Book of Jasher, Chapter 43 — Reuben's Anguish at Not Finding Joseph in the Pit; the Brothers Contrive to Deceive Their Father by Dipping His Coat in Blood
1And when the sons of Jacob had sold their brother Joseph to the Midianites, their hearts were struck on account of him, and they repented of their acts, and they sought for him to bring him back, but could not find him.
2And Reuben returned to the pit in which Joseph had been put, in order to lift him out, and restore him to his father, and Reuben stood by the pit, and he did not hear a word, and he called out Joseph! Joseph! and no one answered or uttered a word.
3And Reuben said, Joseph has died through fright, or some serpent has caused his death; and Reuben descended into the pit, and he searched for Joseph and could not find him in the pit, and he came out again.
4And Reuben tore his garments and he said, The child is not there, and how shall I reconcile my father about him if he is dead? And he went to his brothers and found them grieving on account of Joseph, and counseling together how to reconcile their father about him, and Reuben said to his brothers, I came to the pit and behold Joseph was not there, what then shall we say to our father, for my father will only seek the lad from me.
5And his brothers answered him saying, Thus and thus we did, and our hearts afterward struck us on account of this act, and we now sit to seek a pretext how we shall reconcile our father to it.
6And Reuben said to them, What is this you have done to bring down the grey hairs of our father in sorrow to the grave? The thing is not good, that you have done.
7And Reuben sat with them, and they all rose up and swore to each other not to tell this thing to Jacob, 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.
8And the sons of Jacob 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.
9And they afterward sat down to determine and invent something to say to their father Jacob concerning all these things.
10And Issachar said to them, Here is an advice for you if it seems good in your eyes to do this thing, take the coat which belongs to Joseph and tear it, and kill a kid of the goats and dip it in its blood.
11And send it to our father and when he sees it he will say an evil beast has devoured him, therefore tear 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.
12And Issachar's advice pleased them, and they listened to him and they did according to the word of Issachar which he had counselled them.
13And they hastened and took Joseph'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 Jacob by the hand of Naphtali, and they commanded him to say these words:
14We had gathered in the cattle and had come as far as the road to Shechem and farther, when we found this coat upon the road in the wilderness dipped in blood and in dust; now therefore know whether it is your son's coat or not.
15And Naphtali went and he came to his father and he gave him the coat, and he spoke to him all the words which his brothers had commanded him.
16And Jacob saw Joseph'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 Joseph!
17And Jacob hastened and sent one of his servants to his sons, who went to them and found them coming along the road with the flock.
18And the sons of Jacob 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.
19And Jacob said to his sons, Tell me truly what evil have you this day suddenly brought upon me? And they answered their father Jacob, saying, We were coming along this day after the flock had been gathered in, and we came as far as the city of Shechem by the road in the wilderness, and we found this coat filled with blood upon the ground, and we knew it and we sent to you if you could know it.
20And Jacob 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; Joseph 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.
21And the sons of Jacob 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.
22And when Jacob 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,
23Joseph my son, O my son Joseph, I sent you this day after the welfare of your brothers, and behold you have been torn in pieces; through my hand has this happened to my son.
24It grieves me for you Joseph my son, it grieves me for you; how sweet you were to me during life, and now how exceedingly bitter is your death to me.
25O that I had died in your stead Joseph my son, for it grieves me sadly for you my son, O my son, my son. Joseph 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 Joseph.
26Come now and number the tears gushing from my eyes down my cheeks, and bring them up before the Lord, that his anger may turn from me.
27O Joseph my son, how did you fall, by the hand of one by whom no one had fallen from the beginning of the world to this day; for you have been put to death by the striking of an enemy, inflicted with cruelty, but surely I know that this has happened to you, on account of the multitude of my sins.
28Arouse 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 God 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 to me.
29Now truly God who gave you to me, he has taken you from me, and such then has befallen you.
30And Jacob continued to speak words like these concerning Joseph, and he wept bitterly; he fell to the ground and became still.
31And all the sons of Jacob seeing their father's trouble, they repented of what they had done, and they also wept bitterly.
32And Judah 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 Judah wept an exceeding great weeping, while his father's head was reclining upon his lap, still as a stone.
33And the sons of Jacob saw their father's trouble, and they lifted up their voices and continued to weep, and Jacob was yet lying upon the ground still as a stone.
34And all his sons and his servants and his servants' children rose up and stood round him to comfort him, and he refused to be comforted.
35And the whole household of Jacob rose up and mourned a great mourning on account of Joseph and their father's trouble, and the news reached Isaac, the son of Abraham, the father of Jacob, and he wept bitterly on account of Joseph, he and all his household, and he went from the place where he dwelt in Hebron, and his men with him, and he comforted Jacob his son, and he refused to be comforted.
36And after this, Jacob rose up from the ground, and his tears were running down his cheeks, and he said to 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 to me that I may bury it.
37Seek also, I pray you, among the beasts and hunt them, and that which shall come the first before you seize and bring it to me, perhaps the Lord will this day pity my affliction, and prepare before you that which did tear my son in pieces, and bring it to me, and I will avenge the cause of my son.
38And 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.
39And Jacob was still crying aloud and weeping and walking to and fro in the house, and striking his hands together, saying, Joseph my son, Joseph my son.
40And the sons of Jacob went into the wilderness to seize the beasts, and behold a wolf came toward them, and they seized him, and brought him to their father, and they said to him, This is the first we have found, and we have brought him to you as you commanded us, and your son's body we could not find.
41And Jacob 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 to the beast, Why did you devour my son Joseph, and how did you have no fear of the God of the earth, or of my trouble for my son Joseph?
42And you devoured my son for nothing, because he committed no violence, and thereby rendered me culpable on his account, therefore God will require him that is persecuted.
43And the Lord opened the mouth of the beast in order to comfort Jacob with its words, and it answered Jacob and spoke these words to him,
44As God lives who created us in the earth, and as your soul lives, my lord, 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 do not know whether he is living or dead.
45And 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.
46And now therefore, O son of man, I am in your hands, and do to me this day as it may seem good in your sight, but by the life of God 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.
47And when Jacob heard the words of the beast he was greatly astonished, and sent forth the beast from his hand, and she went her way.
48And Jacob was still crying aloud and weeping for Joseph day after day, and he mourned for his son many days.