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In the reign of Balaeus, the ninth king of Assyria, and Mesappus,
the eighth of Sicyon, who is said by some to have been also called
Cephisos (if indeed the same man had both names, and those who put
the other name in their writings have not rather confounded him with
another man), while Apis was third king of Argos, Isaac died, a
hundred and eighty years old, and left his twin-sons a hundred and
twenty years old. Jacob, the younger of these, belonged to the city
of God about which we write (the elder being wholly rejected), and
had twelve sons, one of whom, called Joseph, was sold by his
brothers to merchants going down to Egypt, while his grandfather
Isaac was still alive. But when he was thirty years of age, Joseph
stood before Pharaoh, being exalted out of the humiliation he
endured, because, in divinely interpreting the king's dreams, he
foretold that there would be seven years of plenty, the very rich
abundance of which would be consumed by seven other years of famine that
should follow. On this account the king made him ruler over Egypt,
liberating him from prison, into which he had been thrown for keeping
his chastity intact; for he bravely preserved it from his mistress,
who wickedly loved him, and told lies to his weakly credulous master,
and did not consent to commit adultery with her, but fled from her,
leaving his garment in her hands when she laid hold of him. In the
second of the seven years of famine Jacob came down into Egypt to his
son with all he had, being a hundred and thirty years old, as he
himself said in answer to the king's question. Joseph was then
thirty-nine, if we add seven years of plenty and two of famine to the
thirty he reckoned when honored by the king.
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