Joseph: From Pit Reach Palace

One powerful man dey stand inside palace for Egypt, e dey cry so tey di whole house dey hear am. For im front na di same brothers wey sell am as slave before. Dem no know say na im. Not yet.

Joseph na one of twelve brothers, di sons of Jacob, one man wey dey rear animals for Canaan. Jacob get favourite, and everybody know. Na Joseph, di pikin wey e born for im old age. Jacob give am one special robe, fine well-well, with plenty decoration. Joseph also dey dream. Bundles of grain dey bow for im own bundle. Di sun, di moon and eleven stars dey bow for am. E tell im brothers about di dreams. Dat one no help matter at all. Genesis talk say im brothers hate am, and dem no fit talk one good word to am.

One day Jacob send Joseph, wey be seventeen years old dat time, make e go check im brothers, wey dey feed di animals far from house. Dem see am dey come with dat robe. “See di dreamer dey come,” dem talk. Some of dem want kill am. Reuben, di first son, beg dem make dem no do am. So dem pull im robe comot and throw am inside one empty well, one dry pit for ground. Then some traders pass with dia camels, dem dey carry spices go Egypt. Judah get one idea. Why we no sell am? Na so dem do, for twenty pieces of silver. Dem dip di robe inside goat blood and carry am go give dia papa. Jacob cry, and nobody fit console am.

For Egypt, dem sell Joseph to Potiphar, one officer of Pharaoh. And Genesis talk one tin wey dey sound through di whole story. Di Lord dey with Joseph. E work hard, and Potiphar put am in charge of everytin. But Potiphar wife lie against am, and dem throw Joseph inside prison. Even for there, di Lord dey with am. Two of Pharaoh officials, di one wey dey serve am drink and di one wey dey bake im bread, dream dreams wey worry dem, and Joseph explain di dreams. Everytin happen exactly as e talk. Then Pharaoh imself dream. Seven fat cows wey seven thin cows swallow. Seven full heads of grain wey seven dry ones swallow. Dem bring Joseph comot from dungeon. “No be me fit do am,” e tell Pharaoh, “but God go give Pharaoh di answer.” Seven years of plenty dey come, then seven years of famine. Make una store grain now. Pharaoh put im own signet ring for Joseph hand, dress am for fine linen, and hang gold chain for im neck. Di slave wey dem throw inside pit don now be number two to Pharaoh for di whole Egypt.

Di famine come, exactly as God show. E reach Canaan too, and Jacob send ten of im sons go Egypt to buy grain. Dem bow down well-well for di governor front. Dem no know at all say na Joseph. E test dem. E talk to dem with strong voice. E keep one brother, Simeon, and e tell dem make dem bring di last born, Benjamin. Later, e make dem hide im silver cup inside Benjamin bag. And then Judah, di same Judah wey sell Joseph before, step forward and beg make dem take am as slave instead, so dat Benjamin fit go back to dia papa. Joseph no fit hold am again. E send everybody comot from di room, and e cry with loud voice.

“Na me be your brother Joseph, di one wey una sell enter Egypt. No let am worry una, and no vex for unaselves say una sell me come here. Na to save life make God send me come before una.”

Then e hug im brother Benjamin and cry, and Benjamin cry too. E kiss all im brothers. And after dat, Genesis talk, im brothers begin talk with am. Pharaoh send wagons to carry Jacob and di whole family come Egypt, where food go dey for all of dem. And one old papa, wey don mourn im son for more than twenty years, hear words wey e never expect to hear. “Joseph still dey alive.”

Di details of how dem promote Joseph match old Egypt well-well. Pharaoh give am signet ring, wey carry di royal seal and di power to act for di king name. E dress am for fine linen, di cloth wey Egypt officials and priests dey wear. And e put gold chain, or collar, for im neck. Paintings for Egypt tombs and carvings for wall show officials wey dem dey honour exactly like dis, as dem dey receive gold collar from di king as reward for faithful service. People wey study old Egypt, like Kenneth Kitchen and James Hoffmeier, don point to dis kind scenes as background for Joseph story.

Dem tell Joseph story for Genesis, chapter thirty-seven, and chapter thirty-nine reach forty-five. Im brothers plan evil for am. God bring good comot from am. And Joseph choose to forgive. So see one tin to think about. Anybody dey wey e hard you to forgive, and how one small step towards dat person go look like?