41Two full years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River.H7093H3117H8141H6547H2492H5975H2975 2In his dream he saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass.H5927H2975H7651H3303H4758H6510H1277H1320H7462H260 3Then he saw seven more cows come up behind them from the Nile, but these were scrawny and thin. These cows stood beside the fat cows on the riverbank.H7651H312H6510H5927H310H2975H7451H4758H1851H1320H5975H681H6510H8193H2975 4Then the scrawny, thin cows ate the seven healthy, fat cows! At this point in the dream, Pharaoh woke up.H7451H4758H1851H1320H6510H398H7651H3303H4758H1277H6510H6547H3364 5But he fell asleep again and had a second dream. This time he saw seven heads of grain, plump and beautiful, growing on a single stalk.H3462H2492H8145H7651H7641H5927H259H7070H1277H2896 6Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were shriveled and withered by the east wind.H7651H1851H7641H7710H6921H6779H310 7And these thin heads swallowed up the seven plump, well-formed heads! Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized it was a dream.H1851H7641H1104H7651H1277H4392H7641H6547H3364H2472 8The next morning Pharaoh was very disturbed by the dreams. So he called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. When Pharaoh told them his dreams, not one of them could tell him what they meant.H1242H7307H6470H7971H7121H2748H4714H2450H6547H5608H2472H6622H6547 9Finally, the king's chief cup-bearer spoke up. "Today I have been reminded of my failure," he told Pharaoh.H1696H8269H8248H6547H559H2142H2399H3117 10"Some time ago, you were angry with the chief baker and me, and you imprisoned us in the palace of the captain of the guard.H6547H7107H5650H5414H4929H8269H2876H1004H8269H644 11One night the chief baker and I each had a dream, and each dream had its own meaning.H2492H2472H259H3915H2492H376H6623H2472 12There was a young Hebrew man with us in the prison who was a slave of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he told us what each of our dreams meant.H5288H5680H5650H8269H2876H5608H6622H2472H376H2472H6622 13And everything happened just as he had predicted. I was restored to my position as cup-bearer, and the chief baker was executed and impaled on a pole."H6622H7725H3653H8518 14Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was quickly brought from the prison. After he shaved and changed his clothes, he went in and stood before Pharaoh.H6547H7971H7121H3130H7323H953H1548H2498H8071H935H6547 15Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream last night, and no one here can tell me what it means. But I have heard that when you hear about a dream you can interpret it."H6547H559H3130H2492H2472H6622H8085H559H8085H2472H6622 16"It is beyond my power to do this," Joseph replied. "But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease."H3130H6030H6547H559H1107H430H6030H6547H6030H7965 17So Pharaoh told Joseph his dream. "In my dream," he said, "I was standing on the bank of the Nile River,H6547H1696H3130H2472H5975H8193H2975 18and I saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river and begin grazing in the marsh grass.H5927H2975H7651H6510H1277H1320H3303H8389H7462H260 19But then I saw seven sick-looking cows, scrawny and thin, come up after them. I've never seen such sorry-looking animals in all the land of Egypt.H7651H312H6510H5927H310H1803H3966H7451H8389H7534H1320H2007H3808H7200H776H4714H7455 20These thin, scrawny cows ate the seven fat cows.H7534H7451H6510H398H7223H7651H1277H6510 21But afterward you wouldn't have known it, for they were still as thin and scrawny as before! Then I woke up.H935H7130H3045H935H7130H4758H7451H8462H3364 22"Then I fell asleep again, and I had another dream. This time I saw seven heads of grain, full and beautiful, growing on a single stalk.H7200H2472H7651H7641H5927H259H7070H4392H2896 23Then seven more heads of grain appeared, but these were blighted, shriveled, and withered by the east wind.H7651H7641H6798H1851H7710H6921H6779H310 24And the shriveled heads swallowed the seven healthy heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but no one could tell me what they mean."H1851H7641H1104H7651H2896H7641H559H2748H5046 25Joseph responded, "Both of Pharaoh's dreams mean the same thing. God is telling Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do.H3130H559H6547H2472H6547H259H430H5046H6547H6213 26The seven healthy cows and the seven healthy heads of grain both represent seven years of prosperity.H7651H2896H6510H7651H8141H7651H2896H7641H7651H8141H2472H259 27The seven thin, scrawny cows that came up later and the seven thin heads of grain, withered by the east wind, represent seven years of famine.H7651H7534H7451H6510H5927H310H7651H8141H7651H7386H7641H7710H6921H7651H8141H7458 28"This will happen just as I have described it, for God has revealed to Pharaoh in advance what he is about to do.H1697H1696H6547H430H6213H7200H6547 29The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout the land of Egypt.H935H7651H8141H1419H7647H776H4714 30But afterward there will be seven years of famine so great that all the prosperity will be forgotten in Egypt. Famine will destroy the land.H6965H310H7651H8141H7458H7647H7911H776H4714H7458H3615H776 31This famine will be so severe that even the memory of the good years will be erased.H7647H3045H776H6440H7458H310H3651H3966H3515 32As for having two similar dreams, it means that these events have been decreed by God, and he will soon make them happen.H2472H8138H6547H6471H1697H3559H5973H430H430H4116H6213 33"Therefore, Pharaoh should find an intelligent and wise man and put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt.H6547H7200H376H995H2450H7896H776H4714 34Then Pharaoh should appoint supervisors over the land and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years.H6547H6213H6485H6496H776H2567H776H4714H7651H7647H8141 35Have them gather all the food produced in the good years that are just ahead and bring it to Pharaoh's storehouses. Store it away, and guard it so there will be food in the cities.H6908H400H2896H8141H935H6651H1250H3027H6547H8104H400H5892 36That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come to the land of Egypt. Otherwise this famine will destroy the land."H400H6487H776H7651H8141H7458H776H4714H776H3772H7458 37Joseph's suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his officials.H1697H3190H5869H6547H5869H5650 38So Pharaoh asked his officials, "Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?"H6547H559H5650H4672H2088H376H834H7307H430 39Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are.H6547H559H3130H310H430H3045H995H2450 40You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours."H1961H1004H6310H5971H5401H3678H1431 41Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt."H6547H559H3130H7200H5414H776H4714 42Then Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and placed it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in fine linen clothing and hung a gold chain around his neck.H6547H5493H2885H3027H5414H3130H3027H3847H899H8336H7760H2091H7242H6677 43Then he had Joseph ride in the chariot reserved for his second-in-command. And wherever Joseph went, the command was shouted, "Kneel down!" So Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all Egypt.H7392H4932H4818H7121H6440H86H5414H776H4714 44And Pharaoh said to him, "I am Pharaoh, but no one will lift a hand or foot in the entire land of Egypt without your approval."H6547H559H3130H6547H1107H376H7311H3027H7272H776H4714 45Then Pharaoh gave Joseph a new Egyptian name, Zaphenath-paneah. He also gave him a wife, whose name was Asenath. She was the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. So Joseph took charge of the entire land of Egypt.H6547H7121H3130H8034H6847H5414H802H621H1323H6319H3548H204H3130H3318H776H4714 46He was thirty years old when he began serving in the court of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And when Joseph left Pharaoh's presence, he inspected the entire land of Egypt.H3130H7970H8141H1121H5975H6440H6547H4428H4714H3130H3318H6440H6547H5674H776H4714 47As predicted, for seven years the land produced bumper crops.H7651H7647H8141H776H6213H7062 48During those years, Joseph gathered all the crops grown in Egypt and stored the grain from the surrounding fields in the cities.H6908H400H7651H8141H776H4714H5414H400H5892H400H7704H5439H5892H5414H8432 49He piled up huge amounts of grain like sand on the seashore. Finally, he stopped keeping records because there was too much to measure.H3130H6651H1250H2344H3220H3966H7235H2308H5608H369H4557 50During this time, before the first of the famine years, two sons were born to Joseph and his wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On.H3130H3205H8147H1121H8141H7458H935H621H1323H6319H3548H204H3205 51Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said, "God has made me forget all my troubles and everyone in my father's family."H3130H7121H8034H1060H4519H430H5382H5999H1H1004 52Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, "God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief."H8034H8145H7121H669H430H6509H776H6040 53At last the seven years of bumper crops throughout the land of Egypt came to an end.H7651H8141H7647H776H4714H3615 54Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had predicted. The famine also struck all the surrounding countries, but throughout Egypt there was plenty of food.H7651H8141H7458H2490H935H3130H559H7458H776H776H4714H3899 55Eventually, however, the famine spread throughout the land of Egypt as well. And when the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told them, "Go to Joseph, and do whatever he tells you."H776H4714H7456H5971H6817H6547H3899H6547H559H4714H3212H3130H559H6213 56So with severe famine everywhere, Joseph opened up the storehouses and distributed grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt.H7458H6440H776H3130H6605H7666H4714H7458H2388H776H4714 57And people from all around came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because the famine was severe throughout the world.H776H935H4714H3130H7666H7458H2388H776
42When Jacob heard that grain was available in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why are you standing around looking at one another?H3290H7200H3426H7668H4714H3290H559H1121H7200 2I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy enough grain to keep us alive. Otherwise we'll die."H559H8085H3426H7668H4714H3381H7666H2421H4191 3So Joseph's ten older brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain.H3130H6235H251H3381H7666H1250H4714 4But Jacob wouldn't let Joseph's younger brother, Benjamin, go with them, for fear some harm might come to him.H1144H3130H251H3290H7971H251H559H6435H611H7122 5So Jacob's sons arrived in Egypt along with others to buy food, for the famine was in Canaan as well.H1121H3478H935H7666H8432H935H7458H776H3667 6Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of selling grain to all the people, it was to him that his brothers came. When they arrived, they bowed before him with their faces to the ground.H3130H7989H776H7666H5971H776H3130H251H935H7812H639H776 7Joseph recognized his brothers instantly, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. "Where are you from?" he demanded. "From the land of Canaan," they replied. "We have come to buy food."H3130H7200H251H5234H5234H1696H7186H559H370H935H559H776H3667H7666H400 8Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they didn't recognize him.H3130H5234H251H5234 9And he remembered the dreams he'd had about them many years before. He said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become."H3130H2142H2472H2492H559H7270H7200H6172H776H935 10"No, my lord!" they exclaimed. "Your servants have simply come to buy food.H559H113H7666H400H5650H935 11We are all brothers—members of the same family. We are honest men, sir! We are not spies!"H5168H259H376H1121H3651H5650H7270 12"Yes, you are!" Joseph insisted. "You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become."H559H7200H6172H776H935 13"Sir," they said, "there are actually twelve of us. We, your servants, are all brothers, sons of a man living in the land of Canaan. Our youngest brother is back there with our father right now, and one of our brothers is no longer with us."H559H5650H8147H6240H251H1121H259H376H776H3667H6996H3117H1H259 14But Joseph insisted, "As I said, you are spies!H3130H559H1696H559H7270 15This is how I will test your story. I swear by the life of Pharaoh that you will never leave Egypt unless your youngest brother comes here!H2063H974H2416H6547H3318H6996H251H935 16One of you must go and get your brother. I'll keep the rest of you here in prison. Then we'll find out whether or not your story is true. By the life of Pharaoh, if it turns out that you don't have a younger brother, then I'll know you are spies."H7971H259H3947H251H631H1697H974H571H854H3808H2416H6547H7270 17So Joseph put them all in prison for three days.H622H4929H7969H3117 18On the third day Joseph said to them, "I am a God-fearing man. If you do as I say, you will live.H3130H559H7992H3117H6213H2421H3373H430 19If you really are honest men, choose one of your brothers to remain in prison. The rest of you may go home with grain for your starving families.H3651H259H251H631H1004H4929H3212H935H7668H7459H1004 20But you must bring your youngest brother back to me. This will prove that you are telling the truth, and you will not die." To this they agreed.H935H6996H251H1697H539H4191H6213 21Speaking among themselves, they said, "Clearly we are being punished because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldn't listen. That's why we're in this trouble."H559H376H251H61H818H251H834H7200H6869H5315H2603H8085H6869H935 22"Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy?" Reuben asked. "But you wouldn't listen. And now we have to answer for his blood!"H7205H6030H559H559H559H2398H3206H8085H1818H1875 23Of course, they didn't know that Joseph understood them, for he had been speaking to them through an interpreter.H3045H3130H8085H3887 24Now he turned away from them and began to weep. When he regained his composure, he spoke to them again. Then he chose Simeon from among them and had him tied up right before their eyes.H5437H1058H7725H1696H3947H8095H631H5869 25Joseph then ordered his servants to fill the men's sacks with grain, but he also gave secret instructions to return each brother's payment at the top of his sack. He also gave them supplies for their journey home.H3130H6680H4390H3627H1250H7725H376H3701H8242H5414H6720H1870H3651H6213 26So the brothers loaded their donkeys with the grain and headed for home.H5375H2543H7668H3212 27But when they stopped for the night and one of them opened his sack to get grain for his donkey, he found his money in the top of his sack.H259H6605H8242H5414H2543H4554H4411H7200H3701H572H6310 28"Look!" he exclaimed to his brothers. "My money has been returned; it's here in my sack!" Then their hearts sank. Trembling, they said to each other, "What has God done to us?"H559H251H3701H7725H2009H572H3820H3318H2729H559H376H251H430H6213 29When the brothers came to their father, Jacob, in the land of Canaan, they told him everything that had happened to them.H935H3290H1H776H3667H5046H7136H559 30"The man who is governor of the land spoke very harshly to us," they told him. "He accused us of being spies scouting the land.H376H113H776H1696H7186H5414H7270H776 31But we said, 'We are honest men, not spies.H559H3651H7270 32We are twelve brothers, sons of one father. One brother is no longer with us, and the youngest is at home with our father in the land of Canaan.'H6240H8147H251H1121H1H259H6996H3117H1H776H3667 33"Then the man who is governor of the land told us, 'This is how I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take grain for your starving families and go on home.H376H113H776H559H3045H3651H3240H259H251H3947H7459H1004H3212 34But you must bring your youngest brother back to me. Then I will know you are honest men and not spies. Then I will give you back your brother, and you may trade freely in the land.'"H935H6996H251H3045H7270H3651H5414H251H5503H776 35As they emptied out their sacks, there in each man's sack was the bag of money he had paid for the grain! The brothers and their father were terrified when they saw the bags of money.H7324H8242H376H6872H3701H8242H1H7200H6872H3701H3372 36Jacob exclaimed, "You are robbing me of my children! Joseph is gone! Simeon is gone! And now you want to take Benjamin, too. Everything is going against me!"H3290H1H559H7921H3130H8095H3947H1144 37Then Reuben said to his father, "You may kill my two sons if I don't bring Benjamin back to you. I'll be responsible for him, and I promise to bring him back."H7205H559H1H559H4191H8147H1121H935H5414H3027H7725 38But Jacob replied, "My son will not go down with you. His brother Joseph is dead, and he is all I have left. If anything should happen to him on your journey, you would send this grieving, white-haired man to his grave."H559H1121H3381H251H4191H7604H611H7122H1870H3212H3381H7872H3015H7585
13[For the choir director: A psalm of David.] O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?H5329H4210H1732H7911H3068H5331H5641H6440 2How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day? How long will my enemy have the upper hand?H7896H6098H5315H3015H3824H3119H341H7311 3Turn and answer me, O LORD my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.H5027H6030H3068H430H215H5869H3462H4194 4Don't let my enemies gloat, saying, "We have defeated him!" Don't let them rejoice at my downfall.H341H559H3201H6862H1523H4131 5But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.H982H2617H3820H1523H3444 6I will sing to the LORD because he is good to me.H7891H3068H1580
. He also gave him a wife, whose name was Asenath. She was the daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On. So Joseph took charge of the entire land of Egypt.H6547
