The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

Againe he slept, and dreamed the second time: and beholde, seuen eares of corne grewe vpon one stalke, ranke and goodly.

And loe, seuen thinne eares, and blasted with the east winde, sprang vp after them:

And the thinne eares deuoured the seuen ranke and full eares. then Pharaoh awaked, and loe, it was a dreame.

Nowe when the morning came, his spirit was troubled: therefore he sent and called all the soothsayers of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof, and Pharaoh tolde them his dreames: but none coulde interprete them to Pharaoh.

Then spake the chiefe butler vnto Pharaoh, saying, I call to minde my faultes this day.

Pharaoh being angrie with his seruantes, put me in ward in the chiefe stewards house, both me and the chiefe baker.

Then we dreamed a dreame in one night, both I, and he: we dreamed eche man according to the interpretation of his dreame.

And there was with vs a yong man, an Ebrew, seruant vnto the chiefe steward, whome when we told, he declared our dreames to vs, to euery one he declared according to his dreame.

And as he declared vnto vs, so it came to passe: for he restored me to mine office, and hanged him.

Then sent Pharaoh, and called Ioseph, and they brought him hastily out of prison, and he shaued him, and chaunged his rayment, and came to Pharaoh.

Then Pharaoh sayde to Ioseph, I haue dreamed a dreame, and no man can interprete it, and I haue hearde say of thee, that when thou hearest a dreame, thou canst interprete it.

And Ioseph answered Pharaoh, saying, Without me God shall answere for the wealth of Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh sayde vnto Ioseph, In my dreame, beholde, I stoode by the banke of the riuer:

And lo, there came vp out of the riuer seuen fat fleshed, and welfauoured kine, and they fedde in the medowe.

Also loe, seuen other kine came vp after them, poore and very euilfauoured, and leanefleshed: I neuer sawe the like in all the lande of Egypt, for euilfauoured.

And the leane and euilfauoured kine did eate vp the first seuen fat kine.

And when they had eaten them vp, it could not be knowen that they had eaten them, but they were still as euilfauoured, as they were at the beginning: so did I awake.

Moreouer I sawe in my dreame, and beholde, seuen eares sprang out of one stalke, full and faire.

And lo, seuen eares, withered, thinne, and blasted with the East winde, sprang vp after them.

And the thinne eares deuoured the seuen good eares. Nowe I haue tolde the soothsayers, and none can declare it vnto me.

Then Ioseph answered Pharaoh, Both Pharaohs dreames are one. God hath shewed Pharaoh, what he is about to doe.

The seuen good kine are seuen yeres, and the seuen good eares are seuen yeeres: this is one dreame.

Likewise the seuen thinne and euilfauoured kine, that came out after them, are seuen yeeres: and the seuen emptie eares blasted with the East winde, are seuen yeeres of famine.

This is the thing which I haue saide vnto Pharaoh, that God hath shewed vnto Pharaoh, what he is about to doe.

Beholde, there come seuen yeeres of great plentie in all the land of Egypt.

Againe, there shall arise after them seuen yeeres of famine, so that all the plentie shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine shall consume the land:

Neither shall the plentie bee knowen in the land, by reason of this famine that shall come after: for it shalbe exceeding great.

And therefore the dreame was doubled vnto Pharaoh the second time, because the thing is established by God, and God hasteth to performe it.

Nowe therefore let Pharaoh prouide for a man of vnderstanding and wisedome, and set him ouer the land of Egypt.

Let Pharaoh make and appoynt officers ouer the lande, and take vp the fift part of the land of Egypt in the seuen plenteous yeeres.

Also let them gather all the foode of these good yeeres that come, and lay vp corne vnder the hand of Pharaoh for foode, in the cities, and let them keepe it.

So the foode shall be for the prouision of the lande, against the seuen yeeres of famine, which shalbe in the lande of Egypt, that the land perish not by famine.

And the saying pleased Pharaoh and all his seruants.

Then saide Pharaoh vnto his seruants, Can we finde such a man as this, in whom is the Spirit of God?

The Pharaoh said to Ioseph, For as much as God hath shewed thee all this, there is no man of vnderstanding, or of wisedome like vnto thee.

Thou shalt be ouer mine house, and at thy word shall all my people be armed, onely in the kings throne will I be aboue thee.

Moreouer Pharaoh said to Ioseph, Behold, I haue set thee ouer all the land of Egypt.

And Pharaoh tooke off his ring from his hand, and put it vpon Iosephs hand, and arayed him in garments of fine linnen, and put a golden cheyne about his necke.

So he set him vpon the best charet that hee had, saue one: and they cryed before him, Abrech, and placed him ouer all the land of Egypt.

Againe Pharaoh saide vnto Ioseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift vp his hand or his foote in all the land of Egypt.

And Pharaoh called Iosephs name Zaphnath-paaneah: and he gaue him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah prince of On. then went Ioseph abrode in the land of Egypt.

And Ioseph was thirtie yeere old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt: and Ioseph departing from the presence of Pharaoh, went throughout all the land of Egypt.

And in the seuen plenteous yeres the earth brought foorth store.

And hee gathered vp all the foode of the seuen plenteous yeeres, which were in the lande of Egypt, and layde vp foode in the cities: the foode of the fielde, that was round about euery citie, layde he vp in the same.

So Ioseph gathered wheate, like vnto the sand of the sea in multitude out of measure, vntill he left numbring: for it was without number.

Now vnto Ioseph were borne two sonnes (before the yeeres of famine came) which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah prince of On bare vnto him.

And Ioseph called the name of the first borne Manasseh: for God, said he, hath made me forget all my labour and al my fathers houshold.

Also hee called the name of the second, Ephraim: For God, sayde he hath made me fruitfull in the land of mine affliction.

So the seuen yeeres of the plentie that was in the land of Egypt were ended.

Then began the seuen yeeres of famine to come, according as Ioseph had saide: and the famine was in all landes, but in all the land of Egypt was bread.

At the length all the lande of Egypt was affamished, and the people cryed to Pharaoh for bread. And Pharaoh said vnto all the Egyptians, Goe to Ioseph: what he sayth to you, doe ye.

When the famine was vpon all the land, Ioseph opened all places, wherein the store was, and solde vnto the Egyptians: for the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.

And all countries came to Egypt to bye corne of Ioseph, because the famine was sore in all landes.

Then Iaakob saw that there was foode in Egypt, and Iaakob said vnto his sonnes, Why gaze ye one vpon an other?

And he said, Behold, I haue heard that there is foode in Egypt, Get you downe thither, and bie vs foode thence, that we may liue and not die.

So went Iosephs ten brethren downe to bye corne of the Egyptians.

But Beniamin Iosephs brother woulde not Iaakob send with his brethren: for he saide, Least death should befall him.

And the sonnes of Israel came to bye foode among them that came: for there was famine in the land of Canaan.

Now Ioseph was gouerner of the land, who solde to all the people of the lande: then Iosephs brethren came, and bowed their face to the groud before him.

And when Ioseph sawe his brethren, hee knewe them, and made himselfe straunge toward them, and spake to them roughly, and saide vnto them, Whence come yee? Who answered, Out of the land of Canaan, to bye vitaile.

(Now Ioseph knewe his brethren, but they knew not him.

And Ioseph remembred the dreames, which he dreamed of them) and he sayde vnto them, Ye are spies, and are come to see the weaknesse of the land.

But they sayde vnto him, Nay, my lorde, but to bye vitayle thy seruants are come.

Wee are all one mans sonnes: wee meane truely, and thy seruants are no spies.

But he saide vnto them, Nay, but yee are come to see the weakenes of the land.

And they said, We thy seruants are twelue brethren, the sonnes of one man in the lande of Canaan: and beholde, the yongest is this day with our father, and one is not.

Againe Ioseph sayde vnto them, This is it that I spake vnto you, saying, Ye are spies.

Hereby ye shall be proued: by the life of Pharaoh, ye shall not goe hence, except your yongest brother come hither.

Send one of you which may fet your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proued, whether there bee trueth in you: or els by the life of Pharaoh ye are but spies.

So he put them in warde three dayes.

Then Ioseph said vnto them the third day, This do, and liue: for I feare God.

If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bounde in your prison house, and goe ye, carie foode for the famine of your houses:

But bring your yonger brother vnto me, that your wordes may be tried, and that ye dye not: and they did so.

And they said one to another, We haue verily sinned against our brother, in that we sawe the anguish of his soule, when he besought vs, and we would not heare him: therefore is this trouble come vpon vs.

And Reuben answered them, saying, Warned I not you, saying, Sinne not against the childe, and ye would not heare? and lo, his blood is now required.

(And they were not aware that Ioseph vnderstoode them: for he spake vnto them by an interpreter.)

Then he turned from them, and wept, and turned to them againe, and communed with them, and tooke Simeon from among them, and bounde him before their eyes.

So Ioseph commanded that they should fill their sackes with wheate, and put euery mans money againe in his sacke, and giue them vitaile for the iourney: and thus did he vnto them.

And they layed their vitaile vpon their asses, and departed thence.

And as one of them opened his sacke for to giue his asse prouender in the ynne, he espyed his money: for lo, it was in his sackes mouth.

Then he sayde vnto his brethren, My money is restored: for loe, it is euen in my sacke. And their heart fayled them, and they were astonished, and sayde one to another, What is this, that God hath done vnto vs?

And they came vnto Iaakob their father vnto the lande of Canaan, and tolde him all that had befallen them, saying,

The man, who is Lord of the lande, spake roughly to vs, and put vs in prison as spyes of the countrey.

And we sayd vnto him, We are true men, and are no spies.

We be twelue brethren, sonnes of our father: one is not, and the yongest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.

Then the Lord of the countrey sayde vnto vs, Hereby shall I knowe if ye be true men: Leaue one of your brethren with me, and take foode for the famine of your houses and depart,

And bring your yongest brother vnto me, that I may knowe that ye are no spies, but true men: so will I deliuer you your brother, and yee shall occupie in the land.

And as they emptied their sacks, behold, euery mans bundel of money was in his sacke: and when they and their father sawe the bundels of their money, they were afrayde.

Then Iaakob their father said to them, Ye haue robbed me of my children: Ioseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Beniamin: all these things are against me.

Then Reuben answered his father, saying, Slay my two sonnes, if I bring him not to thee againe: deliuer him to mine hand, and I will bring him to thee againe.

But he said, My sonne shall not go downe with you: for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if death come vnto him by the way which ye goe, then ye shall bring my gray head with sorow vnto the graue.

Now great famine was in the land.

And when they had eaten vp the vitaile, which they had brought from Egypt, their father sayd vnto them, Turne againe, and bye vs a little foode.

And Iudah answered him, saying, The man charged vs by an othe, saying, Neuer see my face, except your brother be with you.

If thou wilt sende our brother with vs, we will goe downe, and bye thee foode:

But if thou wilt not send him, we wil not go downe: for the man said vnto vs, Looke me not in the face, except your brother be with you.

And Israel sayd, Wherefore delt ye so euill with me, as to tell the man, whether ye had yet a brother or no?

And they answered, The man asked straitly of our selues and of our kinred, saying, Is your father yet aliue? haue ye any brother? And wee tolde him according to these wordes: could we knowe certainely that he would say, Bring your brother downe?

Then sayde Iudah to Israel his father, Send the boy with mee, that we may rise and goe, and that we may liue and not dye, both we, and thou, and our children.

I wil be suertie for him: of mine hand shalt thou require him. If I bring him not to thee, and set him before thee, then let me beare the blame for euer.