Then her mother went up into the loft and brought Asenath to Joseph, and Pcntephres said to her " Kiss thy brother, because he also is a virgin :

even as thou to-day, and hateth every strange woman even as thou hatest every strange man."

And Asenath said to Joseph " Hail, lord, blessed of God Most High." And Joseph said to her :

''

God who quickeneth all things shall bless thee,

Pentephres saith then to his daughter Come and kiss thy brother." When Asenath Asenath then came up- to kiss Joseph, Joseph stretched forth his right hand, and laid it on her breast between her two paps (for her paps were already standing forth ''like lovely apples^), and " It is not meet for a man that Joseph said worshippeth God, who blesseth with his mouth the living God, and eateth the blessed bread of life, and drinketh the blessed cup of imm.ortality, and is anointed with the blessed unction of incorruption, damsel." ^ :

to kiss a strange

woman, who

blesseth with her

mouth dead and deaf idols and eateth from their table the bread of strangling and drinketh from their libation the cup of deceit and is anointed with the unction of destruction

but the man that worshippeth God will kiss his mother and the sister who is born of his

tribe *

mother and the sister who is born of his

and the wife who shareth his couch, who bless

'BD versions om. TvpoariKdiv

apples."

B D, SO versions) is clearly correct, not a-nriXQev.

BCD

5)D versions ins. " and his kin." ;

DEPARTURE

with their mouth the living God. Likewise also it is not meet for a woman that worshippeth God to kiss a strange man, for that this

an abomination in the sight of the Lord God." And, when Asenath heard these words from Joseph, she was sore distressed and groaned and, as she was looking steadfastly at Joseph with her eyes open, they were And Joseph, when he saw her filled with tears. weeping,^ pitied her exceedingly, for that he was mild and merciful and one who feared the Lord. Then he lifted up his right hand above her head and is

God of my father Israel, the Most High and the mighty God, who quickenedst all

said

" Lord

things and calledst from the darkness to the light

and from error to truth and from death to life, bless thou this virgin also, and quicken her, and renew her with thy holy ^ spirit,^ and let her eat the bread of thy life and drink the cup of thy blessing, and number her with thy people whom thou chosest before all things were made, and let her enter into thy rest which thou preparedst for thine elect, and let her live in thine eternal life for ever."

Asenath retires and Joseph prepares to depart.