Joseph and Asenath 24

1Pharaoh's son then continued to be full of fear and grief for that he feared Joseph's brethren, and again he was exceedingly mad by reason of Asenath's beauty, and grieved greatly. Then his serving-men say in his ear: "Lo! the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, the handmaids of Leah and Rachel, Jacob's wives, are at great enmity against Joseph and Asenath and hate them; these will be unto thee in all things according to thy will." Straightway therefore Pharaoh's son sent messengers and called them, and they came to him at the first hour of the night, and they stood in his presence, and he saith to them: "I have learned from many that ye are mighty men." And Dan and Gad, the elder brethren, said to him: "Let my lord now speak to his serving-men what he wisheth, that thy serving-men may hear and we may do according to thy will." Then Pharaoh's son rejoiced with exceeding great joy and said to his serving-men: "Withdraw now for a short space from me, for that I have secret speech to hold with these men." And they all withdrew. Then Pharaoh's son lied, and he saith to them: "Lo! now blessing and death are before your faces; do ye therefore take the blessing rather than the death, because ye are mighty men and will not die as women; but be brave and avenge yourselves upon your enemies. For I have heard Joseph your brother saying to Pharaoh my father: 'Dan and Gad and Naphtali and Asher are not my brethren, but children of my father's handmaids: I wait therefore for my father's death, and will blot them out from the earth and all their issue, lest they should inherit with us, because they are children of handmaids. For these also sold me to the Ishmaelites, and I will render unto them again according to their evil counsel which they wrought against me. Only let my father die, and I will reward them.' And, for my part, my father Pharaoh hath praised him for these words. Now, therefore, do ye consent with me, and I will slay Joseph with my sword and ye shall be to me as brethren and friends for ever. Only do my will. For, if ye consent not, lo! I will slay you with my sword." When he had said these things, Dan and Gad the elder brethren were perturbed, and they were displeased with him by reason of their feeling toward their brother Joseph. Then Pharaoh's son said: "I, then, am ready to die today, only ye shall die with me, and your brethren also shall die after you." Then Dan and Gad said to him: "We will do all things which thou hast spoken to us, and what wilt thou have us do?" Pharaoh's son saith to them: "I will kill Pharaoh my father this night, for that Pharaoh is to Joseph as a father, and after that I will kill Joseph, and I will take Asenath to wife, and ye shall be to me as brethren and fellow-heirs of all that I have. Only do this thing." Then Dan and Gad said to him: "We are thy serving-men, and we will do all that thou commandest us. And we ourselves have heard Joseph saying to Asenath: 'Go tomorrow to the possession of our inheritance, for that the season is the season of the vintage.' And he gave her six hundred mighty warriors as a guard, and fifty advance-men. Now, therefore, hearken to us, and we will speak to our lord." And they spake all their secret words. Then Pharaoh's son gave the two brothers five hundred men each and appointed them as captains and leaders.