burden he could never look people directly in the eye. âTheyâll be all right. Theyâll marry and give you grandsons,â he said gruffly, trying to comfort Judah.
Judah shook his head, then changed the subject as if it were painful. âHave you talked yet with Joseph about that coat of his?â
âNot yet, but I will.â
âYou have to. Heâs making a show of it before all of us.â
âFather said he can only wear it on special occasions.â
âSpecial occasions!â Judah spat bitterly. âFor him a special occasion is any occasion he wants. Heâs wearing it all the time now, and you know what that coat means.â
âYou mean itâs a sign that Joseph is our fatherâs favorite, the one to whom he may give the blessing of the firstborn?â
âYes. Oh, brother, Iâve never spoken of it, but what a terrible thing it was that you had to sin with Bilhah. Why didnât you go off and find a prostitute instead?â
Reuben bowed his head and ground his teeth together. âI was insane,â he said. âI donât know what came over me. It was just the one time.â
âThe one time was enough. If you hadnât done that, you would have received the blessing of the firstborn. But now itâs obvious that Father thinks only of Joseph.â
âIâll talk to him about wearing that coat.â
âDo it now. There he is. Go on. Do it now!â
Reuben turned and walked away, his back straight as he approached Joseph, who was indeed strutting around in his colorful coat. The sunlight caught it, and as beautiful as it was, Reuben thought, I wish Father had never given him such a thing. He shouldâve known what Joseph would do with it . âJoseph, come here.â
Joseph turned with surprise, and a smile crossed his face. He was actually fond of Reuben, even though he thought him slow of mind, and when he came over to him, he had to lean his head backward and look up. âWhat is it, my brother?â
âI must speak with you about that coat.â
âItâs so beautiful! Donât you think so, Reuben?â
âYou should not wear it. Didnât Father command you to only wear it on special occasions?â
Joseph did not want to be reminded of this. He had decided to wear the coat every day, regardless of his fatherâs wishes. âWhat does it matter whether I wear it today or not? Father gave it to me, so I can decide when I wear it.â
âI donât care who gave it to you. Canât you see that youâre offending all of your brothers?â
âIâm offending you? Why should it offend you because I wear a beautiful coat?â
Joseph had little difficulty beating Reuben at the game of words. Words flowed from Joseph in an endless stream without need for thought. He was intelligent and witty, and it was childâs play for him to speak circles around his big brother until Reuben could only stand there tongue-tied. âSo donât worry about it, my brother,â Joseph went on. âYou are making this a bigger issue than it should be.â
Reuben could not answer. He knew something was wrong with what Joseph was doing, but to put the matter into words was beyond him. Joseph had mastered the magic of words, whether spoken or written, and Reuben could only say in a brokenhearted tone, âJoseph ⦠Joseph, can you not see that by wearing that coat you insult all of your brothers? I beg you to put it away before it becomes a snare. It has lifted your heart up with pride.â Without another word, Reuben turned and walked away.
Joseph watched him go, troubled for a moment, but it was only fleeting. He finally turned away, laughing and saying to himself, âReuben worries too much.â
****
Jacob had not known at first what to make of the young woman named Tamar. She had joined his tribe when she was only twelve, an orphan with no one to care
Ker Dukey, D.H. Sidebottom