and all of a sudden seven healthy, plump, beautiful cows emerged from the Nile and began to graze among the reeds that line the bank.

And then seven other cows came up after them, poor and very evil favored and lean fleshed: so that I never saw their like, in all the land of Egypt, in evil favoredness.

And the lean and ugly cows ate up the first seven fat cows.

and they came into their belly, and it could not be known that they had come into their belly; and their look was bad, as at the beginning. And I awoke.

Later, I also dreamed about seven plump, fruit-filled ears of grain that grew up out of a single stalk.

And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.

And Joseph saith unto Pharaoh, 'The dream of Pharaoh is one: that which God is doing he hath declared to Pharaoh;

And the seven lean and bad kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears, parched with the east wind, will be seven years of famine.

The very word that I spake unto Pharaoh, what, God, is about to do, hath he showed unto Pharaoh.

Be advised that seven years of phenomenal abundance are coming throughout all the land of Egypt,

but afterward seven years of famine and hunger will come, and [there will be such desperate need that] all the great abundance [of the previous years] will be forgotten in the land of Egypt [as if it never happened], and famine and destitution will ravage and destroy the land.

And the plenty will not be known afterwards in the land by reason of that famine; for it will be very grievous.

And as regards the double repetition of the dream to Pharaoh, it is that the thing is established by God, and God will hasten to do it.

Let Pharaoh do this, that he may appoint overseers over the land, - so shall he take up a fifth of the land of Egypt, during the seven years of plenty.

And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.

And let the food be as store for the land for the seven years of famine, which will be in the land of Egypt, that the land perish not through the famine.

Then said Pharaoh unto his servants, "Where shall we find such a man as this is, that hath the spirit of God in him?"

And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Seeing that God has made all this clear to you, there is no other man of such wisdom and good sense as you:

And he caused him to ride in the second chariot that he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee! and he set him over all the land of Egypt.

Pharaoh also changed Joseph's name to Zaphenath-paneah and gave Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, the priest of On, to him as his wife. And that's how Joseph gained authority over the land of Egypt.

And he gathered up all the food of the seven years that was in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities; the food of the fields of the city, which were round about it, he laid up in it.

Joseph stored up so much grain like sand on the seashore in so much abundance! that he stopped keeping records because it was proving to be impossible to measure how much they were gathering.

And the seven years of plenty that were in the land of Egypt were ended;

and the seven years of famine began to come in, according as Joseph had said, - and it came to pass that there was a famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt, there was bread.

And all the land of Egypt suffered from the dearth. And the people cried to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, Go to Joseph: what he says to you, that do.

And when the dearth was throughout all the land, Joseph opened all that was in the cities, and sold unto the Egyptians. And hunger waxed sore in the land of Egypt.

And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.

And Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, Why do ye look one upon another?

And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down thither and buy grain for us from thence, in order that we may live, and not die.

Jacob would not send Joseph's brother Benjamin to accompany them, because he was saying, "I'm afraid that he'll come to some kind of harm."

So the sons of Israel came to buy grain among those that came; for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

And Joseph, he was the governor over the land he it was that sold the corn to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brethren came and bowed down to him, the face to the earth.

Now though Joseph saw that these were his brothers, they had no idea who he was.

And Joseph remembered the dreams that he had dreamt of them; and he said to them, Ye are spies: to see the exposed places of the land ye are come.

And Joseph said to them, That is it that I have spoken to you, saying, Ye are spies.

So here's how we'll test you. You can bet the life of Pharaoh that you're not leaving here until your youngest brother comes here!

Send one of you, that he may fetch your brother, but ye shall be imprisoned, and your words shall be put to the proof, whether the truth is in you; and if not, as Pharaoh lives, ye are spies.

And Joseph said to them the third day, This do, that ye may live: I fear God.

If you're honest men, leave one of your brothers here in custody, then the rest of you can leave and take some grain with you to alleviate the famine that's affecting your households.

and bring your youngest brother to me, in order that your words be verified, and that ye may not die. And they did so.

And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.

Reuben answered them, saying, "Said I not unto you that ye should not sin against the lad? But ye would not hear; And now verily see, his blood is required."

And they did not know that Joseph understood, for the interpreter was between them.

Then commanded Joseph that their bags should be filled with corn, and their silver be returned each man's into his sack, and provision be given for the journey, - and it was done to them thus.

And he said to his brethren, My money is returned to me, and behold, it is even in my sack. And their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God has done to us?

And they came into the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father, and told him all that had befallen them, saying,

The man that is lord of the land spake unto us harsh things, - and then delivered us up. as spies of the land.

And the man, the lord of the land, said to us, Hereby shall I know that ye are honest: leave one of your brethren with me, and take for the hunger of your households, and go,

and bring your youngest brother to me, and I shall know that ye are not spies, but are honest. Your brother will I give up to you; and ye may trade in the land.

And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that behold, every man had his bundle of money in his sack; and they saw their bundles of money, they and their father, and were afraid.

But he said, "My son shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he alone remains. [If] harm meets him on the journey that you would take, you would bring down my gray head in sorrow to Sheol."

And it happened [that] as they finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt their father said to them, "Return and buy a little food for us."

Then said Judah unto him, "The man did testify unto us saying, 'Look that ye see not my face except your brother be with you.'

But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go: for the man said unto us, 'Look that ye see not my face, except your brother be with you.'"

Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly, telling the man that you had another brother?"

And they said, "The man asked explicitly about us and about our family, saying, 'Is your father still alive? Do you have a brother?' And we answered him according to these words. How could we know that he would say, 'Bring down your brother'?"

Then Judah said to his father Israel, "Send the boy with me, and let us arise and go, so that we will live and not die--you, we, and our children.

I'll even offer myself to guarantee that I'll be responsible for him. If I don't bring him back and present him to you, I'll personally bear the consequences forever.

"If that's the way it has to be," their father Israel replied, "then do this: take some of the best produce of the land in your containers and take them to the man as a gift some resin ointment, some honey, fragrant resins, myrrh, pistachios, and almonds.

And take double [the] money in your hands. Take back the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it [was] a mistake.

And may El-Shaddai grant you compassion before the man that he may release your other brother to you and Benjamin. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved."

And the men took that gift, and took double money in their hand, and Benjamin, and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and came before Joseph.

And Joseph saw - with them - Benjamin, so he said to him that was over his house Bring the men into the house, - and slay meat and make ready, for with me, shall the men eat at noon.

And the men were afraid when they were brought into the house of Joseph. And they said "We were brought [here] on account of the money that was returned to our sacks the first time, that he might attack us and fall upon us to take us as slaves with our donkeys."

And they came up to the man that was over Joseph's house, and they spoke to him at the door of the house,

And it came to pass when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money according to its weight; and we have brought it again in our hand.

And he said, "Be of good cheer, fear not: Your God and the God of your fathers hath put you that treasure in your sacks, for I had your money." And he brought Simeon out to them,

Then they laid out the gift until Joseph came at noon, for they had heard that they were to eat food there.

And when Joseph came into the house they brought the gift that [was] in their hand into the house to him, and they bowed down before him to the ground.

He asked if they were well, and he said, “How is your elderly father that you told me about? Is he still alive?”

When he looked up and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother that you told me about?” Then he said, “May God be gracious to you, my son.”

And they served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who were eating with him by themselves, for Egyptians {could not dine} with Hebrews, because that [was] a detestable thing to Egyptians.

Now Joseph’s brothers were seated [by the steward] before him [in the order of their birth]—the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked at one another in astonishment [because so much was known about them].

Joseph himself brought portions to them from his own table, except that he provided to Benjamin five times as much as he did for each of the others. So they feasted together and drank freely with Joseph.

And my cup--the cup of silver--you shall put into the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and the money for his grain. And he did according to the word of Joseph that he had commanded.

Is this not that from which my master drinks? Now he himself certainly practices divination with it. You have done evil [in] what you have done.'"

So he went after them and made that accusation.

And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing:

Behold, the money that we found in the mouth of our sacks we returned to you from the land of Canaan. Now why would we steal silver or gold from the house of my lord?

With whomever of your servants your master’s cup is found, let him die, and the rest of us will be my lord’s slaves.”

Then Joseph said to them, "What is this deed that you have done? Did you not know that a man who [is] like me surely practices divination?"

And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.

And we answered my lord, 'We have a father that is old, and a young lad which he begat in his age: and the brother of the said lad is dead, and he is all that is left of that mother. And his father loveth him.'

Then you said to your servants, 'Bring him down to me that I may set my eyes upon him.'

And we answered my lord, that the lad could not go from his father, 'For if he should leave his father, he were but a dead man.'

Then saidest thou unto thy servants, 'Except your youngest brother come with you, look that ye see my face no more.'

And it happened [that] we went up to your servant, my father, and told him the words of my lord.

we said that we could not go. 'Nevertheless, if our youngest brother go with us then will we go, for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us.'

Then your servant, my father, said to us, 'You yourselves know that my wife bore two sons to me.

One of them left me, so I concluded "I'm certain that he has been torn to pieces," and I haven't seen him since then.

And now, when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad is not with us, seeing that his life is bound up with his life,

it shall happen [that] when he sees that the boy is gone, he will die. And your servants will bring down the gray head of your servant, our father, to Sheol with sorrow.

for how should I go up to my father if the lad were not with me? lest I see the evil that would come on my father.

And Joseph could not control himself before all them that stood by him, and he cried, Put every man out from me! And no man stood with him when Joseph made himself known to his brethren.

And {he wept loudly}, so that the Egyptians heard [it] and the household of Pharaoh heard [it].

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers were speechless, for they were stunned and dismayed by [the fact that they were in] Joseph’s presence.

So now, do not be distressed and do not be angry {with yourselves} that you sold me here, for God sent me as deliverance before you.

That's because this famine has been going on for two years now in this region, and there are still five years left, during which there won't be any plowing or harvesting.

Wherefore God sent me before you to make provision, that ye might continue in the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

And now it was not you that sent me here, but God; and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and governor over all the land of Egypt.