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.

When they had devoured them, you could not tell that they had devoured them; their appearance was as bad as it had been before. Then I woke up.

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

Then did the lean ears swallow up, the seven good ears. So I told these things unto the sacred scribes, but there was none that could explain them to me.

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

The seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven worthless, scorched heads of grain are 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.

The abundance in the land will not be remembered because of the famine that follows it, for the famine will be very severe.

Since the dream was given twice to Pharaoh, it means that the matter has been determined by God, and He will carry it out soon.

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.

Let them gather all the excess food during these good years that are coming. Under Pharaoh’s authority, store the grain in the cities, so they may preserve it as food.

The food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine that will take place in the land of Egypt. Then the country will not be wiped out by 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 will say to Joseph, After that God showed thee all this, none discerning and wise as thou.

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.

So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance—like the sand of the sea—that he stopped measuring it because it was beyond measure.

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

And the seven years of famine will begin to come, according to that Joseph said: and the famine will be in all the lands; and in all the land of Egypt 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.

When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you keep looking at each other?

Listen,” he went on, “I have heard there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us so that we will 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 from among you to get your brother. The rest of you will be imprisoned so that your words can be tested to see if they are true. If they are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you 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.

Bring your youngest brother to me so that your words can be confirmed; then you won’t die.” And they consented to this.

Then they said to each other, “Obviously, we are being punished for what we did to our brother. We saw his deep distress when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen. That is why this trouble has come to 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."

They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter 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.

He said to his brothers, “My money has been returned! It’s here in my bag.” Their hearts sank. Trembling, they turned to one another and said, “What is this that God has done to us?”

When they reached their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them:

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, will say to us, In this I shall know that ye are true; leave one of your brethren with me, and take for the famine of your houses and go.

Bring back your youngest brother to me, and I will know that you are not spies but honest men. I will then give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the country.’”

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 came to pass, when they had finished eating the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, Go again, buy us a little food.

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.'"

“Why did you cause me so much trouble?” Israel asked. “Why did you tell the man that you had another brother?”

They answered, “The man kept asking about us and our family: ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ And we answered him accordingly. How could we know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother here’?”

Then Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me. We will be on our way so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor 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.

Take twice as much money with you. Return the money that was returned to you in the top of your bags. Perhaps it was a mistake.

May God Almighty cause the man to be merciful to you so that he will release your other brother and Benjamin to you. As for me, if I am deprived of my sons, then I am deprived.”

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.

But the men were afraid because they were taken to Joseph’s house. They said, “We have been brought here because of the money that was returned in our bags the first time. They intend to overpower us, seize us, make us slaves, and take 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,

Since the men had heard that they were going to eat a meal there, they prepared their gift for Joseph’s arrival at noon.

When Joseph came home, they brought him the gift that was in their hand, into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth.

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.”

They served him by himself, his brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who were eating with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, since that is abhorrent to them.

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 put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

Isn’t this the cup that my master drinks from and uses for divination? What you have done is wrong!’”

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 our sacks' mouths we have brought again to thee from the land of Canaan; and how should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold?

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.”

“What is this you have done?” Joseph said to them. “Didn’t you know that a man like me could uncover the truth by divination?”

Then Joseph said, “I swear that I will not do this. The man in whose possession the cup was found will be my slave. The rest of you can go in peace to 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 to me so that I can see 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.'

So it came to pass when we had gone up unto thy servant, my father, that we 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.'

Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons.

One left—I said that he must have been torn to pieces—and I have never seen him again.

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,

when he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die. Then your servants will have brought the gray hairs of your servant our father down to Sheol in sorrow.

For how can I go back to my father without the boy? I could not bear to see the grief that would overwhelm 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.

But he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and also Pharaoh’s household 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.

And now, be not grieved, and be not angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither, for God sent me before you to preserve life.

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.