26. The Silent Language!

26. The Silent Language! “The merchants who bought Joseph took him to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar. Potiphar was an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard.” (Genesis 37:36) The camel trader, having forgotten the dirty feelings he had received from the market manager, felt a new surge of energy as he thought about the great profit he would make by selling the goods from various countries and Joseph. It was then that a commotion was heard from one side of the market. Everyone, both sellers and buyers, turned their attention to the source of the noise. There, they saw about twenty soldiers escorting someone, and in the middle of them was a beautiful woman. Following her was a man who seemed to be the leader of the group. As they watched the strangers who had suddenly appeared, someone muttered quietly, and only then did they realize what the procession meant. “Isn’t that General Potiphar?” “General Potiphar?” The camel trader, not knowing who he was, asked again. “General Potiphar is the captain of the king’s guard, isn’t he?” “The captain of the guard? Then who is that young lady being escorted by the captain of the guard?” As people pondered this, the answer immediately came to everyone’s mind. There was only one person it could be. The queen, who was the wife of the current king of Egypt, had passed away after giving birth to a prince, and a new queen had not yet been chosen. “Then that must be the princess!” “Wow! She’s beautiful! The princess of Egypt is indeed the most beautiful!” “And how well she dances! When the princess dances, everyone loses their minds!” People began to speak as if they knew everything about the princess. As the group approached, the princess’s appearance became clearer. The beautiful woman, escorted by soldiers and examining various goods, was indeed the princess of Egypt. It was an event that happened that morning. Unlike other times, the princess did not return after greeting the king in the morning but lingered in front of him. Seeing this, the king asked if she had something to say.“Why! Do you have something to say to me?” The princess replied to the king’s question. “Father, I have a request.” “A request! What is it that the princess wants to ask of her father?” “I want to see the market outside the palace, Father.” “The market?” “Yes, Father.” “Hmm, that’s a bit dangerous! If you need anything, your maid can buy it for you!” The king was inwardly displeased. “Father, it’s not because I need something, but because I want to see the market.” Hearing the princess’s words, the king thought that it must be stifling for her to live only inside the palace after losing her mother early on. However, such a thing was not as easy as it seemed. Even the king could not go wherever he wanted whenever he wanted, and it was not something he should do. But the princess, who understood this, insisted that she wanted to see the market today, making the king feel even more sorry for his only daughter. So, the king called for the captain of the guard, Potiphar. “Did you call for me, Your Majesty?” When the captain of the guard entered and greeted him, the king gave his command. “I have an urgent request, and I hope you can fulfill it.” “Of course, Your Majesty. Just give the order, and I will do anything.” The king smiled with satisfaction and replied. “The princess wants to see the market outside the palace today. It may be difficult, but I hope you can accompany her.” “Your Majesty, do not worry. I will take good care of her.” “Thank you, General!” As the king gave the order, the captain of the guard responded loudly and began to escort the princess out of the palace. When people realized that she was the princess, they all bowed their heads in respect. It was a sign of respect for the princess, but also because failing to show respect during the passage of nobles or the king could lead to trouble with the soldiers. Therefore, it was natural for people to bow their heads automatically. However, there was one person who knew nothing about all this, and that was Joseph. He could not understand the Egyptian language, so he could not comprehend what people were saying, but when he saw the princess’s beauty, he stood up unconsciously and stared at her in awe. This was something that could never happen in Egypt. However, in his homeland, the chief, who carried out administrative tasks under God’s command, was respected, but the people only gave glory to God and did not bow excessively to the chief. Moreover, Joseph’s father, Jacob, was the chief. Joseph, who had always been the apple of his father’s eye, had never shown respect to anyone other than his father. Therefore, while everyone else bowed their heads, Joseph stood stiffly, making him stand out. Moreover, he was now a slave. Seeing Joseph’s behavior, many people closed their eyes for a moment, sensing what might happen next. At that moment, another pair of eyes rested on Joseph, and it was none other than the princess’s gaze. As the saying goes, “What is in one’s eyes is what one sees.” To the princess, Joseph, though in the appearance of a slave, seemed different. Although his clothes and shoes were worn out, the fabric was clearly not something an ordinary person would wear. Ordinary people would not even recognize the quality of the material because they had never used it. Yet, here he was, standing in the market as a slave. While everyone else bowed their heads, he boldly looked up at her. The princess, who was tired of people constantly flattering and currying favor with her, found this refreshing. Although she pretended to accept it all, she knew that such people were of no help to the royal authority or the country. The princess had a special reason for thinking this way. When she was very young, an old nurse had practically raised her. One day, while playing a prank, the princess sneaked out of her room and got lost in the palace, eventually entering the temple within the palace. The statues and paintings in the temple were so frightening that she burst into tears. Hearing the child’s cries, the priest, who was conducting a ceremony, sent a servant to find out what was happening. The servant reported that the princess was crying in the temple courtyard. The priest, who was displeased with the king for not paying special attention to the temple or the priests, saw this as an opportunity. He sent for the nurse to come to the temple and scolded her loudly for losing the princess, intending to exaggerate her fault. The princess, frightened by the priest, quickly ran to the nurse and hugged her. However, the nurse was in a state of panic, knowing that she could face severe punishment for losing the princess. Furthermore, the high priest threatened the nurse, saying he would report her to the king and hold her accountable. The nurse, trembling with fear, begged for forgiveness just this once. The high priest, pretending to understand, made a proposal: if she helped make the princess his foster daughter, he would act as if nothing had happened. He then gave the nurse some instructions. In Egypt, children often died from plagues or were frightened to death, and people believed this was due to being possessed by ghosts. Therefore, the nurse was to report to the king that the princess was frequently startled in her sleep and suggest finding someone to become her foster parent to ward off the bad luck. The king, who loved the princess dearly, would surely agree, especially if it was suggested that the high priest was the best person to prevent the bad luck. Reluctantly, the nurse reported to the king that the princess was frequently startled in her sleep, causing the king great concern. Seizing the opportunity, the nurse suggested that appointing foster parents had traditionally prevented such issues. The king, seeing no significant problem with this, agreed and contacted the temple, which he usually paid little attention to, to summon the high priest. When the high priest arrived at the king’s office, the princess, frightened by the high priest who had scolded her, hid behind the king’s chair. The king, without much thought, discussed the princess and requested the high priest to take her as his foster daughter. The high priest, considering it an honor, agreed and named the foster daughter Asenath, daughter of Potiphera. He explained that using this name in important matters concerning the princess would confuse the ghosts and protect her from bad luck. The high priest did this to ensure the king would always remember him. The king promised to do so and officially declared the princess as the high priest’s foster daughter, Asenath. The nurse finally sighed in relief, but the princess, observing all this, realized that the nurse had succumbed to the high priest’s pressure. Even as a child, the princess disliked the nurse’s submission. This experience made her develop a strong aversion to cowardice and submission to power, and she later understood that such behavior led to other problems. She noticed that the king, because of his beloved daughter, began to pay more attention to the high priest and the temple. However, seeing Joseph now, breaking free from the old ways and standing tall, the princess couldn’t help but see him as confident and assertive. In fact, considering his background in Canaan, Joseph was practically a prince. But when a guard with a rotten fish-like gaze instinctively acted on his role and habits, he reprimanded Joseph for not bowing his head, rushed at him, and pinned him to the ground, almost stabbing his neck with a spear. At that moment, the princess, fearing someone might get hurt, screamed, “Stop it!” At her command, Potiphar quickly signaled the guards to retreat. The guards withdrew in perfect order. The princess approached the fallen Joseph and asked if he was okay. However, Joseph couldn’t understand what she was saying. He just felt that she had a certain pull on his heart. And it wasn’t just Joseph who felt this way. The princess, despite seeing a slave before her, sensed something different about him. Her eyes were not ordinary as she looked at Joseph. Joseph, too, looked at the princess, and their eyes met directly. Typically, when young men and women accidentally make eye contact, they quickly look away, pretending it didn’t happen. But these two continued to gaze at each other as if having a conversation with their eyes. Watching this, Potiphar knew that if anything happened to the princess, he would be held responsible. So he urged the princess, “Your Highness, it’s time to go.” Reluctantly, the princess took a step away, but her heart remained there. As she walked away, she kept glancing back at Joseph. Watching her, General Potiphar muttered to himself, “How is it that a slave doesn’t seem like a slave? Isn’t that right, Your Highness?” The princess barely nodded in response. Meanwhile, Joseph stood there, staring blankly at the setting sun in the western sky where the princess had disappeared.