recognized me, he asked me, 'What said my brethren to my
father regarding me?' And I told him that they had sent
Jacob his coat stained with blood, and had said, 'Know now
whether this be thy son's coat or not.' And Joseph said:
'This is what happened to me. Canaanitish merchantmen
stole me away with violence, and on the way they wanted
to hide my coat, to make it seem as though a wild beast had
met me and slain me. But he who was about to conceal it, was torn
by a lion, whereupon his companions, in
great fear, sold me to the Ishmaelites. My brethren, thou
seest, did not deceive my father with a lie.' In this wise
Joseph tried to keep the deed of our brethren a secret from
me. He also summoned my brethren, and enjoined them not
to make known to our father what they had done to him, and
bade them repeat the tale he had told me.