Anpu And Bata
Tale of Two Brothers
This story was written during the reign of Pharaoh Seti II (1209-1205 B.C.) of the nineteenth Egyptian dynasty, and may have been a political satire based in part on his own difficulties with his half brother, the usurper Amenmesse. It is similar to the story of Joseph in the house of Potiphar, in Genesis 39:1-20.
The Tale of Two Brothers - Anpu and Bata
Once, there were two brothers. Anpu was the name of the elder and Bata was was the name of the younger. When their parents died, Anpu was already married and had a house of his own, but his little brother was to him, as it were, a son; so he took his little brother to live with him. When the little brother grew into a young man, he was an excellent worker. He it was who made for him his clothes; he it was who followed behind his oxen to the fields; he it was who did the plowing; he it was who harvested the corn; he it was who did for him all the matters which were in the field. There was not an equal in the land. Behold the spirit of a god was with him.
Every morning, the younger brother followed his oxen and worked all day in the fields and every evening he returned to the house with vegetables, milk, and wood. And he put them down before his elder brother who was sitting with his wife; and he drank and ate, and after he lay down in his stable with the cattle. And at the dawn of the next day he took bread which he had baked, and laid it before his elder brother; and he took with him his bread to the field, and he drave his cattle to pasture in the fields.
And as he walked behind his cattle, they said to him, "Good is the herbage which is in that place"; and he listened to all that they said, and he took them to the good place which they desired. And the cattle which were before him became exceedingly excellent, and they greatly multiplied in number.
Now at the time of plowing his elder brother said to him, "Let ourselves make a good yoke of oxen ready for plowing, for the land has come
This story was written during the reign of Pharaoh Seti II (1209-1205 B.C.) of the nineteenth Egyptian dynasty, and may have been a political satire based in part on his own difficulties with his half brother, the usurper Amenmesse. It is similar to the story of Joseph in the house of Potiphar, in Genesis 39:1-20.
The Tale of Two Brothers - Anpu and Bata
Once, there were two brothers. Anpu was the name of the elder and Bata was was the name of the younger. When their parents died, Anpu was already married and had a house of his own, but his little brother was to him, as it were, a son; so he took his little brother to live with him. When the little brother grew into a young man, he was an excellent worker. He it was who made for him his clothes; he it was who followed behind his oxen to the fields; he it was who did the plowing; he it was who harvested the corn; he it was who did for him all the matters which were in the field. There was not an equal in the land. Behold the spirit of a god was with him.
Every morning, the younger brother followed his oxen and worked all day in the fields and every evening he returned to the house with vegetables, milk, and wood. And he put them down before his elder brother who was sitting with his wife; and he drank and ate, and after he lay down in his stable with the cattle. And at the dawn of the next day he took bread which he had baked, and laid it before his elder brother; and he took with him his bread to the field, and he drave his cattle to pasture in the fields.
And as he walked behind his cattle, they said to him, "Good is the herbage which is in that place"; and he listened to all that they said, and he took them to the good place which they desired. And the cattle which were before him became exceedingly excellent, and they greatly multiplied in number.
Now at the time of plowing his elder brother said to him, "Let ourselves make a good yoke of oxen ready for plowing, for the land has come