AND when the sons of Ya`aqov had sold their brother Yoceph to the Midyaniym, their hearts were smitten on account of him, and they repented of their acts, and they sought for him to bring him back, but could not find him.
And Re'uven returned to the pit in which Yoceph had been put, in order to lift him out, and restore him to his father, and Re'uven stood by the pit, and he heard not a word, and he called out Yoceph! Yoceph! and no one answered or uttered a word.
And Re'uven said, Yoceph has died through fright, or some serpent has caused his death; and Re'uven descended into the pit, and he searched for Yoceph and could not find him in the pit, and he came out again.
And Re'uven tore his garments and he said, The child is not there, and how shall I reconcile my father about him if he be dead? and he went to his brethren and found them grieving on account of Yoceph, and counseling together how to reconcile their father about him, and Re'uven said unto his brethren, I came to the pit and behold Yoceph was not there, what then shall we say unto our father, for my father will only seek the lad from me.
And his brethren answered him saying, Thus and thus we did, and our hearts afterward smote us on account of this act, and we now sit to seek a pretext how we shall reconcile our father to it.
And Re'uven said unto them, What is this you have done to bring down the gray hairs of our father in sorrow to She'ol? the thing is not good, that you have done.
And Re'uven sat with them, and they all rose up and swore to each other not to tell this thing unto Ya`aqov, and they all said, The man who will tell this to our father or his household, or who will report this to any of the children of the land, we will all rise up against him and slay him with the sword.
And the sons of Ya`aqov feared each other in this matter, from the youngest to the oldest, and no one spoke a word, and they concealed the thing in their hearts.
And they afterward sat down to determine and invent something to say unto their father Ya`aqov concerning all these things.
And Yisshakar said unto them, Here is an advice for you if it seems good in your eyes to do this thing, take the coat which belongs to Yoceph and tear it, and kill a kid of the goats and dip it in its blood.
And send it to our father and when he sees it he will say an evil beast has devoured him, therefore tear ye his coat and behold his blood will be upon his coat, and by your doing this we shall be free of our father's murmurings.
And Yisshakar's advice pleased them, and they hearkened unto him and they did according to the word of Yisshakar which he had counseled them.
And they hastened and took Yoceph's coat and tore it, and they killed a kid of the goats and dipped the coat in the blood of the kid, and then trampled it in the dust, and they sent the coat to their father Ya`aqov by the hand of Naphtaliy, and they commanded him to say these words:
We had gathered in the cattle and had come as far as the road to Shekem and farther, when we found this coat upon the road in the wilderness dipped in blood and in dust; now therefore know whether it be your son's coat or not.
And Naphtaliy went and he came unto his father and he gave him the coat, and he spoke unto him all the words which his brethren had commanded him.
And Ya`aqov saw Yoceph's coat and he knew it and he fell upon his face to the ground, and became as still as a stone, and he afterward rose up and cried out with a loud and weeping voice and he said, It is the coat of my son Yoceph!
And Ya`aqov hastened and sent one of his servants to his sons, who went to them and found them coming along the road with the flock.
And the sons of Ya`aqov came to their father about evening, and behold their garments were torn and dust was upon their heads, and they found their father crying out and weeping with a loud voice.
And Ya`aqov said unto his sons, Tell me truly what evil have you this day suddenly brought upon me? and they answered their father Ya`aqov, saying, We were coming along this day after the flock had been gathered in, and we came as far as the city of Shekem by the road in the wilderness, and we found this coat filled with blood upon the ground, and we knew it and we sent unto you if you could know it.
And Ya`aqov heard the words of his sons and he cried out with a loud voice, and he said, It is the coat of my son, an evil beast has devoured him; Yoceph is rent in pieces, for I sent him this day to see whether it was well with you and well with the flocks and to bring me word again from you, and he went as I commanded him, and this has happened to him this day while I thought my son was with you.
And the sons of Ya`aqov answered and said, He did not come to us, neither have we seen him from the time of our going out from you until now.
And when Ya`aqov heard their words he again cried out aloud, and he rose up and tore his garments, and he put sackcloth upon his loins, and he wept bitterly and he mourned and lifted up his voice in weeping and exclaimed and said these words,
Yoceph my son, O my son Yoceph, I sent you this day after the welfare of your brethren, and behold you have been torn in pieces; through my hand has this happened to my son.
It grieves me for you Yoceph my son, it grieves me for you; how sweet were you to me during life, and now how exceedingly bitter is your death to me.
O that I had died in your stead Yoceph my son, for it grieves me sadly for you my son, O my son, my son. Yoceph my son, where are you, and where have you been drawn? arouse, arouse from your place, and come and see my grief for you, O my son Yoceph.
Come now and number the tears gushing from my eyes down my cheeks, and bring them up before Yahuah, that his anger may turn from me.
O Yoceph my son, how did you fall, by the hand of one by whom no one had fallen from the beginning of the world unto this day; for you have been put to death by the smiting of an enemy, inflicted with cruelty, but surely I know that this has happened to you, on account of the multitude of my sins.
Arouse now and see how bitter is my trouble for you my son, although I did not rear you, nor fashion you, nor give you breath and soul, but it was Elohiym who formed you and built your bones and covered them with flesh, and breathed in your nostrils the breath of life, and then he gave you unto me.
Now truly Elohiym who gave you unto me, he has taken you from me, and such then has befallen you this day, and all the works of Elohiym are good.
And Ya`aqov continued to speak like unto these words concerning Yoceph, and he wept bitterly; he fell to the ground and became still.
And all the sons of Ya`aqov seeing their father's trouble, they repented of what they had done, and they also wept bitterly.
And Yahudah rose up and lifted his father's head from the ground, and placed it upon his lap, and he wiped his father's tears from his cheeks, and Yahudah wept an exceeding great weeping, while his father's head was reclining upon his lap, still as a stone.
And the sons of Ya`aqov saw their father's trouble, and they lifted up their voices and continued to weep, and Ya`aqov was yet lying upon the ground still as a stone.
And all his sons and his servants and his servant's children rose up and stood round him to comfort him, and he refused to be comforted.
And the whole household of Ya`aqov rose up and mourned a great mourning on account of Yoceph and their father's trouble, and the intelligence reached Yitschaq, the son of Avraham, the father of Ya`aqov, and he wept bitterly on account of Yoceph, he and all his household, and he went from the place where he dwelt in Chevron, and his men with him, and he comforted Ya`aqov his son, and he refused to be comforted.
And after this, Ya`aqov rose up from the ground, and his tears were running down his cheeks, and he said unto his sons, Rise up and take your swords and your bows, and go forth into the field, and seek whether you can find my son's body and bring it unto me that I may bury it.
Seek also, I pray you, among the beasts and hunt them, and that which shall come the first before you seize and bring it unto me, perhaps Yahuah will this day pity my affliction, and prepare before you that which did tear my son in pieces, and bring it unto me, and I will avenge the cause of my son.
And his sons did as their father had commanded them, and they rose up early in the morning, and each took his sword and his bow in his hand, and they went forth into the field to hunt the beasts.
And Ya`aqov was still crying aloud and weeping and walking to and fro in the house, and smiting his hands together, saying, Yoceph my son, Yoceph my son.
And the sons of Ya`aqov went into the wilderness to seize the beasts, and behold a wolf came toward them, and they seized him, and brought him unto their father, and they said unto him, This is the first we have found, and we have brought him unto you as you did command us, and your son's body we could not find.
And Ya`aqov took the beast from the hands of his sons, and he cried out with a loud and weeping voice, holding the beast in his hand, and he spoke with a bitter heart unto the beast, Why did you devour my son Yoceph, and how did you have no fear of the Elohiym of the earth, or of my trouble for my son Yoceph?
And you did devour my son for nought, because he committed no violence, and did thereby render me culpable on his account, therefore Elohiym will require him that is persecuted.
And Yahuah opened the mouth of the beast in order to comfort Ya`aqov with its words, and it answered Ya`aqov and spoke these words unto him,
As Elohiym lives who created us in the earth, and as your soul lives, my adoniy, I did not see your son, neither did I tear him to pieces, but from a distant land I also came to seek my son who went from me this day, and I know not whether he be living or dead.
And I came this day into the field to seek my son, and your sons found me, and seized me and increased my grief, and have this day brought me before you, and I have now spoken all my words to you.
And now therefore, O son of A'dam, I am in your hands, and do unto me this day as it may seem good in your sight, but by the life of Elohiym who created me, I did not see your son, nor did I tear him to pieces, neither has the flesh of man entered my mouth all the days of my life.
And when Ya`aqov heard the words of the beast he was greatly astonished, and sent forth the beast from his hand, and she went her way.
And Ya`aqov was still crying aloud and weeping for Yoceph day after day, and he mourned for his son many days.