Serpents in the Pit and Joseph's Mercy Toward Simeon

Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Vayeshev 13:10

(Genesis 37:24:) "And they took him and cast him into the pit, and the pit was empty; there was no water in it." There was no water in it, but there were serpents and scorpions in it. What did Simeon do? When they put him into the pit, Simeon would give the command, and they would cast great stones upon him in order to kill him. But when he fell into Joseph's hand, Joseph would throw fattened fowl upon him.

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