CEB Common English Bible with Apocrypha - eBook [ePub]. Common English Bible

CEB Common English Bible with Apocrypha - eBook [ePub]

¹²A young Hebrew man, a servant of the commander of the royal guard, was with us. We described our dreams to him, and he interpreted our dreams for us, giving us an interpretation for each dream. ¹³His interpretations came true exactly: Pharaoh restored me to my position but hanged him."

¹⁴So Pharaoh summoned Joseph, and they quickly brought him from the dungeon. He shaved, changed clothes, and appeared before Pharaoh. ¹⁵Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, but no one could interpret it. Then I heard that when you hear a dream, you can interpret it."

¹⁶Joseph answered Pharaoh, "It's not me. God will give Pharaoh a favorable response."

¹⁷So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile. ¹⁸In front of me, seven fattened, stout cows climbed up out of the Nile and grazed on the reeds. ¹⁹Just then, seven other cows, weak and frail and thin, climbed up after them. I've never seen such awful cows in all the land of Egypt. ²⁰Then the thin, frail cows devoured the first seven, fattened cows. ²¹But after they swallowed them whole, no one would have known it. They looked just as bad as they had before. Then I woke up. ²²I went to sleep again^p and saw in my dream seven full and healthy ears of grain growing on one stalk. ²³Just then, seven hard and thin ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, sprouted after them,²⁴and the thin ears swallowed up the healthy ears. I told the religious experts,^q but they couldn't explain it to me."

²⁵Joseph said to Pharaoh, "Pharaoh has actually had one dream. God has announced to Pharaoh what he is about to do. ²⁶The seven healthy cows are seven years, and the seven healthy ears of grain are seven years. It's actually one dream. ²⁷The seven thin and frail cows, climbing up after them, are seven years. The seven thin ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, are seven years of famine. ²⁸It's just as I told Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. ²⁹Seven years of great abundance are now coming throughout the entire land of Egypt. ³⁰After them, seven years of famine will appear, and all of the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will devastate the land. ³¹No one will remember the abundance in the land because the famine that follows will be so very severe. ³²The dream occurred to Pharaoh twice because God has determined to do it, and God will make it happen soon.

Joseph's rise to power

³³"Now Pharaoh should find an intelligent, wise man and give him authority over the land of Egypt. ³⁴Then Pharaoh should appoint administrators over the land and take one-fifth of all the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. ³⁵During the good years that are coming, they should collect all such food and store the grain under Pharaoh's control, protecting the food in the cities. ³⁶This food will be reserved for the seven years of famine to follow in the land of Egypt so that the land won't be ravaged by the famine."

³⁷This advice seemed wise to Pharaoh and all his servants, ³⁸and Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man with more God-given gifts^r than this one?"³⁹Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, no one is as intelligent and wise as you are. ⁴⁰You will be in charge of my kingdom,^s and all my people will obey^t your command. Only as the enthroned king will I be greater than you."⁴¹Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Know this: I've given you authority over the entire land of Egypt."⁴²Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, he dressed him in linen clothes, and he put a gold necklace around his neck. ⁴³He put Joseph on the chariot of his second-in-command, and everyone in front of him cried out, "Attention!"^u So Pharaoh installed him over the entire land of Egypt. ⁴⁴Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh; no one will do anything or go anywhere in all the land of Egypt without your permission."⁴⁵Pharaoh renamed Joseph, Zaphenath-paneah, and married him to Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera the priest of Heliopolis.^v

Then Joseph assumed control of the land of Egypt. ⁴⁶Joseph was 30 years old when he began to serve Pharaoh, Egypt's king, when he left Pharaoh's court and traveled through the entire land of Egypt. ⁴⁷During the seven years of abundance, the land produced plentifully. ⁴⁸He collected all of the food during the seven years of abundance^w in the land of Egypt, and stored the food in cities. In each city, he stored the food from the fields surrounding it. ⁴⁹Joseph amassed grain like the sand of the sea. There was so much that he stopped trying to measure it because it was beyond measuring. ⁵⁰Before the years of famine arrived, Asenath the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis,^x gave birth to two sons for Joseph. ⁵¹Joseph named the oldest son Manasseh,^y "because," he said, "God has helped me forget all of my troubles and everyone in my father's household."⁵²He named the second Ephraim,^z "because," he said, "God has given me children in the land where I've been treated harshly."

⁵³The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end, ⁵⁴and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. The famine struck every country, but the entire land of Egypt had bread. ⁵⁵When the famine ravaged the entire land of Egypt and the people pleaded to Pharaoh for bread, Pharaoh said to all of the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph. Do whatever he tells you."⁵⁶The famine covered every part of the land, and Joseph opened all of the granaries^a and sold grain to the Egyptians. In the land of Egypt, the famine became more and more severe. ⁵⁷Every country came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because in every country the famine had also become more severe.

Joseph's brothers arrive in Egypt

Genesis 42When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why are you staring blankly at each other?²I've just heard that there's grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us so that we can survive and not starve to death."³So Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. ⁴However, Jacob didn't send Joseph's brother Benjamin along with his brothers because he thought something bad might happen to him. ⁵Israel's sons came to buy grain with others who also came since the famine had spread to the land of Canaan.

⁶As for Joseph, he was the land's governor, and he was the one selling grain to all the land's people. When Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to him, their faces to the ground. ⁷When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he acted like he didn't know them. He spoke to them with a harsh tone and said, "Where have you come from?"

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

⁸Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn't recognize him. ⁹Joseph remembered the dreams he had dreamed about them, and said to them, "You are spies. You've come to look for the country's weaknesses."

¹⁰They said to him, "No, Master. Your servants have just come to buy food. ¹¹We are all sons of one man. We are honest men. Your servants aren't spies."

¹²He said to them, "No. You've come to look for the country's weaknesses."

¹³They said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, but one is gone."

¹⁴Joseph said to them, "It's just as I've said to you. You are spies!¹⁵But here is how to prove yourselves: As Pharaoh lives, you won't leave here until your youngest brother arrives. ¹⁶Send one of you to get your brother, but the rest of you will stay in prison. We will find out if your words are true. If not, as Pharaoh lives, you are certainly spies."

Joseph's brothers return to Canaan

¹⁷He put them all in prison for three days. ¹⁸On the third day, Joseph said to them, "Do this and you will live, for I'm a God-fearing man. ¹⁹If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay in prison, and the rest of you, go, take grain back to those in your households who are hungry. ²⁰But bring your youngest brother back to me so that your words will prove true and you won't die."

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