The Prisoners’ Dreams

40 It came to pass after these things that the abutler and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was bangry with his two officers, the chief butler and the chief baker. 3 cSo he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison, the place where Joseph was confined. 4 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with them, and he served them; so they were in custody for a while.

5 Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, dhad a dream, both of them, each man’s dream in one night and each man’s dream with its own interpretation. 6 And Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them, and saw that they were 1sad. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, e“Why do you look so sad today?”

8 And they said to him, f“We each have had a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.”

So Joseph said to them, g“Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell them to me, please.”

9 Then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “Behold, in my dream a vine was before me, 10 and in the vine were three branches; it was as though it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes. 11 Then Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.”

12 And Joseph said to him, h“This is the interpretation of it: The three branches iare three days. 13 Now within three days Pharaoh will jlift up your head and restore you to your 2place, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand according to the former manner, when you were his butler. 14 But kremember me when it is well with you, and lplease show kindness to me; make mention of me to Pharaoh, and get me out of this house. 15 For indeed I was mstolen away from the land of the Hebrews; nand also I have done nothing here that they should put me into the dungeon.”

16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, “I also was in my dream, and there were three 3white baskets on my head. 17 In the uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, and the birds ate them out of the basket on my head.”

18 So Joseph answered and said, o“This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days. 19 pWithin three days Pharaoh will lift 4off your head from you and qhang you on a tree; and the birds will eat your flesh from you.”

20 Now it came to pass on the third day, which was Pharaoh’s rbirthday, that he smade a feast for all his servants; and he tlifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants. 21 Then he urestored the chief butler to his butlership again, and vhe placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But he whanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief butler did not remember Joseph, but xforgot him.

Pharaoh’s Dreams

41 Then it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that aPharaoh had a dream; and behold, he stood by the river. 2 Suddenly there came up out of the river seven cows, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. 3 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the river, ugly and gaunt, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the river. 4 And the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine looking and fat cows. So Pharaoh awoke. 5 He slept and dreamed a second time; and suddenly seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, plump and good. 6 Then behold, seven thin heads, blighted by the beast wind, sprang up after them. 7 And the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump and full heads. So Pharaoh awoke, and indeed, it was a dream. 8 Now it came to pass in the morning cthat his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all dthe magicians of Egypt and all its ewise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.

9 Then the fchief butler spoke to Pharaoh, saying: “I remember my faults this day. 10 When Pharaoh was gangry with his servants, hand put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, both me and the chief baker, 11 iwe each had a dream in one night, he and I. Each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream. 12 Now there was a young jHebrew man with us there, a kservant of the captain of the guard. And we told him, and he linterpreted our dreams for us; to each man he interpreted according to his own dream. 13 And it came to pass, just mas he interpreted for us, so it happened. He restored me to my office, and he hanged him.”

14 nThen Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they obrought him quickly pout of the dungeon; and he shaved, qchanged his clothing, and came to Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. rBut I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it.”

16 So Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, s“It is not in me; tGod will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.”

17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “Behold, uin my dream I stood on the bank of the river. 18 Suddenly seven cows came up out of the river, fine looking and fat; and they fed in the meadow. 19 Then behold, seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and gaunt, such ugliness as I have never seen in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven, the fat cows. 21 When they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were just as ugly as at the beginning. So I awoke. 22 Also I saw in my dream, and suddenly seven 1heads came up on one stalk, full and good. 23 Then behold, seven heads, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprang up after them. 24 And the thin heads devoured the seven good heads. So vI told this to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; wGod has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do: 26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good 2heads are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 And the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are xseven years of famine. 28 yThis is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do. 29 Indeed zseven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt; 30 but after them seven years of famine will aarise, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine bwill deplete the land. 31 So the plenty will not be known in the land because of the famine following, for it will be very severe. 32 And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the cthing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

33 “Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint 3officers over the land, dto collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years. 35 And elet them gather all the food of those good years that are coming, and store up grain under the 4authority of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities. 36 Then that food shall be as a 5reserve for the land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt, that the land fmay not 6perish during the famine.”

Joseph’s Rise to Power

37 So gthe advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man hin whom is the Spirit of God?”

39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. 40 iYou shall be 7over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have jset you over all the land of Egypt.”

42 Then Pharaoh ktook his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he lclothed him in garments of fine linen mand put a gold chain around his neck. 43 And he had him ride in the second nchariot which he had; oand they cried out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he set him pover all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name 8Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife qAsenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

46 Joseph was thirty years old when he rstood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 47 Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth 9abundantly. 48 So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. 49 Joseph gathered very much grain, sas the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.

50 tAnd to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. 51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn 1Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my ufather’s house.” 52 And the name of the second he called 2Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be vfruitful in the land of my affliction.”

53 Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, 54 wand the seven years of famine began to come, xas Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; ywhatever he says to you, do.” 56 The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened 3all the storehouses and zsold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. 57 aSo all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to bbuy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands.

Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt

42 When aJacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 2 And he said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may blive and not die.”

3 So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, c“Lest some calamity befall him.” 5 And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was din the land of Canaan.

6 Now Joseph was governor eover the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and fbowed down before him with their faces to the earth. 7 Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as ga stranger to them and spoke 1roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?”

And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.”

8 So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. 9 Then Joseph hremembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the 2nakedness of the land!”

10 And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.”

12 But he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.”

13 And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one iis no more.”

14 But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’ 15 In this manner you shall be tested: jBy the life of Pharaoh, you shall not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of you, and let him bring your brother; and you shall be 3kept in prison, that your words may be tested to see whether there is any truth in you; or else, by the life of Pharaoh, surely you are spies!” 17 So he 4put them all together in prison kthree days.

18 Then Joseph said to them the third day, “Do this and live, lfor I fear God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers be confined to your prison house; but you, go and carry grain for the famine of your houses. 20 And mbring your youngest brother to me; so your words will be verified, and you shall not die.”

And they did so. 21 Then they said to one another, n“We are truly guilty concerning our brother, for we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded with us, and we would not hear; otherefore this distress has come upon us.”

22 And Reuben answered them, saying, p“Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Do not sin against the boy’; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now qrequired of us.” 23 But they did not know that Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. 24 And he turned himself away from them and rwept. Then he returned to them again, and talked with them. And he took sSimeon from them and bound him before their eyes.

The Brothers Return to Canaan

25 Then Joseph tgave a command to fill their sacks with grain, to urestore every man’s money to his sack, and to give them provisions for the journey. vThus he did for them. 26 So they loaded their donkeys with the grain and departed from there. 27 But as wone of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack. 28 So he said to his brothers, “My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!” Then their hearts 5failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, “What is this that God has done to us?”

29 Then they went to Jacob their father in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened to them, saying: 30 “The man who is lord of the land xspoke 6roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. 31 But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. 32 We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is with our father this day in the land of Canaan.’ 33 Then the man, the lord of the country, said to us, y‘By this I will know that you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, take food for the famine of your households, and be gone. 34 And bring your zyoungest brother to me; so I shall know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. I will grant your brother to you, and you may atrade in the land.’ ”

35 Then it happened as they emptied their sacks, that surprisingly beach man’s bundle of money was in his sack; and when they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. 36 And Jacob their father said to them, “You have cbereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take dBenjamin. All these things are against me.”

37 Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, “Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.”

38 But he said, “My son shall not go down with you, for ehis brother is dead, and he is left alone. fIf any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would gbring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.”