him. Joseph was then
hastily taken out of the prison, bathed and shaved, and given
fresh clothes. Then he was brought before Pharaoh, who informed
him of his strange dream.
"In my dream
I stood on the bank of a river and saw seven fat cows come up out
of the water to feed in a meadow. Seven other cows came up after
them - poor, lean cows such as I have never seen in Egypt. These
lean cows ate up the first seven fat ones, but they were still as
thin as if they had eaten nothing. Then I awoke.
"I slept
again and dreamed a second time that seven ears of corn came up on
one stalk - healthy and good. And seven withered and thin ears
came up after them and devoured them. I have told this to the
magicians, but no one can declare the meaning of these
dreams."
Joseph said to
Pharaoh, "In your dream, God is showing you what He is about
to do. The seven good cows and the seven good ears are seven years
of great plenty throughout the land of Egypt. The seven lean cows
and the seven thing ears are seven years of famine that shall
follow. All the plenty shall be gone and forgotten. The famine
will be great and will consume the land. God has sent you the same
dream twice to show you how grievous it will be and to say these
things will happen soon."
Therefore, Joseph
told Pharaoh, he should soon choose a wise man to rule over the
land of Egypt. This man should appoint officers over all the land
who would see that one-fifth of all the food and corn planted
during the seven plenteous years should be gathered and stored in
the cities, under Pharaoh's seal. Then, when the seven years of
famine should follow, the land of Egypt still would not want for
food.
Joseph's words
seemed very wise to Pharaoh and his servants, so the king said to
Joseph, "Since God has shown all of this to you, you shall
rule over my house and my people. Only on the throne shall I be
greater than you."
And Pharaoh took
off his ring and put it on Joseph's hand. He clothed him in fine
linen, put a gold chain around his neck, and gave him his second
chariot.
Joseph, then
thirty years old, went throughout all the land of Egypt. In the
seven plenteous years he saw that food and grain were gathered and
stored equally in all the cities. Then came the famine over all
the face of the earth. But in Egypt there was food. When the
Egyptians were famished and cried out for bread, Pharaoh sent them
to Joseph, for he was the governor of Egypt and had charge of all
the royal storehouses. Joseph opened the storehouses and sold the
people food. And people of all countries came to Egypt to buy
corn, because in no other land had grain been stored for the years
of famine.
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