Genesis 40

• 1. Some time later, Pharaoh's chief cup-bearer and chief baker offended him.
• 2. Pharaoh became very angry with these officials,
• 3. and he put them in the prison where Joseph was, in the palace of Potiphar, the captain of the guard.
• 4. They remained in prison for quite some time, and Potiphar assigned Joseph to take care of them.
• 5. One night the cup-bearer and the baker each had a dream, and each dream had its own meaning.
• 6. The next morning Joseph noticed the dejected look on their faces.
• 7. "Why do you look so worried today?" he asked.
• 8. And they replied, "We both had dreams last night, but there is no one here to tell us what they mean.Interpreting dreams is God's business," Joseph replied. "Tell me what you saw."
• 9. The cup-bearer told his dream first. "In my dream," he said, "I saw a vine in front of me.
• 10. It had three branches that began to bud and blossom, and soon there were clusters of ripe grapes.
• 11. I was holding Pharaoh's wine cup in my hand, so I took the grapes and squeezed the juice into it. Then I placed the cup in Pharaoh's hand."
• 12. "I know what the dream means," Joseph said. "The three branches mean three days.
• 13. Within three days Pharaoh will take you out of prison and return you to your position as his chief cup-bearer.
• 14. And please have some pity on me when you are back in his favor. Mention me to Pharaoh, and ask him to let me out of here.
• 15. For I was kidnapped from my homeland, the land of the Hebrews, and now I'm here in jail, but I did nothing to deserve it."
• 16. When the chief baker saw that the first dream had such a good meaning, he told his dream to Joseph, too. "In my dream," he said, "there were three baskets of pastries on my head.
• 17. In the top basket were all kinds of bakery goods for Pharaoh, but the birds came and ate them."
• 18. "I'll tell you what it means," Joseph told him. "The three baskets mean three days.
• 19. Three days from now Pharaoh will cut off your head and impale your body on a pole. Then birds will come and peck away at your flesh."
• 20. Pharaoh's birthday came three days later, and he gave a banquet for all his officials and household staff. He sent for his chief cup-bearer and chief baker, and they were brought to him from the prison.
• 21. He then restored the chief cup-bearer to his former position,
• 22. but he sentenced the chief baker to be impaled on a pole, just as Joseph had predicted.
• 23. Pharaoh's cup-bearer, however, promptly forgot all about Joseph, never giving him another thought.

Genesis 41

• 1. Two years later, Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing on the bank of the Nile River.
• 2. In his dream, seven fat, healthy-looking cows suddenly came up out of the river and began grazing along its bank.
• 3. Then seven other cows came up from the river, but these were very ugly and gaunt. These cows went over and stood beside the fat cows.
• 4. Then the thin, ugly cows ate the fat ones! At this point in the dream, Pharaoh woke up.
• 5. Soon he fell asleep again and had a second dream. This time he saw seven heads of grain on one stalk, with every kernel well formed and plump.
• 6. Then suddenly, seven more heads appeared on the stalk, but these were shriveled and withered by the east wind.
• 7. And these thin heads swallowed up the seven plump, well-formed heads! Then Pharaoh woke up again and realized it was a dream.
• 8. The next morning, as he thought about it, Pharaoh became very concerned as to what the dreams might mean. So he called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt and told them about his dreams, but not one of them could suggest what they meant.
• 9. Then the king's cup-bearer spoke up. "Today I have been reminded of my failure," he said.
• 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.
• 11. One night the chief baker and I each had a dream, and each dream had a meaning.
• 12. We told the dreams to a young Hebrew man who was a servant of the captain of the guard. He told us what each of our dreams meant,
• 13. and everything happened just as he said it would. I was restored to my position as cup-bearer, and the chief baker was executed and impaled on a pole."
• 14. Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and he was brought hastily from the dungeon. After a quick shave and change of clothes, he went in and stood in Pharaoh's presence.
• 15. "I had a dream last night," Pharaoh told him, "and none of these men can tell me what it means. But I have heard that you can interpret dreams, and that is why I have called for you."
• 16. "It is beyond my power to do this," Joseph replied. "But God will tell you what it means and will set you at ease."
• 17. So Pharaoh told him the dream. "I was standing on the bank of the Nile River," he said.
• 18. "Suddenly, seven fat, healthy-looking cows came up out of the river and began grazing along its bank.
• 19. But then seven other cows came up from the river. They were very thin and gaunt--in fact, I've never seen such ugly animals in all the land of Egypt.
• 20. These thin, ugly cows ate up the seven fat ones that had come out of the river first,
• 21. but afterward they were still as ugly and gaunt as before! Then I woke up.
• 22. "A little later I had another dream. This time there were seven heads of grain on one stalk, and all seven heads were plump and full.
• 23. Then out of the same stalk came seven withered heads, shriveled by the east wind.
• 24. And the withered heads swallowed up the plump ones! I told these dreams to my magicians, but not one of them could tell me what they mean."
• 25. "Both dreams mean the same thing," Joseph told Pharaoh. "God was telling you what he is about to do.
• 26. The seven fat cows and the seven plump heads of grain both represent seven years of prosperity.
• 27. The seven thin, ugly cows and the seven withered heads of grain represent seven years of famine.
• 28. This will happen just as I have described it, for God has shown you what he is about to do.
• 29. The next seven years will be a period of great prosperity throughout the land of Egypt.
• 30. But afterward there will be seven years of famine so great that all the prosperity will be forgotten and wiped out. Famine will destroy the land.
• 31. This famine will be so terrible that even the memory of the good years will be erased.
• 32. As for having the dream twice, it means that the matter has been decreed by God and that he will make these events happen soon.
• 33. "My suggestion is that you find the wisest man in Egypt and put him in charge of a nationwide program.
• 34. Let Pharaoh appoint officials over the land, and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years.
• 35. Have them gather all the food and grain of these good years into the royal storehouses, and store it away so there will be food in the cities.
• 36. That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come. Otherwise disaster will surely strike the land, and all the people will die."
• 37. Joseph's suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his advisers.
• 38. As they discussed who should be appointed for the job, Pharaoh said, "Who could do it better than Joseph? For he is a man who is obviously filled with the spirit of God."
• 39. Turning to Joseph, Pharaoh said, "Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, you are the wisest man in the land!
• 40. I hereby appoint you to direct this project. You will manage my household and organize all my people. Only I will have a rank higher than yours."
• 41. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt."
• 42. Then Pharaoh placed his own signet ring on Joseph's finger as a symbol of his authority. He dressed him in beautiful clothing and placed the royal gold chain about his neck.
• 43. Pharaoh also gave Joseph the chariot of his second-in-command, and wherever he went the command was shouted, "Kneel down!" So Joseph was put in charge of all Egypt.
• 44. And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am the king, but no one will move a hand or a foot in the entire land of Egypt without your approval."
• 45. Pharaoh renamed him Zaphenath-paneah and gave him a wife--a young woman named Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis. So Joseph took charge of the entire land of Egypt.
• 46. He was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. And when Joseph left Pharaoh's presence, he made a tour of inspection throughout the land.
• 47. And sure enough, for the next seven years there were bumper crops everywhere.
• 48. During those years, Joseph took a portion of all the crops grown in Egypt and stored them for the government in nearby cities.
• 49. After seven years, the granaries were filled to overflowing. There was so much grain, like sand on the seashore, that the people could not keep track of the amount.
• 50. During this time, before the arrival of the first of the famine years, two sons were born to Joseph and his wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis.
• 51. Joseph named his older son Manasseh, for he said, "God has made me forget all my troubles and the family of my father."
• 52. Joseph named his second son Ephraim, for he said, "God has made me fruitful in this land of my suffering."
• 53. At last the seven years of plenty came to an end.
• 54. Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had predicted. There were crop failures in all the surrounding countries, too, but in Egypt there was plenty of grain in the storehouses.
• 55. Throughout the land of Egypt the people began to starve. They pleaded with Pharaoh for food, and he told them, "Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you."
• 56. So with severe famine everywhere in the land, Joseph opened up the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians.
• 57. And people from surrounding lands also came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph because the famine was severe throughout the world.

Genesis 42

• 1. When Jacob heard that there was grain available in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why are you standing around looking at one another?
• 2. I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down and buy some for us before we all starve to death."
• 3. So Joseph's ten older brothers went down to Egypt to buy grain.
• 4. Jacob wouldn't let Joseph's younger brother, Benjamin, go with them, however, for fear some harm might come to him.
• 5. So Jacob's sons arrived in Egypt along with others to buy food, for the famine had reached Canaan as well.
• 6. Since Joseph was governor of all Egypt and in charge of the sale of the grain, it was to him that his brothers came. They bowed low before him, with their faces to the ground.
• 7. Joseph recognized them instantly, but he pretended to be a stranger. "Where are you from?" he demanded roughly. "From the land of Canaan," they replied. "We have come to buy grain."
• 8. Joseph's brothers didn't recognize him, but Joseph recognized them.
• 9. And he remembered the dreams he had had many years before. He said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see how vulnerable our land has become."
• 10. "No, my lord!" they exclaimed. "We have come to buy food.
• 11. We are all brothers and honest men, sir! We are not spies!"
• 12. "Yes, you are!" he insisted. "You have come to discover how vulnerable the famine has made us."
• 13. "Sir," they said, "there are twelve of us brothers, and our father is in the land of Canaan. Our youngest brother is there with our father, and one of our brothers is no longer with us."
• 14. But Joseph insisted, "As I said, you are spies!
• 15. This is how I will test your story. I swear by the life of Pharaoh that you will not leave Egypt unless your youngest brother comes here.
• 16. One of you go and get your brother! I'll keep the rest of you here, bound in prison. Then we'll find out whether or not your story is true. If it turns out that you don't have a younger brother, then I'll know you are spies."
• 17. So he put them all in prison for three days.
• 18. On the third day Joseph said to them, "I am a God-fearing man. If you do as I say, you will live.
• 19. We'll see how honorable you really are. Only one of you will remain in the prison. The rest of you may go on home with grain for your families.
• 20. But bring your youngest brother back to me. In this way, I will know whether or not you are telling me the truth. If you are, I will spare you." To this they agreed.
• 21. Speaking among themselves, they said, "This has all happened because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his terror and anguish and heard his pleadings, but we wouldn't listen. That's why this trouble has come upon us."
• 22. "Didn't I tell you not to do it?" Reuben asked. "But you wouldn't listen. And now we are going to die because we murdered him."
• 23. Of course, they didn't know that Joseph understood them as he was standing there, for he had been speaking to them through an interpreter.
• 24. Now he left the room and found a place where he could weep. Returning, he talked some more with them. He then chose Simeon from among them and had him tied up right before their eyes.
• 25. Joseph 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 provisions for their journey.
• 26. So they loaded up their donkeys with the grain and started for home.
• 27. But when they stopped for the night and one of them opened his sack to get some grain to feed the donkeys, he found his money in the sack.
• 28. "Look!" he exclaimed to his brothers. "My money is here in my sack!" They were filled with terror and said to each other, "What has God done to us?"
• 29. So they came to their father, Jacob, in the land of Canaan and told him all that had happened.
• 30. "The man who is ruler over the land spoke very roughly to us," they told him. "He took us for spies.
• 31. But we said, `We are honest men, not spies.
• 32. We are twelve brothers, sons of one father; one brother has disappeared, and the youngest is with our father in the land of Canaan.'
• 33. Then the man, the ruler of the land, told us, `This is the way I will find out if you are honest men. Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take grain for your families and go on home.
• 34. But bring your youngest brother back to me. Then I will know that you are honest men and not spies. If you prove to be what you say, then I will give you back your brother, and you may come as often as you like to buy grain.'"
• 35. As they emptied out the sacks, there at the top of each one was the bag of money paid for the grain. Terror gripped them, as it did their father.
• 36. Jacob exclaimed, "You have deprived me of my children! Joseph has disappeared, Simeon is gone, and now you want to take Benjamin, too. Everything is going against me!"
• 37. Then 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."
• 38. But Jacob replied, "My son will not go down with you, for his brother Joseph is dead, and he alone is left of his mother's children. If anything should happen to him, you would bring my gray head down to the grave in deep sorrow."

New Living Translation: 14 of 324 days.