Joseph

“ Thou art of the house and lineage of Joseph - thou art entitled to the Priesthood thy descent is through the loins of Ephraim - thou shalt be a mighty Man in the earth - the earth shall tremble at the sound of thy voice thou shalt have such great power that the inhabitants shall acknowledge thee to be a man of God, thou shalt be the instrument in the hand of the Lord in bringing many out of this generation who shall have a residence in Mount Zion. ”

“ On coming in, Joseph threw himself down beside me, and exclaimed, "Father, mother, you do not know how happy I am: the Lord has now caused the plates to be shown to three more besides myself. They have seen an angel, who has testified to them, and they will have to bear witness to the truth of what I have said, for now they know for themselves, that I do not go about to deceive the people, and I feel as if I was relieved of a burden which was almost too heavy for me to bear, and it rejoices my soul, that I am not any longer to be entirely alone in the world." ”

“ And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. 18. And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the first-born; put thy right hand upon his head. 19. And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. ”

“ My first impression of Joseph nearly sixty years ago was that he was a true prophet, and I formed a love for him which increased with our acquaintance. I was with him in the state of Missouri during those trying scenes until his imprisonment in Liberty jail, and subsequently in Illinois, and with the bereaved family and thousands of Latter-day Saints shed a tear over his remains as he lay silently in death’s embrace. ”

“ Joseph has gone to the spirit-world: he is on his way to his glory and exaltation, and all his sayings, from first to last, lead us to the fountain of light, where we can understand for ourselves and walk in the light. ”

“ Joseph, and a boundless confidence in him; I have often thought that he must have known a multitude of things about our Lord which no one has ever known.” O St. Joseph! remember those who invoke you in exile. What an admirable existence! What a long poem from the day when the rod of the carpenter blossomed in the Temple to that when Joseph expires in the arms of Jesus and Mary, the two whom every Christian would wish to have by him when on his death-bed! Never did any man receive a mission more divine than was entrusted by the Almighty to St. Joseph. ”

“ But, Joseph, I have none but thee, Jesus said; and the two men sat looking into each other's eyes, Joseph thinking that if Jesus were to recover his mind he would be outcast, as no man had ever been before in the world: without a country, without kindred, without a belief wherewith to cover himself; for nothing, Joseph said to himself as he sat looking into Jesus' eyes, has happened as he thought it would; and no man finds new thoughts and dreams whereby he may live. ”

“ Joseph stood at gaze, for the shepherd wore the same garb as Jesus had done: a turban fixed on the head with two tiring-rings of camel's hair, with veils floating from the shoulders to save the neck from the sun. Jesus, too, wore a striped shirt, and over it was buckled a dressed sheepskin; and Joseph pondered on the shepherd's shoon, on his leathern water-bottle, on his long slender fingers twitching the thongs of the sling. He had been told that no better slinger had been known in these hills than Jesus. But he had left the hills and had gone, whither none could tell! ”

“ Joseph. Nay, if thy father deny me, Potiphar will go up to the Pharaoh himself, and Pharaoh shall do me justice.
Asenath. Dreamer, dreamer, thou art in a vain dream. My father will have me wed Serseru, or for ever wait in living death on the goddess whose name I bear—
Joseph. Whose name thou bearest—?
Asenath. What is Asenath, being interpreted, but one devoted to Neith?
Joseph. We will give Neith her fill of bullocks and goats, but, by the living God, not Asenath!
Asenath. Hush, blasphemer! Even Pharaoh cannot help us against the gods. The priests would rise up and slay him. ”

“ That is how the Thracian dogs fight, like the wolves, he said, turning to Joseph. He is thinking, Joseph said to himself, of sheep and dogs and being a shepherd again. But of-what art thou thinking, Joseph?—of that strip of green sky which is the dawn? I can see, now, that thy shepherd eyes did not deceive thee, Joseph answered. The day begins again; and how wonderful is the return of the day, hill after hill rising out of the shadow. An old land, he said, like the end of the world. Why like the end of the world? Jesus asked. Joseph had spoken casually ”

“ I have always supposed the example of Joseph the more glorious because he flourished as the flower of chastity in a gross and carnal age. Who so pure as he save John the Baptist, that morning star that shone so near the Sun of Righteousness in the transient beauty of his “heliacal rising”? ”

“ Joseph. Joseph.
Zuleika [Very musically, drawing out the syllables] Joh-seph. [To Heru] Lo! I sought a gift to bring to my lord Potiphar, and I found nought. Here is what I sought. Thou, buy this lad of his brothers, and I will give him to my lord to be his slave.
Joseph. I will be no man's slave!
Zuleika [Very tenderly] Hush!—Thou shalt be my lord's slave—and mine.
[She disappears behind the curtains, which close over her] Judah [Hotly] The lad is restored to life. It is God's Hand. We cannot sell him.
Simeon. What! Shall he come home to tell Jacob?
Levi. Simeon saith well! ”

“ Joseph, son of David, fear not to take Mary as thy wife: for she has conceived of the Holy Spirit; and she will bring forth a son, whose name shall be called Jesus. He it is who shall rule all nations with a rod of iron. Having thus spoken, the angel departed from him. And Joseph rose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord had said to him; and Mary abode with him. ”

“ We have, indeed, many and great advantages over those who lived in Joseph's times. Not only have we the Gospel, but we have the example, of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; and we have Him present with us always, to strengthen and lead us to do as He Himself did. If, then, Joseph was willing and able to resist a strong temptation to commit a great sin, how much more should we resist who have the sword of the Spirit of Jesus, and the shield of His faith! ”

“ Thou shalt have a companion and raise children for God, for thy companion shall be a descendant of Joseph also, so that thy children shall be pure Thou shalt stand on the earth till the Redeemer comes in the clouds of heaven, rise to meet him in the air, be forever with him, and dwell in the presence of God and the Lamb forever and ever. These blessings shall be secured unto thee if thou art faithful, and I seal thee up unto eternal life in the name of Jesus. ”

“ The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills; they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.
[All stretch their arms out to him in the soft afterglow of the sunset] Joseph. He raiseth the poor from the dust; from the depths He lifteth up the needy. Oh, Lord of Hosts, happy is the man who trusteth in Thee! ”

“ Joseph [Gravely] It shall be as you say. Yourselves and your lands ye shall bind to Pharaoh, and food shall be given you, and seed to sow your land. Go within. Let each man write out his account.
Tehuti. My lord is very merciful!
[They pass into the house with every token of despair. One veils his face, weeping] Sebni. He holdeth us in the hollow of his hand!
Atha. What care I? Shall I see my children starve?
[Exeunt]
[Joseph turns with a grave smile to Simeon] Joseph. Well, Simeon, my—guest—what thinkest thou of what thou seest in Egypt? ”

“ For behold, you should not have feared man more than God, although men set at nought the counsels of God, and despise his words; yet you should have been faithful and he would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble. Behold, thou art Joseph, and thou wast chosen to do the work of the Lord, but because of transgression, if thou art not aware, thou wilt fall. ”

“ Thus did We plan for the sake of Joseph. He could not take his brother under the king's law, unless Allah pleased. We raise in degree whom We please. And above every one possessed of knowledge is the All-Knowing One.
77 They said: If he steal, a brother of his did indeed steal before. But Joseph kept it secret in his soul, and disclosed it not to them. He said: You are in an evil condition, and Allah knows best what you state.
78 They said: O chief, he has a father, a very old man, so take one of us in his place. Surely we see thee to he of the doers of good. ”

“ And straightway they that spake against Jesus were made blind, and as they walked to and fro they said: Every word that cometh out of his mouth hath fulfillment. 3 And when Joseph saw what Jesus had done he took hold on him by his ear in anger: but Jesus was vexed and said unto Joseph: It sufficeth thee to see me and not to touch me. For thou knowest not who I am, which if thou knewest, thou wouldest not grieve me. ”

“ Place me (in authority) over the treasures of the land; surely I am a good keeper, knowing well.
56 And thus did We give to Joseph power in the land -- he had mastery in it wherever he liked. We bestow Our mercy on whom We please, and We waste not the reward of the doers of good.
57 And certainly the reward of the Hereafter is better for those who believe and guard against evil. ”

“ Joseph. It is beating— [With intense eagerness] Asenath, Asenath, they whisper that war is at hand, that Pharaoh will send Potiphar forth to strike down rebellion. I will throw myself at my lord's feet; he shall let me fight at his side; fighting I will win freedom, and then, when I come back, a free man, mine eyes shall gaze into thine; and my tongue shall tell thee why my heart beateth so wildly.
Asenath. But in the battle thou may'st be slain. ”

“ But when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him down to Egypt, "the heart of Jacob their father revived, and Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go down and see him before I die!"
And children! These wagons of Joseph's have often been a lesson to me!
Like old Jacob, we see God's mercies surrounding us, and yet because we do not believe and trust Him enough, our hearts faint within us at some fresh difficulty that stands in our way, perhaps. ”

“ However, Joseph was more distressed than the rest, as he better understood the consequences of disobedience. And he continued pacing back and forth, meantime weeping and grieving, until about sunset, when, by persuasion, he took a little nourishment.
The next morning, he set out for home. We parted with heavy hearts, for it now appeared that all which we had so fondly anticipated, and which had been the source of so much secret gratification, had in a moment fled, and fled forever. ”

“ The woman present at the sale of Joseph, holds her hand in her veil like many a stately figure in Roman art, but the meeting of Joseph with his old father is quite modern in its emotional force, the old man tremblingly totters forward into the arms of his stalwart young son, and one cannot help feeling irritated at the bystanders’ conventional gestures as they gaze on such a touching scene. ”

“ Thou art one of the horns of Joseph to push the people together from the ends of the earth, and if thou wilt serve God with all thy might mind and strength, thou shalt receive a crown of celestial glory in the kingdom of the Father and live to see the end of this generation & proclaim the gospel to the end of the wicked, until the earth shall reel to and fro and stagger like a drunkard. ”

“ The present course and sufferings of Joseph were the means by which Providence was to work out a higher place and name than he had enjoyed in the house of Potiphar, captain of the guard.
Again abandoned and cast into the lowest depths of misery, even for his virtues' sake, Joseph is not left without succour. He, without whom a sparrow falls not to the ground, allows not this faithful one to fall without a purpose, nor to suffer without His care. "The Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison." ”

“ PHARAOH. Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled; only in the throne will I be greater than thou. [He rises.] Joseph art thou no more, but I will call thee Zaphenath Paneah, the prince of the days to be. [He comes down from the throne to JOSEPH, who is standing dazed. He draws off his signet-ring and places it on JOSEPH'S finger.] See! I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. ”

“ Why do you ask, Joseph? Azariah replied, and Joseph answered: because the world is so very beautiful. I never saw the world before to-day. My eyes were opened, and I shall be sorry if God destroys the world, for I should like to see more of it. But why should he make a beautiful world, and then destroy it? ”