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to their father, telling him that they had found it in the fields, and that
they feared it was their brother’s. “Know now,” they said, “whether it
be thy son’s coat or no.” They had looked forward to this scene with
dread, but they were not prepared for the heart-rending anguish, the
utter abandonment of grief, which they were compelled to witness.
“It is my son’s coat,” said Jacob; “an evil beast hath devoured him.
Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.” Vainly his sons and daughters
attempted to comfort him. He “rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon
his loins, and mourned for his son many days.” Time seemed to bring
no alleviation of his grief. “I will go down into the grave unto my son
mourning,” was his despairing cry. The young men, terrified at what
they had done, yet dreading their father’s reproaches, still hid in their
own hearts the knowledge of their guilt, which even to themselves
seemed very great.
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