~ Ellis ~/*\~
It had been an interesting time. Insisting on doing his job honestly had brought mixed results. He’d been frozen out by several old coworkers. People that he’d counted among friends were no longer speaking to him.
It had gotten harder to do the job. Workers on site were trying to keep him away from some of their work, or distract him while he was taking measurements. Exactly the way he’d used to do.
It suddenly struck him how much Darrel had been smoothing the way. He’d never noticed it before, but whenever he had been working construction, some inspectors sent their foreman into a frenzy, while others had been welcome. Looking back, Ellis could suddenly see which ones were ‘being reasonable’ at Darrel’s projects.
If he was being honest, he was fast losing patience with his oldest friends. They didn’t have many common interests beyond bar-hopping, and the jokes they told were making him uncomfortable now. Were they always so blatantly dirty, or am I just aware of it for the first time?
There were new workers on some of the sites, barely a year or two older than Piper, and Ellis noticed as they were given their first beer at the end of a day, offered their first cigarette by their coworkers; welcomed into ‘the tribe’ by their more experienced peers. The experienced workers laughed as the fresh-faced kids blushed at the bawdier jokes, and by the end of the week, the new kids were coming up with even wilder ones, being rewarded with big laughs.
He saw it on every Site he inspected. He didn’t fit with his peer group anymore.
~/*\~
He was making his way back to his car, when he noticed flashing lights. A car, parked just down the road, was flashing its headlights at him, on and off.
He recognized the car and headed over. “Jerrold?”
The man waved him into the passenger seat, and Ellis got into the car. As soon as he did, Jerrold started talking fast. “I’ve been called by the Sentinel, twice now.”
“They called me too. Farnham, right?” Ellis nodded.
“What did you tell them?”
“Not a lot. He didn’t have many questions. Honestly, I think he knew the answer to every question he asked me.” Ellis said honestly. “What did he ask you?”
“If I had any comment on the District Attorney’s Office opening an investigation into the local council.” Jerrold said archly. “Specifically, connections between my office, the ‘Private Sector’, and some crook I’ve never heard of.”
“And by ‘private sector’, they mean Darrel?” Ellis guessed, unsurprised.
“You knew it was coming.” Jerrold growled, and it wasn’t a question. “You stopped ‘helping’ sites just in time. You had to know they were closing in.”
“I didn’t.” Ellis insisted. “I just decided to do the job honestly.”
Jerrold rejected that with a string of curse words. “The timing is not a coincidence!”
“I’m wondering about that myself.” Ellis admitted. “But somehow I think we’re talking about different things.”
“Look, if you’re having some moral crisis, then that’s your business.” Jerrold said seriously. “But you’re not the one I’m worried about. I went out on a limb to help you get this job.”
“Yeah, I thought it was a little too easy.” Ellis admitted. “I didn’t understand why until that journalist started showing me pictures. I thought you must have owed Darrel a favor. It never occurred to me that he must owe people too.”
Jerrold sagged. “You didn’t know.” He realized in disbelief. “Neither did I. I owed someone a favor, they asked me to help your application go through on the nod.” He looked pitiful. “What did you tell them about me?”
“They never asked.” Ellis said honestly. “They wanted to know about the sites I was inspecting, and about the people I was working with. Your name never came up. Either they know already, or they don’t care.”
“Are you going to tell them?”
“I haven’t heard from Farnham since the first day. I spent weeks waiting for the cops to knock on my door; but they never came.”
Jerrold bit his lip hard. “So what do I do?” He wavered. “I could… I could go to the DA myself, try to cut a deal, but I didn’t do anything illegal, I don’t think… And if they aren’t looking at me anyway…”
Ellis stared at him and felt like he could see through the world suddenly. When he was being interviewed, this man was all smiles, not bothered by anything. Ellis had almost been jealous. The nice office, the nicer car, everyone liking him… But now, after being so casual about his job, and his responsibilities, he was now living in dread of the consequences.
“I’ve recently come to understand that Risk-versus-Reward is a bad way to make moral choices.” Ellis told him. “Jerrold, I didn’t like what was going on, and I handled it by making a change. If you’re worried about me, you can relax. But if I were you, I’d be worried about yourself. If your conscience is bothering you, then you have to do something about it. I’m handling my own by doing the job honestly from now on.” He unlocked his car. “But as for me, I will walk in my integrity.”
As he shut the car door and started the engine, he finished the quoted scripture to himself, voice hushed. “Rescue me and show me favor.”
~/*\~
He talked about that conversation a few hours later, with Del. He was careful not to name names, or even give specific details. Del had worked at Ellis’ old company too, and he knew the sort of things that went on.
“So your former and current coworkers are worried that if you get a sudden attack of conscience, then they might be in trouble.” Del guessed. “What do you think?”
“You can’t repent for other people’s sins.” Ellis guessed.
“A few weeks ago, you were getting frustrated because your daughter hadn’t forgiven you yet, even though you were genuinely trying. Last week, you wondered if Paradise was God’s ‘bribe’ for doing the right thing.” Del reasoned. “Do you still feel that way?”
Del sipped his coffee. “I wondered what it must have been like for Adam and Eve. One month, one year, one decade after making a wrong choice; finding more and more reasons to wish they could go back in time.”
“Is it a bribe if God’s promising only to put things back the way they were always meant to be?” Del reasoned. “Ask yourself: What kind of life would you have led if you’d been born into Paradise?”
“No idea.” Del said easily.
“Well, give that some thought.” Del said with a smile. “Because that’s what we’re all working towards. And I promise you one thing: If you’re there, you won’t be stressing about police investigations, crooked contractors, saving towards retirement… Or any of the things the world lives and dies over now. None of this is the way it’s meant to be. Being a Witness is to be a stranger in a strange land. We live in Paradise already, in a Spiritual sense. Money, work, and health; all kept in proper perspective. The way we treat others, each other… It’s all according to the way we were meant to be.”
“Oh, I get it.” Ellis said with understanding. “We live by God’s Way now, and when we live in His World, so will He.”
“His way is more generous and rich in blessing than anything we’ve made for ourselves.” Del nodded. “Is that a bribe? A reward? Or just the way He wants things to always be?”
Ellis thought about that and suddenly burst out laughing.
“What?” Del blinked.
“I just found it. Eleanor asked me ages ago: Why am I trying to become a Witness? I just found my main reason.”
Del grinned. “I’m on the edge of my seat.”
“God is a good, loving person. But He’s ignored by the world all the time. So you’re not surprised when you don’t get the credit for any of the good you do. After all, He doesn’t either. So you don’t be good for a reward. We are good because we want to be like our Creator. And God doesn’t offer eternal life because we’re ‘good enough’ to earn it. It’s because He’s a generous person, and He’s holding back… well, everything He’s got. The point of the ‘Last Days’ isn’t that it’s a countdown to judgment. It’s a countdown to the exact moment when He doesn’t have to hold back everything he wants to give us.”
Del opened up his Bible. “Malachi 3:10.” He read. “‘Test me out, please, in this regard,’ Jehovah of armies says, ‘to see whether I will not open to you the floodgates of the heavens and pour out on you a blessing until there is nothing lacking’.” He closed his Bible and smiled at Ellis. “There’s another verse that makes it clear that ‘the day and the hour’ was already selected, even in Bible Times. God’s been counting down to this for longer than any of us. He knows exactly the right time to do… everything.”
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