When Joseph appeared in the company of his two sons, his
father said to him: "In all the seventeen years thou hast
been visiting me, thou didst never bring thy sons with thee,
but now they have come, and I know the reason. If I bless
them, I shall act in opposition to the word of God, who
promised to make me the progenitor of twelve tribes, for if
I adopt them as my sons, there will be fourteen tribes. But
if I do not bless them, it will plunge thee in sorrow. So be
it, I will bless them. But think not I do it because thou
didst support me all these years. There is quite another
reason.[363] When I left my father's house to go to Haran, I
offered up a prayer at Beth-el, and I promised to give unto
God the tenth of all I owned. So far as my material possessions
are concerned, I kept my vow, but I could not give the

 
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