4. When Joseph's brethren had done thus to him, they considered
what they should do to escape the suspicions of their father. Now
they had taken away from Joseph the coat which he had on when he
came to them at the time they let him down into the pit; so they
thought proper to tear that coat to pieces, and to dip it into
goats' blood, and then to carry it and show it to their father,
that he might believe he was destroyed by wild beasts. And when
they had so done, they came to the old man, but this not till
what had happened to his son had already come to his knowledge.
Then they said that they had not seen Joseph, nor knew what
mishap had befallen him; but that they had found his coat bloody
and torn to pieces, whence they had a suspicion that he had
fallen among wild beasts, and so perished, if that was the coat
he had on when he came from home. Now Jacob had before some
better hopes that his son was only made a captive; but now he
laid aside that notion, and supposed that this coat was an
evident argument that he was dead, for he well remembered that
this was the coat he had on when he sent him to his brethren; so
he hereafter lamented the lad as now dead, and as if he had been
the father of no more than one, without taking any comfort in the
rest; and so he was also affected with his misfortune before he
met with Joseph's brethren, when he also conjectured that Joseph
was destroyed by wild beasts. He sat down also clothed in
sackcloth and in heavy affliction, insomuch that he found no ease
when his sons comforted him, neither did his pains remit by
length of time.

CHAPTER 4.

Concerning The Signal Chastity Of Joseph.