Genesis
JOSEPH'S DREAMS
37 3Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. 4When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
5Joseph had a dream and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more.
18(The brothers) saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
23So when Joseph came to his they stripped him of his robe-the richly ornamented robe he was wearing-24and they took him and threw him into the cistern.
25As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm, and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
28So when the Midiante merchants came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
31Then they got Joseph's robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32They took the ornamented robe back to their father and said, "We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son's robe."
33He recognized it and said, "It is my son's robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces."
JOSEPH AND POTIPHAR'S WIFE
39 1Now Joseph had been taken down t Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of the Pharaoh's official's, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.
6Now Joseph was well-built and handsome.7and after a while his master's wife took notice of Joseph and said, "Come to bed with me!"
8But he refused.
13...she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house...
20Joseph's master took him and put him in prison...
THE CUPBEARER AND THE BAKER
40 1Some time later the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. 2Pharaoh was angry with his officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3and put them in custody in the house of the captain guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined.
5...each of the two men - the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison - had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.
8"We both had dreams" (they said), "but there is no-one to interpret them." Then Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams."
9So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him "In my dream I saw a vine in front of me. 10and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11Pharaoh's cup was in my had, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup and put the cup in his hand."
12"This is what it means." Joseph said to him "The three branches are three days. 13Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his had, just as you used to when you were his cupbearer. 14But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness, mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison."
16When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, "I too had a dream. On my head were three baskets of bread. 17In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but birds were eating them out of the basket on my head."
18"This is what it means," Joseph said. "The three baskets are three days. 19Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and hand you on a tree. And the birds will eat away your flesh."
21(On the third day Pharaoh) restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that the once again put the cup into Pharaoh's Hand. 22but he hanged the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.
PHARAOH'S DREAMS
41 1When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream. He was standing by the Nile, 2when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds.
3After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out to the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. 4And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
5He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven ears of corn, healthy and good were growing on a single stalk. 6After them, seven other ears of corn sprouted - thin and scorched by the east wind. 7The thin ears of corns walled up the seven healthy, full ears. Then Pharaoh woke up, it had been a dream.
8In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no-one could interpret them for him.
25Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears of corn are seven years, it is one and the same dream.
27The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterwards are seven years, and so are the seven worthless ears of corn scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.
28"It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29Seven year of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, 30but seven years of famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the kind will not be remembered, because the famine will ravage the land.
31The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe.
39The Pharaoh said to Joseph. "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no-one so discerning and wise as you. 40You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."
JOSEPH IN CHARGE OF EGYPT
41So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." 42Then Pharaoh took his signet ring and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in command, and men shouted before him, "Make way!" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
53The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to and end, 54and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said.
57And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in the whole world.
JOSEPH'S BROTHERS GO TO EGYPT
42 5So Israel's sons were among those who went to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.
7As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognised them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them
THE SECOND JOURNEY TO EGYPT
4326When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. 27He asked them how they were, and then he said, "How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?"
28They replied, "Your servant our father is alive and well." And they bowed low to pay him honour.
29As he looked about him and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother's son, he asked, "Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?" And he said "God be gracious to you, my son."
30Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.
31After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, "Serve the food."
A SILVER CUP IN A SACK
44 1Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack. 2Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain." And he did as Joseph said.
3As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. 4They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, "Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil? 5Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done."
6When he caught up with them he repeated these words to them. 7But they said to him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! 8We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house? 9If any of your servants is found to have it he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves."
10"Very well then," he said, "let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave: the rest of you will be free from blame."
11Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it.
12Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
33[And Judah said] Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers.
JOSEPH MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN
45 4Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.
13"Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly."
And he hugged all his brothers and wept over them...JACOB GOES TO EGYPT
Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time.
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