And Jacob tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days.

And all his sons and daughters tried to console him, but he refused to be consoled. And he said, "No, I shall go down to my son, to Sheol, mourning." And his father wept for him.

And the Midianites sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, a court official of Pharaoh, a commander of the imperial guard.

And it happened [that] at that time Judah went down from his brothers and pitched his tent near a certain Adullamite, whose name [was] Hirah.

And Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite there whose name [was] Shua. And he took her and went in to her.

And she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Er.

And she conceived again and bore a son, and he called his name Onan.

And once again she bore a son, and she called his name Shelah. And he was in Chezib when she bore him.

And Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name [was] Tamar.

And Er, the firstborn of Judah, was evil in the eyes of Yahweh, and Yahweh killed him.

Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to the wife of your brother and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother."

But Onan knew that the offspring would not be for him, so whenever he went in to the wife of his brother he would waste [it] on the ground so as not to give offspring to his brother.

And what he did was evil in the sight of Yahweh, so he killed him also.

Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, "Stay a widow in your father's house until Shelah my son grows up," for {he feared he would also die} like his brother. So Tamar went and stayed in the house of her father.

{And in the course of time} the daughter of Shua, the wife of Judah, died. When Judah was consoled he went up to his sheepshearers, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite, to Timnah.

And it was told to Tamar, saying, "Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep."

So she removed the clothes of her widowhood and covered [herself] with the veil and disguised herself. And she sat at the entrance to Eynayim, which [is] on the way to Timnah, for she saw that Shelah was grown but she had not been given to him as a wife.

And Judah saw her and reckoned her to [be] a prostitute, for she had covered her face.

And he turned aside to her at the roadside and said, "Please come, let me come in to you," for he did not know that she [was] his daughter-in-law. And she said, "What will you give to me that you may come in to me?"

And he said, "I will send a kid from the goats of the flock." And she said, "[Only] if you give a pledge until you send [it]."

And he said, "What [is] the pledge that I must give to you?" And she said, "your seal, your cord, and your staff that [is] in your hand." And he gave [them] to her and went in to her. And she conceived by him.

And she arose and left, and she removed her veil from herself and put on the garments of her widowhood.

And Judah sent the kid from the goats by the hand of his friend the Adullamite to take [back] the pledge from the hand of the woman, but he could not find her.

So he asked the men of her place, saying, "Where [is] that cult prostitute [that was] at Eynayim by the roadside?" And they said, "There is no cult prostitute here."

Then he returned to Judah and said, "I could not find her. Morever, the men of the place said, 'There is no cult prostitute here.'"

And Judah said, "Let her take [them] for herself, lest we be {laughed at}. Behold, I sent this kid, but you could not find her."

And {about three months later} it was told to Judah, "Tamar your daughter-in-law has played the whore, and now, behold, she has conceived by prostitution." And Judah said, "Bring her out and let her be burned."

She was brought out, but she sent to her father-in-law saying, "By the man to whom these [belong] I have conceived." And she said, "Now discern to whom these [belong]: the seal and cord and the staff."

Then Judah recognized [them] and said, "She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah." And he did not know her again.

And it happened [that] at the time she gave birth that, behold, twins [were] in her womb.

And it happened [that] at her labor one [child] put out a hand. And the midwife took [it] and tied a crimson thread on his hand saying, "This [one] came out first."

Then his hand drew back and, behold, his brother came out, and she said, "What a breach you have made for yourself!" And she called his name Perez.

And afterward his brother who [had] the crimson thread on his hand came out. And his name was called Zerah.

Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt, and Potiphar, a court official of Pharaoh, commander of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the hand of the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there.

And Yahweh was with Joseph, and he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian.

And his master observed that Yahweh [was] with him, and everything that [was] in his hand to do Yahweh made successful.

And Joseph found favor in his eyes and he served him. Then he appointed him over his house and all that he owned he put into his hand.

And it happened [that] from the time he appointed him over his house and over all that he had, Yahweh blessed the house of the Egyptian on account of Joseph. And the blessing of Yahweh was upon all that he had in the house and in the field.

And he left all that he had in the hand of Joseph, and {he did not worry about anything} except the food that he ate. Now Joseph was {well built and handsome}.

And it happened [that] after these things his master's wife cast her eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me."

But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master {does not worry about} what [is] in the house, and everything he owns he has put in my hand.

He has no greater [authority] in this house than me, and he has not withheld anything from me except you, since you [are] his wife. Now how could I do this great wickedness and sin against God?"

And it happened [that] as she spoke to Joseph {day after day}, he did not heed her to lie beside her or to be with her.

{But one particular day} he came into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house were there in the house,

she seized him by his garment [and] said, "Lie with me!" And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and he went outside.

And it happened [that] when she saw that he left his garment in her hand and fled outside,

she called to the men of her house and said to them, "Look! He brought a Hebrew man to us to mock us! He came to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.

And when he heard [me], that I raised my voice and called out, he left his garment beside me and fled, and he went outside."

And it happened [that] as I raised my voice and called out, he left his garment beside me and fled outside."

And when his master heard the words of his wife that she spoke to him, "{This is what your servant did to me}," {he became very angry}.

And Joseph's master took him and put him into prison, the place that the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in prison.

And Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed loyal love to him, and gave him favor in the eyes of the chief of the prison.

And the chief of the prison put all the prisoners that [were] in the prison into the hand of Joseph. And everything that was done there, he [was] the one who did [it].

The chief of the prison {did not worry about} anything in his hand, since Yahweh [was] with him. And whatever he did Yahweh made [it] successful.

And it happened [that] after these things the cupbearer of the king of Egypt and [his] baker did wrong against their lord, against the king of Egypt.

And Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, with the chief cupbearer and chief baker.

And he put them in custody in the house of the chief of the guard, into the prison where Joseph was confined.

And the chief of the guard appointed Joseph [to be] with them, and he attended them. And they were in custody {many days}.

And the two of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who [were] confined in the prison, dreamed a dream, each his own dream, with its own interpretation.

When Joseph came to them in the morning he looked at them, and behold, they were troubled.

And he asked the court officials of Pharaoh that [were] with him in the custody of his master's house, "Why [are] your faces sad today?"

And they said to him, "We [each] dreamed a dream, but there is no one to interpret it." And Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell [them] to me."

Then the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph, and he said to him, "In my dream, now behold, [there was] a vine before me,

and on the vine [were] three branches. And as it budded, its blossoms came up, [and] its clusters of grapes grew ripe.

And the cup of Pharaoh [was] in my hand, and I took the grapes and squeezed them into the cup of Pharaoh. Then I placed the cup into the hand of Pharaoh."

In three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and will restore you to your office. And you shall put the cup of Pharaoh into his hand as [was] formerly the custom, when you were his cupbearer.

But remember me when it goes well with you, and please may you show kindness with respect to me, and mention me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house.

For I was surely kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews, and here also I have done nothing that they should put me in this pit."

And when the chief baker saw that the interpretation [was] good he said to Joseph, "I also [dreamed]. In my dream, now behold, [there were] three baskets of bread upon my head.

And in the upper basket [were] all sorts of baked foods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket upon my head."

Then Joseph answered and said, "This [is] its interpretation: The three baskets, they [are] three days.

In three days Pharaoh will lift your head from you and hang you on a pole, and the birds will eat your flesh from you."

And it happened [that] on the third day, [which was] Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all his servants. And he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker in the midst of his servants.

And he restored the chief cupbearer to his cupbearing [position]. And he placed the cup in the hand of Pharaoh.

And it happened [that] after {two full years} Pharaoh dreamed, and behold, he was standing by the Nile.

And behold, seven cows, {well built and fat}, were coming up from the Nile, and they grazed among the reeds.

And behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, {ugly and gaunt}, and they stood beside those cows on the bank of the Nile.

And the {ugly and gaunt} cows ate the seven {well built and fat} cows. Then Pharaoh awoke.

And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time, and behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were coming out of one stalk.

And behold, seven thin ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them.

And the thin ears of grain swallowed up the seven plump and full ears of grain. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, [it was] a dream.

And it happened [that] in the morning his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called all of the magicians of Egypt, and all its wise men, and Pharaoh told his dream to them. But {they had no interpretation} for Pharaoh.

Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the house of the chief of the guard.

And we dreamed a dream one night, I and he, {each with a dream that had a meaning}.

And there with us [was] a young man, a Hebrew servant of the chief of the guard, and we told him [the dream], and he interpreted our dreams for us, each according to his dream he interpreted.

And it happened just as he interpreted to us, so it was. He restored me to my office, and him he hanged."

Then Pharaoh sent and called [for] Joseph, and they brought him quickly from the prison. And he shaved and changed his clothing, and came to Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "[Now] in my dream, behold, I was standing on the bank of the Nile,

and behold, seven cows, {well built and fat}, were coming up from the Nile, and they grazed among the reeds.

And behold, seven other cows came up after them from the Nile, very {ugly and gaunt}--never have I seen [any] as them in all the land of Egypt for ugliness.

And the thin and ugly cows ate the former seven healthy cows.

But [when] they went into their bellies it could not be known that they went into their bellies, for their appearance [was] as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke.

Then I saw in my dream and behold, seven ears of grain were coming out of one stalk, full and good.

And behold, seven withered ears of grain, thin [and] scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them.

And the thin ears of grain swallowed up the seven good ears of grain. And I told the magicians, but there was none to explain [it] to me."

The seven good cows, they are seven years, and the seven good ears of grain, they [are] seven years. The dreams [are] one.

And the seven thin and ugly cows coming up after them, they [are] seven years, and the seven empty ears of grain, scorched by the east wind, they are [also] seven years of famine.

Then seven years of famine will arise after them, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will consume the land.

Now concerning the repetition of the dream twice to Pharaoh, [it is] because the matter [is] established by God, and God will do [it] quickly.

Now then, let Pharaoh select a man [who is] discerning and wise, and let him set him over the land of Egypt.