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to the king? They were able neither to feed their livestock in the grain shortage and famine, nor to sow the land; therefore, having taken these things in the time of famine, he later gave them back, having legislated that they contribute a fifth of the produce, so that in times of need they might have the resources of life stored up; but for the service of the king he left only the priestly land tax-exempt; but of this honor the priests of the true God do not partake. So much reverence did the impious assign to gods that do not exist. 90 CX Why does Jacob command that his body be buried in Hebron? Not because he was concerned about his tomb, as some have supposed, but encouraging and teaching his people that the Lord God would move all of them from Egypt and give them back the promised land; and Joseph declared this saying more clearly; for at his death he spoke thus: "I am dying, but God will surely visit you, and bring you up from this land to the land which God swore to our fathers, to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob." And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying: "In the visitation with which God will visit you, you shall also carry my bones up from here with you," so it is clear that both he and the other, foretelling the return, gave instructions concerning their burial. CXI What is "Israel worshipped on the top of his staff"? Both being an old man and in a weak state, he was lying on his bed; but when he knew of his son's presence, he rose up and sat; using a staff he supported himself on it, holding its top with his right hand, and having his face resting upon it. Delighted therefore in him, and at the promise of his burial, he worshipped, bowing his head on the staff; and first Joseph's dream received its fulfillment; "for he saw the sun and the moon and eleven stars bowing down to him." And in addition to these things, he also foretells the kingship of the tribe of Ephraim and the subjection of the ten tribes; for the divine apostle also said these things: "By faith Jacob 91 blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff." And he gave him a double portion; "For Ephraim," he says, "and Manasseh shall be to me as Reuben and Simeon." But prophetically he placed Ephraim before Manasseh; for while Joseph preserved the first rights for Manasseh as the firstborn and placed each one in order, the patriarch, crossing his hands, placed his right on the younger, and his left on the elder. Then Joseph, thinking that Jacob had done this out of ignorance, and supposing the cause was the affliction of his eyes, said: "Not so, father, for this one is the elder," he heard: "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great, but his younger brother shall be greater than he." It should be noted that everywhere those after the firstborn are preferred; for Abel was preferred to Cain, and Shem, being second, to Japheth; "brother," it says, "of Japheth the elder." And Isaac to Ishmael, and Jacob to Esau, and Joseph to Reuben and Judah, and Ephraim to Manasseh. One might find this also in the things that came after. For Moses was placed before Aaron, and David being the youngest of seven brothers. However, the patriarch Jacob taught the reason through the prophecy of his burial; "Behold," he says, "I am dying, and God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of our fathers." CXII How is Jacob said to have blessed his sons while cursing some? 92 They are neither curses nor blessings, but prophecies, the last words of the patriarch; "Gather yourselves together," he says, "that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days." And he also made mention of the things done by some; not because the children were being punished for their fathers' sins, but fashioning the words into a curse and a blessing, for the common benefit of those who would read them. And indeed, he reproaches Reuben for his arrogance and rashness and the drunken violence against his father's bed;

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τῷ βασιλεῖ; Οὔτε τὰ κτήνη θρέψαι οἷον τε ἦσαν ἐν σιτοδείᾳ καὶ σπανοσιτίᾳ, οὔτε σπεῖραι τὴν γῆν· ταῦτα τοίνυν λαβὼν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ λιμοῦ ὕστερον ἀποδέδωκε, τῆς προσόδου τὸ πέμπτον εἰσφέρειν νομοθετήσας, ἵνα ἐν ταῖς ἐνδείαις ἀποκειμένας ἔχωσι τὰς τῆς ζωῆς ἀφορμάς· εἰς θεραπείαν δὲ τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν ἱερατικὴν γῆν ἀτελῆ καταλέλοιπε μόνην· ταύτης δὲ τῆς τιμῆς οἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὄντος οὐκ ἀπολαύουσιν ἱερεῖς. τοσοῦτον οἱ δυσσεβεῖς τοῖς οὐκ οὖσι θεοῖς ἀπένεμον σέβας. 90 CX ∆ιὰ τί ὁ Ἰακὼβ εἰς τὴν Χεβρὼν τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ταφῆναι κελεύει; Οὐ τάφου φροντίζων, ὥς τινες ὑπειλήφασιν, ἀλλὰ τὸ γένος ψυχαγωγῶν καὶ διδάσκων ὡς ἅπαντας αὐτοὺς ὁ δεσπότης Θεὸς μεταστήσει τῆς Αἰ γύπτου καὶ τὴν ἐπηγγελμένην αὐτοῖς ἀποδώσει γῆν· τοῦτον δὲ σαφέσ τερον ὁ Ἰωσὴφ τὸν λόγον ἀπέφηνε· τελευτῶν γὰρ οὕτως ἔφη· " ἐγὼ ἀποθνῄσκω, ἐπισκοπῇ δὲ ἐπισκέψεται ὑμᾶς ὁ Θεός, καὶ ἀνάξει ὑμᾶς ἐκ τῆς γῆς ταύτης εἰς τὴν γῆν ἣν ὤμοσεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς πατράσιν ἡμῶν, τῷ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ ". καὶ ὥρκισεν Ἰωσὴτοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ λέγων· " ἐν τῇ ἐπισκοπῇ ᾗ ἐπισκέψε ται ὑμᾶς ὁ Θεὸς καὶ συνανοίσετε τὰ ὀστᾶ μου ἐντεῦθεν μεθ' ὑμῶν ", ὡς εἶναι δῆλον, ὅτι κἀκεῖνος καὶ οὗτος τὴν ἐπάνοδον προαγορεύοντες τὰ περὶ τῆς ταφῆς ἐνετείλαντο. CXI Τί ἐστι " προσεκύνησεν Ἰσραὴλ ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ῥάβδου αὐτοῦ "; Καὶ πρεσβύτης ὢν καὶ ἀσθενῶς διακείμενος ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης κατέκειτο· γνοὺς δὲ τοῦ παιδὸς τὴν παρουσίαν, ἐξαναστὰς ἐκαθέσθη· βακτηρίᾳ δὲ κεχρημένος ἐπεστηρίζετο αὐτῇ, τοῦ μὲν ἄκρου ταύτης ἐπειλημμένος τῇ δεξιᾷ, ἐπικείμενον δὲ τὸ πρόσωπον ἔχων. ἡσθεὶς τοίνυν ἐπ' αὐτῷ, καὶ τῇ τῆς ταφῆς ἐπαγγελίᾳ προσεκύνησεν ἐπικλίνας τῇ ῥάβδῳ τὴν κεφα λήν· καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τὸ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ἐνύπνιον τὸ πέρας ἐδέξατο· " εἶδε γὰρ τὸν ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην καὶ ἕνδεκα ἀστέ ρας προσκυνοῦντας αὐτῷ. " πρὸς δὲ τούτοις προαγο ρεύει καὶ τῆς Ἐφραῒμ φυλῆς τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τῶν δέκα φυλῶν τὴν ὑπο ταγήν· ταῦτα γὰρ καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος ἔφη· " πίστει Ἰακὼβ 91 ἕκαστον τῶν υἱῶν Ἰωσὴφ εὐλόγησε καὶ προ σεκύνησεν ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ῥάβδου αὐτοῦ ". δέδωκε δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ κλῆρον διπλοῦν· " Ἐφραΐμ, γάρ φησι, καὶ Μανασσῆς ὡς Ῥουβὴν καὶ Συμεὼν ἔσονταί μοι ". προφητικῶς δὲ προτέταχε τοῦ Μανασσῆ τὸν Ἐφραΐμ· καὶ γὰρ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ ὡς πρωτοτόκῳ τῷ Μανασσῇ τὰ πρεσβεῖα φυλάξαντος καὶ κατὰ τάξιν ἑκάτερον στήσαντος, ἐναλλάξας ὁ πατριάρχης τὰς χεῖρας ἐπιτέ θεικε τῷ νεωτέρῳ τὴν δεξιάν, τὴν εὐώνυμον δὲ τῷ πρεσβυτέρῳ. εἶτα νομίσας ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἐξ ἀγνοίας δεδρακέναι τοῦτο τὸν Ἰακὼβ καὶ τοπάσας τοῦ πάθους εἶναι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τὴν αἰτίαν, καὶ εἰρηκώς· " οὐχ οὕ τως, πάτερ, οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ πρεσβύτερος ", ἤκουσεν· " οἶδα, τέκνον, οἶδα· καὶ οὗτος ἔσται εἰς λαόν, καὶ οὗτος ὑψωθήσεται, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ ὁ νεώτερος μείζων αὐτοῦ ἔσται ". ἐπιση μαντέον δὲ ὅτι πανταχοῦ τῶν πρωτοτόκων οἱ μετ' αὐτοὺς προτιμῶνται· καὶ γὰρ τοῦ Κάϊν προεκρίθη ὁ Ἄβελ, καὶ τοῦ Ἰάφεθ ὁ Σὴμ δεύτερος ὤν· " ἀδελφός, γάρ φησιν, Ἰάφεθ τοῦ μείζονος ". καὶ τοῦ Ἰσμαὴλ ὁ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ τοῦ Ἡσαῦ ὁ Ἰακὼβ καὶ τοῦ Ῥουβὴν καὶ Ἰδα ὁ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ τοῦ Μανασσῆ ὁ Ἐφραΐμ. τοῦτο καὶ ἐν τοῖς μετὰ ταῦτα εὕροι τις ἄν. καὶ γὰρ τοῦ Ἀαρὼν ὁ Μωϋσῆς προετάχθη, καὶ ∆αβὶδ νεώ τατος ὢν τῶν ἑπτὰ ἀδελφῶν. ὁ μέντοι πατριάρχης Ἰακὼβ ἐδίδαξε διὰ τῆς προρρήσεως τῆς ταφῆς τὴν αἰτίαν· " ἰδού, γάρ φησιν, ἐγὼ ἀποθνῄσκω, καὶ ἔσται ὁ Θεὸς μεθ' ὑμῶν καὶ ἀποσ τρέψει ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν γῆν τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν ". CXII Πῶς εὐλογῆσαι λέγεται τοὺς παῖδας ὁ Ἰακὼβ ἐνίοις ἐπαρασάμενος; 92 Οὔτε ἀραί εἰσιν, οὔτε εὐλογίαι, ἀλλὰ προρρήσεις οἱ τελευταῖοι τοῦ πα τριάρχου λόγοι· " συνάχθητε, γάρ φησιν, ἵνα ἀπαγγείλω ὑμῖν τί ἀπαντήσεται ὑμῖν ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ". ἐμνήσθη δὲ καὶ τῶν παρ' ἐνίων γεγενημένων· οὐκ ἐπει δὴ δίκας οἱ παῖδες εἰσεπράττοντο τῶν πατρικῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀλλὰ σχηματίζων εἰς ἀρὰν καὶ εὐλογίαν τοὺς λόγους, εἰς κοινὴν τῶν ἐντευ ξομένων ὠφέλειαν. καὶ τῷ μὲν Ῥουβὴν αὐθάδειαν ἐπιμέμφεται καὶ θρασύ τητα καὶ τὴν εἰς τὴν πατρῴαν εὐνὴν παροινίαν·