Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Bible stories for children » The boy captive who became prime minister
and threw Joseph in the same prison where the king's prisoners were kept. While Joseph was in prison, Jehovah helped him and was good to him. He even made the jailer like Joseph so much that he put him in charge of the other prisoners and of everything that was done in the jail. read more.
The jailer did not worry about anything, because Jehovah was with Joseph and made him successful in all that he did.
The jailer did not worry about anything, because Jehovah was with Joseph and made him successful in all that he did.
His father Jacob said to him: I want you to go to your brothers. They are with the sheep near Shechem. Yes, I will go, Joseph answered. His father said: Go and find out how your brothers and the sheep are doing. Then come back and let me know. So he sent him from Hebron Valley. Joseph was near Shechem, and wandering through the fields, when a man asked: What are you looking for? read more.
Joseph answered: I am looking for my brothers who are watching the sheep. Can you tell me where they are? They are not here anymore, the man replied. I heard them say they were going to Dothan. Joseph soon found his brothers in Dothan. Before he arrived, they saw him coming and made plans to kill him. They said to one another: Look, here comes the hero of those dreams! Let us kill him and throw him into a water pit. We can say that some wild animal ate him. Then we will see what happens to those dreams. Reuben heard this and tried to protect Joseph from them. Let us not kill him, he said. Do not murder him or even harm him. Just throw him into a dry well out here in the desert. Reuben planned to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father. When Joseph came to his brothers, they pulled off his fancy coat. They put him into a water pit. It had no water in it. As they sat down to eat, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying the materials for cosmetics, medicine, and embalming. They were on their way to take them to Egypt. Judah asked his brothers: What will we gain by killing our brother and covering up his death? Let us sell him to the Ishmaelites. Let us not hurt him, because he is our brother, our own flesh and blood. His brothers agreed. Some of the Midianite traders approached. The brothers pulled Joseph out of the well and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites. They took him to Egypt. Reuben came back to the pit and found that Joseph was not there. He tore his clothes in sorrow. He returned to his brothers and said: The boy is not there! What am I going to do? Then they killed a goat and dipped Joseph's robe in its blood. They took the robe to their father and said: We found this. Does it belong to your son? He recognized it and said: Yes, it is his! Some wild animal has killed him. My son Joseph has been torn to pieces! Jacob tore his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. He mourned for his son a long time. All his sons and daughters came to comfort him. However, he refused to be comforted. He said: I will go down to the grave still mourning for my son. So he continued to mourn for his son Joseph. Meanwhile, in Egypt the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of the king's officers, who was the captain of the palace guard.
Joseph answered: I am looking for my brothers who are watching the sheep. Can you tell me where they are? They are not here anymore, the man replied. I heard them say they were going to Dothan. Joseph soon found his brothers in Dothan. Before he arrived, they saw him coming and made plans to kill him. They said to one another: Look, here comes the hero of those dreams! Let us kill him and throw him into a water pit. We can say that some wild animal ate him. Then we will see what happens to those dreams. Reuben heard this and tried to protect Joseph from them. Let us not kill him, he said. Do not murder him or even harm him. Just throw him into a dry well out here in the desert. Reuben planned to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father. When Joseph came to his brothers, they pulled off his fancy coat. They put him into a water pit. It had no water in it. As they sat down to eat, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying the materials for cosmetics, medicine, and embalming. They were on their way to take them to Egypt. Judah asked his brothers: What will we gain by killing our brother and covering up his death? Let us sell him to the Ishmaelites. Let us not hurt him, because he is our brother, our own flesh and blood. His brothers agreed. Some of the Midianite traders approached. The brothers pulled Joseph out of the well and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites. They took him to Egypt. Reuben came back to the pit and found that Joseph was not there. He tore his clothes in sorrow. He returned to his brothers and said: The boy is not there! What am I going to do? Then they killed a goat and dipped Joseph's robe in its blood. They took the robe to their father and said: We found this. Does it belong to your son? He recognized it and said: Yes, it is his! Some wild animal has killed him. My son Joseph has been torn to pieces! Jacob tore his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. He mourned for his son a long time. All his sons and daughters came to comfort him. However, he refused to be comforted. He said: I will go down to the grave still mourning for my son. So he continued to mourn for his son Joseph. Meanwhile, in Egypt the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of the king's officers, who was the captain of the palace guard.
Two years later Pharaoh had a dream. He dreamed he was standing by the Nile River. Suddenly, seven nice-looking well-fed cows came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds. Seven other cows came up from the river behind them. These cows were sickly and skinny. They stood behind the first seven cows on the riverbank. read more.
The cows that were sickly and skinny ate the seven nice-looking well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep again and had another dream. Seven heads of grain, full and ripe, were growing on one stalk. Then seven other heads of grain sprouted thin and scorched by the desert wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed the full ones. The king woke up and realized that he had been dreaming. The king was upset the next morning. So he called his magicians and wise men and told them what he had dreamed. None of them could tell him what the dreams meant. The king's chief cupbearer said: Now I remember what I was supposed to do. When you were angry with your chief cook and me, you threw us both in jail in the house of the captain of the guard. One night we both had dreams. Each dream had a different meaning. A young Hebrew, who was a servant of the captain of the guard, was there with us at the time. When we told him our dreams, he explained what each of them meant. Everything happened just as he said it would. I got my job back, and the cook was put to death. So the king sent for Joseph. He was quickly brought out of jail. He shaved, changed his clothes, and went to the king. The king said: I had a dream. No one can explain what it means. I am told that you can interpret dreams. Joseph then answered Pharaoh: I cannot do it myself, but God can give the meaning of your dreams. The king told Joseph: I dreamed as I stood on the bank of the Nile River, I saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river. They began feeding on the grass. Next, seven skinny, bony cows came up out of the river. I have never seen such terrible looking cows anywhere in Egypt. The skinny cows ate the fat ones! Even though they had eaten the fat cows, no one could tell they had eaten them. They looked just as sick as before. Then I woke up. In my second dream I saw seven good, full heads of grain growing on a single stalk. Seven other heads of grain, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted behind them. The thin heads of grain swallowed the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but no one could tell me what it meant. Joseph said to Pharaoh: Pharaoh had the same dream twice. God has told Pharaoh what he is going to do. The seven good cows are seven years. The seven good heads of grain are seven years. It is all the same dream. The seven thin, sickly cows that came up behind them are seven years. The seven empty heads of grain scorched by the east wind are also seven years. Seven years of famine are coming! It is just as I said to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what he is going to do. Seven years are coming when there will be plenty of food in Egypt. Seven years of famine will follow. Then people will forget that there was plenty of food in Egypt. The famine will ruin the land. People will not remember that there was once plenty of food in the land, because the coming famine will be so severe. The reason Pharaoh has had a recurring dream is because the matter has been definitely decided by God. He will do it very soon. Pharaoh should look for a wise and intelligent man and put him in charge of Egypt. Make arrangements to appoint supervisors over the land. Take a fifth of Egypt's harvest during the seven good years. Have them collect all the food during these good years. Store up grain under Pharaoh's control, to be kept for food in the cities. This food will be a reserve supply for our country during the seven years of famine that will happen in Egypt. Then the land will not be ruined by the famine. The king and his officials approved this plan, and he said to them: We will never find a better man than Joseph. He is a man who has God's Spirit in him. The king said to Joseph: God has shown you all this. Therefore it is obvious that you have greater wisdom and insight than anyone else. I will put you in charge of my country. All my people will obey your orders. Your authority will be second only to mine. I now appoint you governor over all Egypt. Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand. He clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck. He had him ride in his second chariot. They proclaimed before him: Bow the knee! Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph: Though I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.
The cows that were sickly and skinny ate the seven nice-looking well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep again and had another dream. Seven heads of grain, full and ripe, were growing on one stalk. Then seven other heads of grain sprouted thin and scorched by the desert wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed the full ones. The king woke up and realized that he had been dreaming. The king was upset the next morning. So he called his magicians and wise men and told them what he had dreamed. None of them could tell him what the dreams meant. The king's chief cupbearer said: Now I remember what I was supposed to do. When you were angry with your chief cook and me, you threw us both in jail in the house of the captain of the guard. One night we both had dreams. Each dream had a different meaning. A young Hebrew, who was a servant of the captain of the guard, was there with us at the time. When we told him our dreams, he explained what each of them meant. Everything happened just as he said it would. I got my job back, and the cook was put to death. So the king sent for Joseph. He was quickly brought out of jail. He shaved, changed his clothes, and went to the king. The king said: I had a dream. No one can explain what it means. I am told that you can interpret dreams. Joseph then answered Pharaoh: I cannot do it myself, but God can give the meaning of your dreams. The king told Joseph: I dreamed as I stood on the bank of the Nile River, I saw seven fat, healthy cows come up out of the river. They began feeding on the grass. Next, seven skinny, bony cows came up out of the river. I have never seen such terrible looking cows anywhere in Egypt. The skinny cows ate the fat ones! Even though they had eaten the fat cows, no one could tell they had eaten them. They looked just as sick as before. Then I woke up. In my second dream I saw seven good, full heads of grain growing on a single stalk. Seven other heads of grain, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted behind them. The thin heads of grain swallowed the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but no one could tell me what it meant. Joseph said to Pharaoh: Pharaoh had the same dream twice. God has told Pharaoh what he is going to do. The seven good cows are seven years. The seven good heads of grain are seven years. It is all the same dream. The seven thin, sickly cows that came up behind them are seven years. The seven empty heads of grain scorched by the east wind are also seven years. Seven years of famine are coming! It is just as I said to Pharaoh. God has shown Pharaoh what he is going to do. Seven years are coming when there will be plenty of food in Egypt. Seven years of famine will follow. Then people will forget that there was plenty of food in Egypt. The famine will ruin the land. People will not remember that there was once plenty of food in the land, because the coming famine will be so severe. The reason Pharaoh has had a recurring dream is because the matter has been definitely decided by God. He will do it very soon. Pharaoh should look for a wise and intelligent man and put him in charge of Egypt. Make arrangements to appoint supervisors over the land. Take a fifth of Egypt's harvest during the seven good years. Have them collect all the food during these good years. Store up grain under Pharaoh's control, to be kept for food in the cities. This food will be a reserve supply for our country during the seven years of famine that will happen in Egypt. Then the land will not be ruined by the famine. The king and his officials approved this plan, and he said to them: We will never find a better man than Joseph. He is a man who has God's Spirit in him. The king said to Joseph: God has shown you all this. Therefore it is obvious that you have greater wisdom and insight than anyone else. I will put you in charge of my country. All my people will obey your orders. Your authority will be second only to mine. I now appoint you governor over all Egypt. Pharaoh took his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand. He clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck. He had him ride in his second chariot. They proclaimed before him: Bow the knee! Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph: Though I am Pharaoh, yet without your permission no one shall raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.
Bible stories for children » The beautiful coat
Jacob continued to live in the land of Canaan, where his father had lived. This is the story of Jacob and his descendants. Joseph was a seventeen-year-old young man. He took care of the flocks with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives. Joseph told his father about the bad things his brothers were doing. Jacob (Israel) loved Joseph more than all his sons because Joseph had been born in Israel's old age. So he made Joseph a special multicolored robe with long sleeves. read more.
Joseph's brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them. They hated Joseph and could not speak to him in a friendly way. One time Joseph had a dream. He told his brothers about it and they hated him even more. He said: Please listen to the dream I had. We were all in the field tying up sheaves of wheat. My sheaf got up and stood up straight. Yours formed a circle around mine and bowed down to it. Do you think you are going to be a king and rule over us? his brothers asked. So they hated him even more because of his dreams and because of what he said about them. Joseph had another dream and told his brothers: I had another dream, in which I saw the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowing down to me. He also told the dream to his father. His father scolded him. What kind of a dream is that? Do you think that your mother, your brothers, and I are going to come and bow down to you? Joseph's brothers were jealous of him. His father kept thinking about the whole matter. His brothers went to Shechem to take care of their father's flock. His father Jacob said to him: I want you to go to your brothers. They are with the sheep near Shechem. Yes, I will go, Joseph answered. His father said: Go and find out how your brothers and the sheep are doing. Then come back and let me know. So he sent him from Hebron Valley. Joseph was near Shechem, and wandering through the fields, when a man asked: What are you looking for? Joseph answered: I am looking for my brothers who are watching the sheep. Can you tell me where they are? They are not here anymore, the man replied. I heard them say they were going to Dothan. Joseph soon found his brothers in Dothan. Before he arrived, they saw him coming and made plans to kill him. They said to one another: Look, here comes the hero of those dreams! Let us kill him and throw him into a water pit. We can say that some wild animal ate him. Then we will see what happens to those dreams. Reuben heard this and tried to protect Joseph from them. Let us not kill him, he said. Do not murder him or even harm him. Just throw him into a dry well out here in the desert. Reuben planned to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father. When Joseph came to his brothers, they pulled off his fancy coat. They put him into a water pit. It had no water in it. As they sat down to eat, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying the materials for cosmetics, medicine, and embalming. They were on their way to take them to Egypt. Judah asked his brothers: What will we gain by killing our brother and covering up his death? Let us sell him to the Ishmaelites. Let us not hurt him, because he is our brother, our own flesh and blood. His brothers agreed. Some of the Midianite traders approached. The brothers pulled Joseph out of the well and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites. They took him to Egypt. Reuben came back to the pit and found that Joseph was not there. He tore his clothes in sorrow. He returned to his brothers and said: The boy is not there! What am I going to do? Then they killed a goat and dipped Joseph's robe in its blood. They took the robe to their father and said: We found this. Does it belong to your son? He recognized it and said: Yes, it is his! Some wild animal has killed him. My son Joseph has been torn to pieces! Jacob tore his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. He mourned for his son a long time.
Joseph's brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them. They hated Joseph and could not speak to him in a friendly way. One time Joseph had a dream. He told his brothers about it and they hated him even more. He said: Please listen to the dream I had. We were all in the field tying up sheaves of wheat. My sheaf got up and stood up straight. Yours formed a circle around mine and bowed down to it. Do you think you are going to be a king and rule over us? his brothers asked. So they hated him even more because of his dreams and because of what he said about them. Joseph had another dream and told his brothers: I had another dream, in which I saw the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowing down to me. He also told the dream to his father. His father scolded him. What kind of a dream is that? Do you think that your mother, your brothers, and I are going to come and bow down to you? Joseph's brothers were jealous of him. His father kept thinking about the whole matter. His brothers went to Shechem to take care of their father's flock. His father Jacob said to him: I want you to go to your brothers. They are with the sheep near Shechem. Yes, I will go, Joseph answered. His father said: Go and find out how your brothers and the sheep are doing. Then come back and let me know. So he sent him from Hebron Valley. Joseph was near Shechem, and wandering through the fields, when a man asked: What are you looking for? Joseph answered: I am looking for my brothers who are watching the sheep. Can you tell me where they are? They are not here anymore, the man replied. I heard them say they were going to Dothan. Joseph soon found his brothers in Dothan. Before he arrived, they saw him coming and made plans to kill him. They said to one another: Look, here comes the hero of those dreams! Let us kill him and throw him into a water pit. We can say that some wild animal ate him. Then we will see what happens to those dreams. Reuben heard this and tried to protect Joseph from them. Let us not kill him, he said. Do not murder him or even harm him. Just throw him into a dry well out here in the desert. Reuben planned to rescue Joseph later and take him back to his father. When Joseph came to his brothers, they pulled off his fancy coat. They put him into a water pit. It had no water in it. As they sat down to eat, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying the materials for cosmetics, medicine, and embalming. They were on their way to take them to Egypt. Judah asked his brothers: What will we gain by killing our brother and covering up his death? Let us sell him to the Ishmaelites. Let us not hurt him, because he is our brother, our own flesh and blood. His brothers agreed. Some of the Midianite traders approached. The brothers pulled Joseph out of the well and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites. They took him to Egypt. Reuben came back to the pit and found that Joseph was not there. He tore his clothes in sorrow. He returned to his brothers and said: The boy is not there! What am I going to do? Then they killed a goat and dipped Joseph's robe in its blood. They took the robe to their father and said: We found this. Does it belong to your son? He recognized it and said: Yes, it is his! Some wild animal has killed him. My son Joseph has been torn to pieces! Jacob tore his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. He mourned for his son a long time.
Shechem » Also called sichem and sychem, a district in the central part of the land of canaan » The flocks and herds of jacob kept in
His brothers went to Shechem to take care of their father's flock. His father Jacob said to him: I want you to go to your brothers. They are with the sheep near Shechem. Yes, I will go, Joseph answered. His father said: Go and find out how your brothers and the sheep are doing. Then come back and let me know. So he sent him from Hebron Valley. Joseph was near Shechem,