Question 1:Why did the Egyptians want to curtail the Hebrews?
But the Israelites were fertile and prolific; they multiplied and increased very greatly, so that the land was filled with them. A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are much too numerous for us. Let us deal shrewdly with them, so that they may not increase; otherwise in the event of war they may join our enemies in fighting against us and rise from the ground.”*
One possibility: The surrounding countries were constantly considering attaching Egypt to exact revenge on Zepho's behalf aginst Jacob's descendants.
And at the revolution of the year which was the seventy second year of the children of Israel’s going down to Egypt, after the death of Joseph, Zepho the son of Eliphaz son of Esau escaped from Egypt with his men, and they came to Danhabah, to Augias, king of Africah, and Augias received them with great honors, and he made Zepho the chief of his hosts. And Zepho found favor in the eyes of Augias and in the eyes of all his people, and Zepho was chief of hosts unto Augias, king of Africah, for many days. And Zepho enticed Augias, king of Africah, to assemble all his armies, and to go to war with the Egyptians and with the sons of Jacob, and to avenge on them the cause of his brothers. But Augias was not willing to listen unto Zepho to do this thing, for Augias knew the strength of the sons of Jacob, and what they had done unto his armies in their war with the children of Esau.
Who is Zepho? What was he escaping from?
These are the names of Esau’s sons: Eliphaz, the son of Esau’s wife Adah; Reuel, the son of Esau’s wife Basemath. The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.
And it came to pass in the thirty-second year of Israel’s going down to Egypt, which was the seventy first year of Joseph’s life, that Pharaoh, king of Egypt, died in the same year, and Migron, his son, reigned instead of him. And Pharaoh commanded Joseph before his death to be a father unto Migron his son, and that Migron should be under Joseph’s hand and advice. And all the people of Egypt listened unto these words, and they agreed that Joseph should rule over them, for all Egypt loved Joseph even as they loved him in former days. And Migron was sitting upon the throne of his father, and he was king instead of his father in those days. And Migron was forty-one years of age when he was made king, and he ruled over Egypt for forty years,
What is the beef of the sons of Esau with Joseph's family? For that, we have to go back to when Jacob died.
(Gen. 50:4-14) and when the wailing period was over, Joseph spoke to Pharaoh’s court, saying, “Do me this favor, and lay this appeal before Pharaoh: ‘My father made me swear, saying, “I am about to die. Be sure to bury me in the grave which I made ready for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now, therefore, let me go up and bury my father; then I shall return.’” And Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you promise on oath.” So Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the officials of Pharaoh, the senior members of his court, and all of Egypt’s dignitaries, together with all of Joseph’s household, his brothers, and his father’s household; only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the region of Goshen. ...Thus his sons did for him as he had instructed them. His sons carried him to the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, the field near Mamre, which Abraham had bought for a burial site from Ephron the Hittite. After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.
and all Egypt called his name Pharaoh, according to the name of his father, as it was customary in Egypt with every king that ruled over them; and when Pharaoh ruled instead of his father, he surrendered all the laws and the government affairs of Egypt into the hands of Joseph, as his father had commanded unto him. And thus Joseph became the king over Egypt, for he was the actual ruler over all the land, and all the matters of Egypt were under his hand and command. And all Egypt inclined towards Joseph after the death of Pharaoh, and they were greatly pleased with his ruling over them, although some men among them were not satisfied, saying: A foreigner should not be king over us. But for all that, the yoke of the Egyptian govern ment was carried by Joseph, and he did everything in the land of Egypt according to his pleasure, and no one said a word unto him; and all Egypt was under the hand of Joseph, and Joseph waged war against all his enemies around him, and he humbled them under his hands. ..And all his brothers, the sons of Jacob, dwelt likewise securely in the land of Goshen, through all the days of Joseph, and they increased and multiplied exceedingly in the land, and they served the Lord through all their days, as Jacob their father had commanded them.
And at the end of many days and years, when the sons of Esau were dwelling securely in their land with Bela, their king, and the sons of Esau had increased and multiplied themselves in the land, they concluded in council, to go to war against the sons of Jacob and against all Egypt, and to secure Zepho, the son of Eliphaz their brother, and his men, who were still slaves unto Joseph in Egypt in those days. And the sons of Esau sent unto all the people of the east and they made peace with them, and all the people of the east came unto them to go with the sons of Esau to fight against Egypt;
[After Jacob's death}
And all the armies of Egypt marched on before him, in the following order: First came all the great men of Pharaoh and the great men of Joseph, and after them the rest of the people of Egypt. ... And the news reached Esau, saying: Behold, Jacob died in Egypt, and now his sons and all Egypt are bringing him into the land of Canaan to bury him.
And when Esau heard these things in his dwelling place on Mount Seir, he rose up with his sons, and with his house hold, and with all his people, a very numerous people, and they came to weep and mourn over Jacob. And when Esau had arrived to mourn for his brother Jacob, all the people of Egypt and of Canaan rose up once more and they mourned over Jacob a great mourning with Esau, in that place.
And Joseph and his brothers took their father Jacob from that place and they carried him to Hebron to bury Jacob in the cave of Macphelah near his fathers, and they came to Kirjath-arba, near the cave. And when they reached that place Esau and his sons stood up against Joseph and his brothers, to prevent them from entering the cave, saying: Jacob cannot be buried in this cave for it belongeth to us and to our father. And when Joseph and his brothers heard the words of Esau’s sons, they were exceedingly angry, and Joseph stepped forwards unto Esau saying: What is it thou hast said? Verily, Jacob my father has bought this cave of thee for great riches after the death of Isaac, twenty-five years ago,
and all the land of Canaan he hath bought likewise of thee and of thy seed after thee. And Jacob bought all of thee for his sons and his seed after him, for a possession forever, and why speakest thou these words to-day?
And Esau answered, saying: Thou speakest falsehood and statest lies, for I have not sold the least thing belonging unto me in this land, as thou sayest, neither did my brother Jacob buy anything belonging to me in this land. And Esau said these words to deceive Joseph, for Esau knew that Joseph was absent from home in those days when he sold all his claims upon the land of Canaan unto Jacob.
And Joseph said unto Esau: Verily, my father hath reduced all these transactions with thee to writing in a book of sale, and he had it attested by witnesses, and behold that book is even now with us in Egypt. And Esau said: Bring then that book and we will do according to what is written therein. And Joseph called his brother Naphtali and he said unto him: Make haste and do not stand still, but run quickly into Egypt I pray thee and bring unto me all the documents concerning this purchase. The book of sale which is sealed and the book of sale which is open, and also all the first books in which are recorded all the transactions concerning the birth-right. And fetch all hither that we may ascertain everything concerning the words of Esau and his sons which they have spoken this day.
And Naphtali listened unto the words of Joseph and he hastened and ran unto Egypt. And Naphtali was swift of foot and lighter than the stags of the wilderness, for he could run upon the ears of the standing fruit of the field without breaking them. And when Esau saw that Naphtali had gone to bring the documents he became still bolder concerning his claims upon the cave, and Esau with all his men rose up to fight against Joseph and his brothers. And all the sons of Jacob and all the Egyptians fought against Esau and his men, and Esau and his sons with all their people were smitten by the sons of Jacob, and they slew of Esau’s people forty men.
And Chushim, the son of Dan, the son of Jacob, was amongst Jacob’s sons, yet he stood at the distance of about a hundred cubits from the place of battle, for he was left with the children of Jacob’s sons, by Jacob’s bier to guard it; and Chushim was deaf and dumb, yet he could notice the voice of men in an uproar. And he inquired, saying: Why do ye not bury the dead, and what is the cause of this great uproar? And they explained unto him all concerning the words of Esau and his sons, and he ran towards Esau in the midst of the fight, and he smote Esau with a sword, and he cut off his head and it rolled away to a great distance, while Esau fell down dead amongst the fighting people.
And after Chushim had done this thing the sons of Jacob prevailed against the sons of Esau, and they buried their father Jacob in the cave by force, before the eyes of Esau’s sons. Thus Jacob was buried in the cave of Machpelah, which Abraham had purchased of the sons of Heth for the possession of a burial ground, and he was buried in very costly garments. And never had a king received such honors as Joseph conferred upon his father at his death, for he had him buried with great honors like to the funeral of kings; and Joseph and his brethren mourned a mourning of seven days for their father.
And after this the sons of Esau instituted war against the sons of Jacob, and the sons of Esau fought with the sons of Jacob in Hebron; and Esau was still unburied. And the war was heavy between them and the sons of Esau were smitten by the sons of Jacob, and they slew of them eighty men, while not one man fell from the people of the sons of Jacob. And Joseph overpowered all the people of Esau’s sons, and he captured Zepho, the son of Eliphaz, with fifty of his men, and he bound them with iron chains, and he surrendered them into the hands of his servants to bring them down into Egypt.
And when the sons of Jacob had captured Zepho and his people, the rest of Esau’s household were afraid of their lives lest they be also taken captive, and they fled with Eliphaz, Esau’s son, taking with them the body of Esau, and they pursued their way to Mount Seir. And when they reached Mount Seir they buried his body, but they have not brought his head along with them, for it was buried on the battle field in Hebron. And when the sons of Esau took flight the sons of Jacob pursued them to the boundaries of Seir, but they did not slay any man among them, because the body of Esau, which was with them, aroused their compassion; and after the sons of Esau had fled the sons of Jacob returned unto their brethren in Hebron, and they rested there from the battle on that day and the day following. And on the third day the sons of Esau assembled all the sons of Seir, the Horite, and all the people of the east, a great multitude of men, even like the sand of the sea, and they marched down to Egypt to battle with Joseph and his brothers, and to rescue their brethren.
And when Joseph and all the sons of Jacob heard that the sons of Esau and the people of the east came against them to battle, and to rescue their brethren, Joseph and his brothers and all the heroic men of Egypt went forth and they fought in the city of Raamses, and Joseph and his brothers smote a terrible smiting amongst the sons of Esau and the people of the east; and they slew six hundred thousand of their men, and also all the mighty men of the sons of Seir, the Horite, so that but few of them were left,
Another possibility: Having betrayed and mistrusted the loyalty of the Hebrews, Egypt was afraid of reventge.
(At this point, Zepho decides to take up arms against the Hebrews and Egyptians).
ויירא אנגיאס מפני צפן בן אליפז כל הימים פן ילחם עוד איתו. ובלעם בן בעור היה בעת ההיא עם אנגיאס במלחמה, ויהי בראותו כי גבר צפו על אנגיאס ויברח משם ויבוא כתימה. ויקבלוהו צפו ובני כיתים בכבוד גדול כי ידע צפו את חכמת בלעם, ויתן צפו לבלעם מתנות רבות וישב איתו. ויהי בשוב צפו מהמלחמה, ויצו ויפקוד את כל בני כיתים אשר הלכו במלחמה והנה לא נפקד מהם איש. וישמח צפו על הדבר הזה, ויוסף עוד ויחדש את מלכותו ויעש משתה לכל עבדיו. אך לא זכר צפו את ה׳, ולא ידע כי ה׳ עזר אותו במלחמתו, וכי הוא הציל אותו ועמו מיד מלך אפריקה. אך עודנו ילך בדרכי בני כיתים ובני עשו הרעים לעבוד אלוקים אחרים כאשר למדונו אחיו בני עשו, על כן יאמרו מרשעים יצא רשע. וימלוך צפו על כל בני כיתים לבטח, ואת ה׳ אשר הציל אותו ואת כל עמו (מיד) מלך אפריקה לא ידע. ולא יספו עוד גדודי אפריקה לבוא כתימה לשלול שלל כפעם בפעם, כי ידעו את כל גבורת צפו אשר הכה את כולם לפי חרב. ויירא אנגיאס מפני צפו בן אליפז ומפני בני כיתים, כל הימים. בעת ההיא, בשוב צפו מהמלחמה וכראות צפו כי גבר על כל אנשי אפריקה וימיתם לפי חרב במלחמה. יתייעץ צפו עם כל בני כיתים ללכת מצרימה, להילחם את בני יעקב ואת פרעה מלך מצרים. כי שמע צפו כי מתו כל גיבורי מצרים, וכי מתו יוסף ואחיו בני יעקב וישארו כל בניהם בני ישראל במצרים. ויאמר צפו ללכת להילחם איתם ועם כל מצרים, לנקום מהם את נקמת אחיו בני עשו אשר הכה יוסף ואחיו וכל מצרים בארץ כנען בעלותם לקבור את יעקב בחברון. וישלח צפו מלאכים אל הדד בן בדד מלך אדום, ואל כל אחיו בני עשו לאמור. הלא אמרתם כי לא תלחמו את מלך אפריקה כי בעל בריתכם הוא, הנה אנוכי נלחמתי בו והכתיו ואת כל עמו. ועתה אמור אמרתי להילחם את מצרים ואת בני יעקב אשר שם, ונקמתי מהם את אשר עשה יוסף ואחיו אבותיהם לנו בארץ כנען בעלותם לקבור את אביהם בחברון. ועתה אם יש את נפשכם לבוא אליי לעזרני להילחם איתם ואת מצרים, ונקמנו מהם נקמת אחינו.
And he sent messengers unto Hadad, son of Bedad, king of Edom, and to all his relatives, the children of Esau, saying: ...I have fixed my mind upon fighting against Egypt and against the children of Joseph who are there, and I will take revenge on them for what his brothers have done unto us in the land of Canaan, when they went up to bury their father in Hebron. And now if ye be willing to come to our assistance, to fight against them and the Egyptians, then come and let us avenge the cause of our brethren.
...And the camp was exceedingly heavy three days journey in length, a numerous people like the sand on the sea shore which cannot be numbered, and all these with their hosts marched down before Egypt to give battle, and they encamped themselves together in the valley of Pithros. And when all Egypt heard the news of their coming, they also gathered together, all the people of Egypt and of all the cities belonging unto Egypt, about three hundred thousand men.
And the people of Egypt sent also for the children of Israel who were dwelling in Goshen in those days, to come unto them to fight against those kings, and some of the men of Israel assembled and they were about one hundred and fifty men, and they went to assist the Egyptians in their battle. And the men of Israel and Egypt went forth about three hundred thousand and one hundred and fifty men, and they posted themselves outside of Goshen, opposite Pithros.
And the Egyptians had no confidence in the Israelites to go with them together into battle, for they said: Mayhap the children of Israel will deliver us into the hands of the children of Esau and Ishmael, for they are their relatives. And all the Egyptians said unto the children of Israel: Remain ye here in your present position, and we will go to fight against the children of Esau and Ishmael, and if they should prevail over us then all of you will come over them to assist us; and the children of Israel did so.
(coincidental to our story today, but look who appears in this story!)
And Balaam, the son of Beor, the Aramite, [!] was with Zepho in the camp, for he had come with the children of Chittim, and Balaam was highly honored in the eyes of Zepho and his men. And they said unto Balaam: ...employ thy knowledge of witchcraft in our behalf, that we may know who will be victorious in this battle, we or the Egyptians. And Balaam rose up to undertake his divination, and although he was skilled in that art he was confused this time, and his work failed in his hands. And he attempted it again, but without success, and Balaam was despaired of it, and he abandoned it, for it was the will of God, in order that the Lord might cause Zepho and his people to fall into the hands of the children of Israel, who trusted in their wars only in the Lord the God of their ancestors.)
And Zepho and Hadad arrayed their armies for the fight, and all the Egyptians went against them alone, about three hundred thousand men, and there was not a single Israelite among them. And the kings overpowered the Egyptians in that battle, and there fell of the Egyptians on that day about one hundred and eighty men, and about thirty men of the people of the kings, and all the Egyptians retreated from before the kings, and the children of Esau pursued the Egyptians, smiting them continually until they reached the place where the camp of the children of Israel was.
And all the Egyptians cried unto the children of Israel: Hasten and come to our assistance, and save us from the hand of the children of Esau and Ishmael and Chittim! And the one hundred and fifty men of the children of Israel hastened and ran from their position unto the camps of those kings, and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord their God to deliver them. And the Lord hearkened unto the Israelites, and he delivered into their hands all the men of the kings, and the children of Israel smote of them about four thousand men. And the Lord sent great confusion into the camp of the kings, and the fear of the children of Israel fell upon them. And all the armies of the kings fled from before the children of Israel, and they pursued them, smiting them continually, until they reached the boundaries of Cush; and the children of Israel slew of them about two thousand more men on the road, while of the children of Israel not even one man did fall.
And when the Egyptians saw this small number of Israelites fighting against those kings, and that the battle was so very disastrous, the Egyptians were greatly afraid on account of the heavy battle, and they hid themselves all along the road, and they left the Israelites alone in the fight. And the Israelites smote a terrible smiting among the men of the kings, and after driving them to the borders of Cush, the Israelites returned.
And all the Israelites knew what the Egyptians had done unto them, and that they had fled from the battle leaving them alone in the fight. And the children of Israel acted likewise deceitfully, and when they returned from the battle they met some of the Egyptians and they slew them, saying unto them: Wherefore have you gone away from us and left us so few in numbers, to fight against those kings, who had a numerous people to smite us, in order to save yourselves?
And betimes they would meet some of the Egyptians, and the children of Israel would say to one another: Smite him for he is an Ishmaelite, or an Edomite, or from the children of Chittim, and they stood up over him and slew him, although they knew he was an Egyptian; and the children of Israel acted thus cunningly against the Egyptians, because they had left them in the fight and fled from them, and the children of Israel slew of the Egyptians in that manner about two hundred men.
And when the people of Egypt saw the evil which the children of Israel had done unto them, all the Egyptians were in great fear of the children of Israel, for they had seen their strength, and that not one man had fallen amongst them. And the children of Israel returned rejoicing on their way to Goshen, and the rest of the Egyptians returned likewise to their homes.
Question 2: How did the children of Israel become enslaved, given their clear relative power?
So they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor; and they built garrison cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses.
And the counselors and elders of Egypt spoke unto the king saying: Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more numerous and mightier than we are, and thou knowest all the evil which they have done unto us on the road, when we were returning from the battle; and thou hast seen likewise their great strength which they have inherited from their fathers, by reason of which only a few of them maintained their position against a people numerous like the sand, smiting them at the edge of the sword, while not one man of them fell, and if they had been many all of their enemies would have been exterminated. And now we want thy advice, what hath to be done with them in order to wipe them out gradually from our midst, before they become too numerous for us in the land; for if the children of Israel be allowed to increase, then they would be a great obstacle in our way, and in case of war they might join our enemies to fight against us, and destroy us from the land with their great strength, or to cause us to go away from it.
And the king answered unto the elders of Egypt, and he said unto them: This is my advice concerning the children of Israel from which we cannot turn. Behold, Pithros and Rameses are cities not sufficiently fortified to stand in war, and now it is your duty and ours to build fortifications; go ye therefore and act likewise cunningly towards them, and proclaim it through Egypt and Goshen at the king's command, saying: Hear ye men of Egypt, and of Goshen, and of Pithros and all inhabitants thereof, the king hath commanded us to build up Pithros and Rameses, and to fortify them against war; all those amongst you people of Egypt, and children of Israel and inhabitants of the cities, who will come to build with us, shall receive their hire day after day, by command of the king. And then go ye cunningly and assemble in Pithros and Rameses and commence building;
and while you are at work cause ye the proclamation to be made through all Egypt day after day at the king's command, and when some of the Israelites will come to build with you, pay them their wages for a few days. And after they shall have been engaged in the work for their daily hire, depart ye from them daily one by one in secret, and then you shall rise up and become their task masters and overseers, and you shall cause them to continue the work without wages, and if they refuse then you all will force them to do the building.
And if ye will surely do this thing, then it will be well unto us in having fortified our land, and it will result in great evil to the children of Israel, for by reason of the fatigue in building they will become diminished, as you will keep them away from their wives day after day. And when the elders of Egypt heard the king's counsel it seemed good in their eyes and in the eyes of all the servants of Pharaoh, and they did as the king had spoken.
And all the servants of the king went away, and they caused it to be proclaimed through all Egypt, and Goshen, and the cities around Egypt, saying: You have seen what the sons of Esau and Ishmael have done unto us, who came to fight against us and to exterminate us. And now the king hath commanded that we fortify our land to build up Pithros and Rameses and to fortify them for battle, in case our enemies should come again upon us. All those willing to come and build with us shall receive their daily hire from the king according to his commandment unto us.
And when the Egyptians and the children of Israel heard this proclamation by the servants of Pharaoh, many of the Egyptians and the children of Israel came to build up Pithros and Rameses, but of the sons of Levi no one came to build with their brethren. And all the servants and the princes of Pharaoh came at first with cunning, to build together with the Israelites for daily hire, and they paid the children of Israel their daily wages in the beginning, and the servants of Pharaoh were thus engaged in the work with the children of Israel for one month.
And at the end of one month the servants of Pharaoh began to withdraw gradually and secretly, day after day, from the children of Israel, but the Israelites continued their work at that time, for they received their daily hire, and because some of the Egyptians were still working with them; and the Egyptians gave unto the children of Israel their hire, so that the Egyptians who still worked with them might also receive the wages for their work.
And at the end of one year and four months all the Egyptians had withdrawn, so that only the children of Israel remained to do the work. And after all the Egyptians had finally withdrawn, they returned and became their task masters and overseers, and some of them were placed over the children of Israel to take away from them all they had received in wages. And the Egyptians treated the children of Israel in this manner, in order to afflict them in their work, and when the children of Israel were the only ones engaged in the work, the Egyptians refused from that day on to pay unto them their daily hire.
And when some of the Israelites would not work without receiving their wages, the task masters and servants of Pharaoh afflicted them, and they gave them a terrible beating until they were forced to return and work with their brethren; and so did the Egyptians do unto the Israelites all the time. Thus all the children of Israel had to build Pithros and Rameses, part of them were making bricks, and part of them did the building, and the children of Israel fortified all the land of Egypt and its walls, and they continued in that work for many years, until the Lord remembered them and brought them out of Egypt;
and the children of Levi were the only ones who did not work with their brethren from the beginning on even unto the day that they went out of Egypt. For the children of Levi knew that the Egyptians spoke deceitfully unto the children of Israel, and therefore the children of Levi abstained from going to work with their brethren. Nor did the Egyptians care to have the children of Levi work afterwards, since they had not been at work with their brethren from the beginning, and therefore all the Egyptians left them alone. And the hand of the Egyptians grew always heavier upon the children of Israel in their labor, and the Egyptians made them work with rigor. And the Egyptians embittered the lives of the children of Israel with hard labor, in mortar and in bricks, and also in all kind of work in the field; and the children of Israel called Melol, the king of Egypt, “Meror,” because in his days the Egyptians embittered their lives with all kind of work.
Question 3: How bad were things before God took notice?
And when Pharaoh saw that Balaam's counsel did not succeed, and that the children of Israel continued to be fruitful and multiply throughout the land of Egypt, then Pharaoh commanded it to be proclaimed through all Egypt, saying: No man shall diminish aught of his daily labor; and he who shall be found wanting in the performance of his daily task in mortar or in bricks, shall have his youngest son put in to fill the vacant place in his work.
And the labor of the children of Israel was very oppressive in those days, and if a man diminished even one brick in his daily task, the Egyptians took forcibly his youngest son from his mother, and immured him into the building instead of the brick, of which his father had been deficient.
[ Interesting interlude: Moses finds out from his people just how life is (before he kills the slavemaster)
And Moses asked them, saying: Wherefore must you perform this work day after day? And they told him all that hath befallen them, and they acquainted him with all the laws which Pharaoh had burdened them with before Moses was born, and all the counsels which Balaam had counseled against them...
And Moses heard these things and his anger was kindled against Balaam, and he resolved to kill him, and he lay in wait for him day after day. And they informed Balaam saying: Behold, the son of Bathia seeketh thy life. And Balaam was in fear of Moses, and he went away from Egypt with his two sons, and they fled for their lives to Kikianus, king of Cush.
And Moses was still in the house of Pharaoh, going out and coming in, and the Lord caused him to find favor in the eyes of Pharaoh and his servants and all the people of Egypt, and they loved Moses greatly. And Moses went again to Goshen to see his brethren, and he saw their affliction and hard labor, and Moses was very grieved on their account. And Moses returned unto Egypt to the house of Pharaoh, and he came before the king and he bowed down before him.
And Moses said unto Pharaoh: My lord, I have come to ask a small favor of thee, and I pray thee not to turn my face away empty; and Pharaoh said unto him: Speak. And Moses said unto Pharaoh: Grant thou that thy servants, the children of Israel, be given one day to rest from their labor. And Pharaoh said: Behold, I will grant that request, for thy sake. And Pharaoh ordered it to be proclaimed through all Egypt and Goshen, saying: Thus said the king unto you, all ye children of Israel: For six days you shall do your work and on the seventh day you shall rest and not perform any labor; thus shall ye do all the days accord ing to the commandment of the king and of Moses, son of Bathia. And Moses rejoiced greatly at the thing with which the king had favored him, and all the children of Israel did as Moses had commanded unto them. And this was ordained by the Lord, for the Lord had begun to remember the children of Israel to deliver them for the sake of their fathers.
Much later in the narrative we have more tales of how bad things were....
At that time the Lord smote Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, with the plague of leprosy, from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head, and on account of the rigorous labor of the children of Israel this plague was visited upon Pharaoh at that time by the Lord; for the Lord had listened unto the prayer of Israel, his people, and their crying came before him on account of their hard labor.
And for all that, Pharaoh’s anger was not turned away from them, and his hand continued outstretched against the children of Israel, and Pharaoh stiffened his neck before the Lord and he made the yoke of Israel heavier, and he embittered their lives in all manner of hard work. And when the Lord had smitten Pharaoh, he sent for all his magicians and wise men to come and cure him. And his wise men and magicians said that the blood of little babes be put upon the wounds, and they would be healed. And Pharaoh listened unto them, and he sent his officers to Goshen, to the children of Israel, to take away their little babes. And Pharaoh’s officers went and they tore away the little infants forcibly from the breasts of their mothers, and they brought them unto Pharaoh day after day, one infant each day, and the physicians slaughtered them, and applied the blood to his sores, and thus did they all the days.
And the number of infants that Pharaoh had slaughtered in this manner, was three hundred and seventy-five; but the Lord did not hearken unto the physicians of the king, and the plague grew always more painful, and Pharaoh continued to suffer the plague of that disease for ten years, and yet Pharaoh's heart grew always in cruelty against the children of Israel. And at the end of ten years the Lord added blow upon blow and sore upon sore unto the king of Egypt, and the Lord smote him with malignant sores and abdominal diseases, and the plague assumed its worst forms.
[This Pharoah suffers for another 10 years and dies a horrible and painful death, with his flesh so rotten he can't be embalmed]
The next Pharoah...was twenty years old when he assumed the government, and he reigned for four years. In the two hundred and sixth year of Israel's going down to Egypt, Adicom reigned over Egypt, but he did not lengthen his days in his kingdom as his fathers did, for his father, Melol, ruled over Egypt ninety-four years, but he lay sick for ten years and died because he had been wicked before the Lord. ... And in his reigning he was even more wicked than his father, and all the kings that ruled before him, and he made his yoke very heavy upon the children of Israel; and he went with his servants to Goshen to the children of Israel, and he made their work more oppressive than before, and he said unto them: Finish ye your daily task and do not neglect your work in future as it was your habit in the days of my father; and he placed over them overseers from among the people of Israel, and over those overseers he placed task masters from the midst of his servants, and he assigned for them the number of bricks which they had to make daily, and then he returned to Egypt.
And at that time the task masters of Pharaoh commanded the overseers of the children of Israel according to Pharaoh’s order, saying: Thus saith Pharaoh: Do ye the work of your daily task, and the tale of bricks ye shall observe to have fulfilled every day, according to measure, ye shall not diminish aught thereof. And if it happen that you are wanting in your daily measure of bricks, I will put your little children in instead of the bricks. And the task masters of Egypt did according to Pharaoh’s commandment in those days, and whenever they were deficient in their daily task, the task master of Pharaoh would go to the wives of the children of Israel and take away their infants, according to the deficiency of bricks, and they would tear them away from the laps of their mothers and put them into the walls of the building, in place of the bricks, midst the weeping and lamentations of their fathers and mothers, who heard the crying of their infants in the walls of the building.
And the task masters forced the Israelites to put their children into the building, and a man had to take his own child and place him into the wall and put mortar over him, though his eyes were weeping and his tears streamed down upon his child. And the task masters of Pharaoh did so for many days, and they had no pity and mercy upon the infants of the children of Israel; and the number of children that were caused to die in the building was two hundred and seventy.
and the children of Israel sighed every day in the hardship of their labor, saying: Behold, when Pharaoh died and his son was crowned we hoped to have our work lightened, and now the rigor of the latter is by far greater than of the former; and the children of Israel sighed on that account, and their cries ascended to the Lord, and the Lord heard their cries in those days, and he remembered unto them the covenant which he had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and he resolved to deliver them.
Question 4: How did Moses come to be in Midian and what happened then?
When Pharaoh learned of the matter, he sought to kill Moses; but Moses fled from Pharaoh. He arrived*arrived Lit. “sat” or “settled.” in the land of Midian, and sat down beside a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters. They came to draw water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock; but shepherds came and drove them off. Moses rose to their defense, and he watered their flock. When they returned to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come back so soon today?” They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds; he even drew water for us and watered the flock.” He said to his daughters, “Where is he then? Why did you leave the man? Ask him in to break bread.” Moses consented to stay with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah as wife.
And when Pharaoh heard of this occurrence (the slaying of the taskmaster) he ordered Moses to be slain, but God sent his angel and he appeared in the guise of a captain of the guards before Pharaoh. And the angel seized the sword from the hand of a captain of the guard and he cut off the captain's head, for the likeness of the captain was turned into the likeness of Moses. And the angel took Moses by the right hand and transferred him from Egypt a distance of forty days’ journey. [And Aaron, his brother, remained alone in the land, and he prophesied unto the people of Israel, saying: Thus says God the Lord of your ancestors, cast ye away, each one among you, the abominations of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. But the children of Israel would not listen unto Aaron at that time, and the Lord should have destroyed them, were it not for the covenant which he had made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.] And the hand of Pharaoh continued to be rigorous upon the Israelites at that time, and he afflicted and oppressed them up to the time when God fulfilled his word and he remembered them.
And in those days was a heavy war between the people of the east (Cush, where Balaam had fled) and Aram, for they rebelled against the king of Cush, under whose hands they had been.
....[we've skipped a long and confusing story about a battle between the people of Kikianus of Cush] ...they lay siege to the city that no man could enter or leave Cush for nine years. And it was at the time of the war and siege of Cush that Moses fled from Egypt and he came into the camp of Kikianus who was besieging Cush at that time, and Moses was nine years in the camp, through all the time of the siege of Cush.
And the king and the princes and all the soldiers loved Moses, for he was very efficient and worthy, his stature and strength was like a lion’s, and his countenance beamed like the sun, and he was the king's counselor. And at the end of nine years Kikianus fell sick—it was the disease of which he died, for his sickness overpowered him and he died on the seventh day. ...
And after the death of Kikianus, his people were very grieved on account of the war, and they said to each other: Let us counsel together what we are to do, for we have been living in the wilderness away from our homes, nine years this day. If we continue to fight against the city, then many of us will be wounded and slain, and if we keep up the siege we shall die likewise. For now all the Kings of Aram and the people of the east will hear that our king is dead, and they will come upon us suddenly, and they will fight against us, and they will not leave of us a remnant. Come then and let us select a king and continue the siege until the city is given into our hands. And they searched all the army of Kikianus for a man fit to be king over them, and they found none like Moses worthy to be king over them; ... they exclaimed before him, saying: May the king live; may the king live. And all the princes and the people swore to give him for a wife Adoniah, the queen of Cush, wife of Kikianus, and they crowned Moses their king on that day.
[With magic and planning, Moses leads the people to a decisive victory rather than continue the siege.]
And after Moses had captured the city through his wisdom, the sons of Cush placed him upon the throne instead of Kikianus, their king, and they put the regal crown upon his head, and they gave him Adoniah, their queen, for a wife. But Moses feared the Lord the God of his ancestors, and he never came near unto her, nor did he turn even his eyes towards her. For Moses re membered that Abraham caused his servant Eliezer to swear, saying: Thou shalt not take for my son Isaac a wife from the daughters of Canaan, and that Isaac did likewise, when Jacob fled from before his brother, saying unto him: Thou shalt not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan, and not intermarry with all the sons of Ham, ... And therefore Moses inclined neither his heart nor his eyes to the wife of Kikianus, all the days that he reigned over Cush; and Moses feared the Lord his God all his life, and he walked before the Lord in truth with all his heart and with all his soul, and he did not turn neither to the right nor to the left from the way in which Abraham, Isaac and Jacob walked. And Moses strengthened himself in his kingdom, and he guided the sons of Cush in accordance with his wisdom, and Moses was prosperous in his kingdom.
And in the fortieth year of the kingdom of Moses over Cush, Moses was sitting upon his throne with queen Adoniah before him, and all the princes were seated around them, and Adoniah spoke before the king and the princes saying: What is this thing which you have done, oh children of Cush these many days? Know ye not that within the forty years that this man reigned over Cush he hath not come near me, nor hath he served the gods of the children of Cush. Now, therefore, hear me, oh children of Cush, and suffer this man no longer to rule over us, for he is not of our flesh; behold here is my oldest son Menaeris, and let him be your king, for verily it is better for you to serve the son of your master, than to serve a stranger, a former slave to the king of Egypt. And the people heard the words which Adoniah had spoken in their hearing, and they were in consultation until evening, and next morning they arose and made Menaeris, the son of Kikianus, king over Cush. And all the sons of Cush were afraid to put forth their hands against Moses, for the Lord was with him, and the sons of Cush remembered the oath which they have sworn unto Moses, and therefore they would do him no harm; but they gave unto Moses many gifts and they sent him away from them with great honors.
Thus Moses left the land of Cush and he went his way after he ceased to be king over Cush; and Moses was sixty seven years of age when he departed from the land of Cush, and this was ordained by the Lord, for the time had come which he had appointed in times of old, when he was to bring forth the children of Israel from the affliction of the sons of Ham.
And Moses went to Midian, as he was afraid to return unto Egypt on account of Pharaoh, and he went and seated himself at the well of water in Midian. And the seven daughters of Reuel, the Midianite, went forth to feed the sheep of their father, and they came to the well to draw water for their father's flocks; but the shepherds of Midian came and drove them away, and Moses stood up and assisted them, and watered their sheep. And they came home to Reuel, their father, and they told him what Moses had done for them, and they said: An Egyptian man hath delivered us from the hand of the shepherds, and he drew up for us the water, and he watered the sheep.
And Reuel said unto his daughters: And where is he, why have ye left the man? And Reuel sent for him, and brought him into his house and he ate with him bread. And Moses related unto Reuel, that he had fled from Egypt and that he had been reigning for forty years over Cush, and how they had deprived him of his kingdom, and sent him away in peace with honor and with gifts.
And when Reuel heard the words of Moses he said within himself: I will put this man into the prison house and gain favor by the children of Cush on his account, for he hath surely fled from them; and they took him and put him into the prison house, and Moses remained in prison for ten years. And while Moses was in the prison house, Zipporah, Reuel’s daughter, had pity upon him, and she supplied Moses with bread and with water all the time. And all the children of Israel were still in the land of Egypt, and they served the Egyptians in all manner of hard labor, and the hand of Egypt continued in its rigor over the children of Israel in those days.
Meantime Moses, the son of Amram, was still confined in the prison house in those days, in the house of Reuel, the Midianite, and his daughter Zipporah supplied Moses secretly with food day after day. And at the end of ten years, which was the first year of the kingdom of the new Pharaoh, Zipporah said unto Reuel, her father: Behold, the Hebrew man whom thou hast bound in the prison house is there for ten years, and yet no man inquired or searched for him; and now if it seemeth good in thine eyes, let us send and see whether he be dead or alive; and her father knew not that she had supported him.
And her father said unto her: Hath ever such a thing come to pass, that a man could stand to be ten years in prison without eating and live? And Zipporah answered unto her father, saying: Verily, thou hast heard that the God of the Hebrews is great and fearful, and that he works wonders in their behalf at all times. It is he who hath delivered Abraham from Ur Chasdim, and Isaac from his father's sword, and Jacob from the angel of the Lord at the ford of Jabbok; and with this man also he hath done many things, for he delivered him from the river of Egypt, and from the sword of Pharaoh, and from the sons of Cush, and in the same way he can save him from starvation and keep him alive.
And the thing seemed good in the eyes of Reuel, and he did according to the words of his daughter, and he sent to the prison to see what had become of Moses, and he saw and behold, the man was alive in the pit, standing upon his feet, engaged in singing praises and praying to the God of his fathers.
And Reuel commanded that Moses be brought forth from the pit, and they shaved him and he changed his prison garments, and he ate bread; and afterwards he went into Reuel's garden, which was back of the house, and there he prayed unto the Lord his God, who had done with him such great wonders. And whilst he was praying he looked before him, and beheld a rod of the saphir tree, which had been planted in the midst of the garden. And he approached the rod, and looking at it closer, he saw the name of the Lord, the God of hosts, engraved upon the rod in distinct characters.
And he read it, and put forth his hand, and he extracted it from the ground wherein it was rooted, like a tree in the forest. And this is the rod with which all the wonders of our God have been performed from the day he finished heaven and earth and all their hosts, the oceans and streams, and all their fishes. And when God drove Adam from the Garden of Eden, Adam took this rod along with him, and he went to till the ground whence he was taken. And the rod was transmitted to Noah and through him to Shem and his descendants, and then it came into the hands of Abraham, the Hebrew; and when Abraham gave all his property unto Isaac, his son, he gave him this rod likewise.
And when Jacob fled to Padan-aram he took that rod with him, and when he returned to his father the rod was not forgotten. And when Jacob went down to Egypt he gave that rod unto Joseph, saying: I have given to thee a portion above thy brethren which I took out of the hands of the Amorite; for Jacob took it forcibly from Esau, his brother.
And after the death of Joseph, when the princes of Egypt came into his house, the rod fell into the hands of Reuel, the Midianite, and when he left Egypt he took it along and planted it into his garden. And whenever a man came to ask Zipporah for a wife, Reuel would tell him to extract the rod from the ground, for she would not be given for a wife to any man who could not pluck it. ...Thus that rod remained in Reuel's garden until the man came who had the right to take it. And when Reuel saw the rod plucked by the hand of Moses, he was greatly astonished, and he gave his daughter Zipporah unto Moses for a wife.
Question 5: Did all the children of Israel follow Moses?
[....plagues are described in greater detail...., including some extra ones.]
And the Lord sent darkness over Egypt, and the whole land of Egypt was so dark for three days that a man could not see his hand when he put it even to his mouth. In those days many of the children of Israel died, all those that had rebelled against the Lord, and would not hearken unto Moses and believed not that God had sent him, and said: We will not go away from Egypt to die of starvation in the barren wilderness. And the Lord punished them in those days of darkness, and the children of Israel buried them in those days, so that the Egyptians should not know and rejoice over them; and the darkness was so intense in Egypt for three days, that any man who stood up when the darkness came had to remain standing in his place, and he that was sitting had to remain sitting, and he that was lying had to keep on lying, and he that was walking remained fixed to the ground, and thus it was with all the Egyptians until the darkness had subsided.