The Early Church

`And He gave to him a covenant of circumcision, and so he begat Isaac, and did circumcise him on the eighth day, and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob--the twelve patriarchs;

and the patriarchs, having been moved with jealousy, sold Joseph to Egypt, and God was with him,

and did deliver him out of all his tribulations, and gave him favour and wisdom before Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he did set him--governor over Egypt and all his house.

`And there came a dearth upon all the land of Egypt and Canaan, and great tribulation, and our fathers were not finding sustenance,

and Jacob having heard that there was corn in Egypt, sent forth our fathers a first time;

and at the second time was Joseph made known to his brethren, and Joseph's kindred became manifest to Pharaoh,

and Joseph having sent, did call for his father Jacob, and all his kindred--with seventy and five souls--

and Jacob went down to Egypt, and died, himself and our fathers,

and they were carried over into Sychem, and were laid in the tomb that Abraham bought for a price in money from the sons of Emmor, of Sychem.

`And according as the time of the promise was drawing nigh, which God did swear to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt,

till another king rose, who had not known Joseph;

this one, having dealt subtilely with our kindred, did evil to our fathers, causing to expose their babes, that they might not live;

in which time Moses was born, and he was fair to God, and he was brought up three months in the house of his father;

and he having been exposed, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up, and did rear him to herself for a son;

and Moses was taught in all wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in words and in works.

`And when forty years were fulfilled to him, it came upon his heart to look after his brethren, the sons of Israel;

and having seen a certain one suffering injustice, he did defend, and did justice to the oppressed, having smitten the Egyptian;

and he was supposing his brethren to understand that God through his hand doth give salvation; and they did not understand.

`On the succeeding day, also, he shewed himself to them as they are striving, and urged them to peace, saying, Men, brethren are ye, wherefore do ye injustice to one another?

and he who is doing injustice to the neighbour, did thrust him away, saying, Who set thee a ruler and a judge over us?

to kill me dost thou wish, as thou didst kill yesterday the Egyptian?

`And Moses fled at this word, and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons,

and forty years having been fulfilled, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai a messenger of the Lord, in a flame of fire of a bush,

and Moses having seen did wonder at the sight; and he drawing near to behold, there came a voice of the Lord unto him,

I am the God of thy fathers; the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. `And Moses having become terrified, durst not behold,