GENESIS 39
1 Now Joseph was taken down
to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an
Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.
2 The Lord was with Joseph,
and he became a successful man; he was in the house of his Egyptian
master.
3 His master saw that the
Lord was with him, and that the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his
hands.
4 So Joseph found favour in
his sight and attended him; he made him overseer of his house and put him in
charge of all that he had.
5 From the time that he made
him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the
Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he
had, in house and field.
6 So he left all that he had
in Joseph's charge; and, with him there, he had no concern for anything but the
food that he ate. Now Joseph was handsome and good-looking.
7 And after a time his
master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, "Lie with me."
8 But he refused and said to
his master's wife, "Look, with me here, my master has no concern about
anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my hand.
9 He is not greater in this
house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because
you are his wife. How then could I do this great wickedness, and sin against
God?"
10 And although she spoke to
Joseph day after day, he would not consent to lie beside her or to be with her.
11 One day, however, when he
went into the house to do his work, and while no one else was in the
house,
12 she caught hold of his
garment, saying, "Lie with me!" But he left his garment in her hand,
and fled and ran outside.
13 When she saw that he had left
his garment in her hand and had fled outside,
14 she called out to the
members of her household and said to them, "See, my husband has brought
among us a Hebrew to insult us! He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried
out with a loud voice;
15 and when he heard me
raise my voice and cry out, he left his garment beside me, and fled
outside."
16 Then she kept his garment
by her until his master came home,
17 and she told him the same
story, saying, "The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came
in to me to insult me;
18 but as soon as I raised
my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me, and fled
outside."
19 When his master heard the
words that his wife spoke to him, saying, "This is the way your servant
treated me," he became enraged.
20 And Joseph's master took
him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were
confined; he remained there in prison.
21 But the Lord was with
Joseph and showed him steadfast love; he gave him favour in the sight of the
chief jailer.
22 The chief jailer
committed to Joseph's care all the prisoners who were in the prison, and
whatever was done there, he was the one who did it.
23 The chief jailer paid no
heed to anything that was in Joseph's care, because the Lord was with him; and
whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.
GENESIS 40
1 Sometime after this, the
cupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker offended their lord the king of
Egypt.
2 Pharaoh was angry with his
two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker,
3 and he put them in custody
in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was
confined.
4 The captain of the guard
charged Joseph with them, and he waited on them; and they continued for some
time in custody.
5 One night they both
dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in
the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own meaning.
6 When Joseph came to them
in the morning, he saw that they were troubled.
7 So he asked Pharaoh's
officers, who were with him in custody in his master's house, "Why are
your faces downcast today?"
8 They said to him, "We
have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them." And Joseph said
to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to
me."
9 So the chief cupbearer
told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, "In my dream there was a vine
before me,
10 and on the vine there
were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms came out and the
clusters ripened into grapes.
11 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 Then Joseph said to him,
"This is its interpretation: the three branches are three days;
13 within three days Pharaoh will
lift up your head and restore you to your office; and you shall place Pharaoh's
cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer.
14 But remember me when it
is well with you; please do me the kindness to make mention of me to Pharaoh,
and so get me out of this place.
15 For in fact I was stolen
out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also I have done nothing that they
should have put me into the dungeon."
16 When the chief baker saw
that the interpretation was favourable, he said to Joseph, "I also had a
dream: there were three cake baskets on my head,
17 and in the uppermost
basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were
eating it out of the basket on my head."
18 And Joseph answered,
"This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days;
19 within three days Pharaoh
will lift up your head—from you!—and hang you on a pole; and the birds will eat
the flesh from you."
20 On the third day, which
was Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all his servants, and lifted up the
head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his
servants.
21 He restored the chief
cupbearer to his cup-bearing, and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand;
22 but the chief baker he
hanged, just as Joseph had interpreted to them.
23Yet the chief cupbearer did not
remember Joseph, but forgot him.
GENESIS 41
1 After two whole years,
Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile,
2 and there came up out of
the Nile seven sleek and fat cows, and they grazed in the reed grass.
3 Then seven other cows, ugly
and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on
the bank of the Nile.
4 The ugly and thin cows ate
up the seven sleek and fat cows. And Pharaoh awoke.
5 Then he fell asleep and
dreamed a second time; seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one
stalk.
6 Then seven ears, thin and
blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them.
7 The thin ears swallowed up
the seven plump and full ears. Pharaoh awoke, and it was a dream.
8 In the morning his spirit
was troubled; so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its
wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could
interpret them to Pharaoh.
9 Then the chief cupbearer
said to Pharaoh, "I remember my faults today.
10 Once Pharaoh was angry
with his servants, and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of
the captain of the guard.
11 We dreamed on the same
night, he and I, each having a dream with its own meaning.
12 A young Hebrew was there
with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. When we told him, he
interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each according to his
dream.
13 As he interpreted to us,
so it turned out; I was restored to my office, and the baker was
hanged."
14 Then Pharaoh sent for
Joseph, and he was hurriedly brought out of the dungeon. When he had shaved
himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh.
15 And Pharaoh said to
Joseph, "I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I
have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret
it."
16 Joseph answered Pharaoh,
"It is not I; God will give Pharaoh a favourable answer."
17 Then Pharaoh said to
Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile;
18 and seven cows, fat and sleek,
came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass.
19 Then seven other cows
came up after them, poor, very ugly, and thin. Never had I seen such ugly ones
in all the land of Egypt.
20 The thin and ugly cows
ate up the first seven fat cows,
21 but when they had eaten
them no one would have known that they had done so, for they were still as ugly
as before. Then I awoke.
22 I fell asleep a second
time and I saw in my dream seven ears of grain, full and good, growing on one
stalk,
23 and seven ears, withered,
thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouting after them;
24 and the thin ears
swallowed up the seven good ears. But when I told it to the magicians, there
was no one who could explain it to me."
25 Then Joseph said to
Pharaoh, "Pharaoh's dreams are one and the same; God has revealed to
Pharaoh what he is about to do.
26 The seven good cows are
seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one.
27 The seven lean and ugly
cows that came up after them are seven years, as are the seven empty ears
blighted by the east wind. They are seven years of famine.
28 It is as I told Pharaoh;
God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
29 There will come seven
years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt.
30 After them there will
arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land
of Egypt; the famine will consume the land.
31 The plenty will no longer
be known in the land because of the famine that will follow, for it will be
very grievous.
32 And the doubling of
Pharaoh's dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly
bring it about.
33 Now therefore let Pharaoh
select a man who is discerning and wise, and set him over the land of
Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint
overseers over the land, and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt
during the seven plenteous years.
35 Let them gather all the
food of these good years that are coming, and lay up grain under the authority
of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.
36 That food shall be a
reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to befall the
land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine."
37 The proposal pleased
Pharaoh and all his servants.
38 Pharaoh said to his
servants, "Can we find anyone else like this—one in whom is the spirit of
God?"
39 So Pharaoh said to
Joseph, "Since God has shown you all this, there is no one so discerning
and wise as you.
40 You shall be over my
house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command; only with
regard to the throne will I be greater than you."
41 And Pharaoh said to
Joseph, "See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt."
42 Removing his signet ring
from his hand, Pharaoh put it on Joseph's hand; he arrayed him in garments of
fine linen, and put a gold chain around his neck.
43 He had him ride in the
chariot of his second-in-command; and they cried out in front of him, "Bow
the knee!" Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt.
44 Moreover Pharaoh said to
Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand
or foot in all the land of Egypt."
45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the
name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of
On, as his wife. Thus Joseph gained authority over the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty years
old when he entered the service of Pharaoh King of Egypt. And Joseph went out
from the presence of Pharaoh, and went through all the land of Egypt.
47 During the seven plenteous
years the earth produced abundantly.
48 He gathered up all the
food of the seven years when there was plenty in the land of Egypt, and stored
up food in the cities; he stored up in every city the food from the fields
around it.
49 So Joseph stored up grain
in such abundance—like the sand of the sea—that he stopped measuring it; it was
beyond measure.
50 Before the years of
famine came, Joseph had two sons, whom Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of
On, bore to him.
51 Joseph named the
firstborn Manasseh, "For," he said, "God has made me forget all
my hardship and all my father's house."
52 The second he named
Ephraim, "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my
misfortunes."
53 The seven years of plenty
that prevailed in the land of Egypt came to an end;
54 and the seven years of
famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every
country, but throughout the land of Egypt there was bread.
55 When all the land of
Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all
the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph; what he says to you, do."
56 And since the famine had
spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold to the
Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
57 Moreover, all the world came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine became severe
throughout the world.
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