Joseph's influence and Moses's exile

And even among the Ethiopians he is not small because of his admirable wisdom. For he first thought out the use of ships, and machines for stone-laying, and Egyptian weapons, and hydraulic and warfare instruments. Moreover, he divided all Egypt into thirty parts to establish Chenephre's kingship, because the Egyptians used to rule lawlessly, approaching and deposing whomever they preferred by whim. For because of these things he was honored by the priests as a god, but by the Ethiopians as a king; and having learned circumcision from him, they observe it even until now.

For this man first became wise, as Eupolemus relates, and first handed over letters to the Hebrews, which the blessed Abraham brought from the Chaldeans; for the Chaldeans were the first discoverers of these; and the Phoenicians received them from the Hebrews; and Cadmus carried these things to the Greeks. After the campaign against the Ethiopians, Chenephre arrives in Egypt; and Chenephre received him indeed with favorable words, but with deeds he prepared death against him; for having made him desolate of his kinsmen, he reaches Memphis with him; and he asks him, what is useful to men? And he said: The breed of oxen, because they make the earth suitable by plowing.

Chenephre therefore commanded the crowds to fashion a standard for the bull Apis, and to hide under the floor of the temple reminders of the virtue of Moses (and these were made of bronze, having the ingenuity of the Iberians, and proclaiming the history of the bravery of the Ethiopians) so as to hand over the drama of this thing in secret. And he divided the surrounding Hebrew crowd into two tasks: he sent some for the guarding of Ethiopia, and he permitted the others, having quarried the nearby mountain, to construct the temple in Zeus's city out of stone; for in old times the temple was constructed of baked brick.

And, having been repulsed by the Egyptians, he was commanding him to raise him up for his friends, swearing everyone not to make the plot against him manifest. Having refused all this counsel, a certain Khanenoth, desiring to serve the king's will, set out to murder Moses, promising to do so.

Then indeed, after Meribah (for so Thermuthis was called) had died, Pharaoh, perceiving the opportune time, appointed Moses and Jethro to protect her in the lands beyond Egypt. When they arrived, one of those privy to the intention of Pharaoh informed Moses; and Moses, having guarded himself from every side, buried Meribah, and named the place and the river Meribah after her. He himself, having traversed the Nile from Memphis, fled into Arabia, according to the hypothesis of Aaron his brother; and Jethro, having discovered him, drew his sword to meet him; but Moses restrained his hand, and, wresting the sword from his hand, slew him with his own sword, and went to Arabia to Raguel, the ruler of those lands, taking with him his daughter Zipporah, and from her he fathered two boys.

Pharaoh, having discovered the whole drama of Moses, held his anger against the multitude of the Jews, and immediately commanded that these should be slaughtered; for having ordered them to wear only linen garments because of the distinguishing mark, he was delivering them to the Egyptians for slaughter; whereupon God punished him with a most great affliction; for, being the first of all men to be afflicted with elephantiasis, Pharaoh brought a shameful end to his life. He who succeeded him in the same principality was likewise a successor in his wickedness; for he subjected the Jews to the same evils. And while a great throne of suffering surrounded them, God, having compassion on them, sent Moses into Egypt, appointing him to stand before Pharaoh to release the nation of the Jews into the wilderness, so that they might worship Him.

Upon such a speech from Moses, Pharaoh, being harsh, immediately commanded that he be cast into prison; and through the night the whole earth was shaken by an earthquake, so that some of the guards fled in terror, and others, through deep sleep, lay still in their limbs; and the very gates of the prison were lifted up, and Moses came out, and arrived at night into the royal palaces; for even those gates stood open because the earth was shaking. And while all the bodyguards were sleeping, Pharaoh was awakened, saying, 'God has sent me to command you to release the people of the Jews.' But being struck with amazement, he asked who this is, and what the name of the...