From Prison to Palace

Two full years later, Pharaoh himself had a dream. He stood by the great river, and up out of the water came seven cows, beautiful and fat, and they fed in the grass. Then up came seven more cows — thin and ugly and bony — and the thin cows ate up the fat cows! Pharaoh woke up. Then he dreamed again: seven full, good ears of grain on one stalk — swallowed up by seven thin ears, dried out by the wind. In the morning Pharaoh’s heart was troubled. He called all the wise men of Egypt, but not one of them could tell him what the dreams meant. Then, at last, the cupbearer remembered: “Today I remember my fault! When I was in prison, there was a young Hebrew there who told me the meaning of my dream — and it came true, exactly as he said.” So Pharaoh sent for Joseph. They hurried him out of the prison, shaved him, gave him fresh clothes — and Joseph stood before the king of Egypt. Pharaoh said, “I have dreamed a dream, and no one can tell me its meaning. But I have heard that you can interpret dreams.” And Joseph answered, “Without God, no answer of safety can be given to Pharaoh.”

Pharaoh told him the dreams. And Joseph said, “The two dreams are one dream. Whatever God is about to do, he has shown to Pharaoh. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years: seven years of great plenty are coming to all the land of Egypt. But after them will come seven years of famine, so hard that all the plenty will be forgotten. And the dream came twice because the thing is settled by God, and God will do it soon. Now let Pharaoh find a wise and careful man and set him over the land. In the seven good years, let him gather grain and store it up in the cities — food for the seven hungry years that are coming — so that the land will not be destroyed by the famine.” The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and all his servants. And Pharaoh said, “Could we ever find another man like this, who has the Spirit of God in him? Since God has shown you all this, there is no one wiser than you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall obey your word. Only the throne itself will be greater than you.” And Pharaoh took the ring off his own hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and dressed him in fine linen, and put a gold chain around his neck, and had him ride in the second royal chariot while a herald cried before him. In one single day, Joseph rose from the prison to the palace — ruler over all the land of Egypt. He was thirty years old.

And it all came true. For seven years the land gave huge harvests, and Joseph gathered grain like the sand of the sea — so much that it could not be counted — and stored it in the cities. In those years, two sons were born to Joseph: Manasseh and Ephraim. Then the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was hunger in every land — but in Egypt there was bread. Joseph opened the storehouses, and all Egypt came to him for grain. And from every country round about, people came down to Egypt to buy food from Joseph, for the famine was heavy over all the earth.