Study Desk

One night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own meaning.

They said to him, "We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them." And Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me."

For in fact I was stolen out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also I have done nothing that they should have put me into the dungeon."

and there came up out of the Nile seven sleek and fat cows, and they grazed in the reed grass.

The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, as are the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind. They are seven years of famine.

He had him ride in the chariot of his second-in-command; and they cried out in front of him, "Bow the knee!" Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt.

When Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he treated them like strangers and spoke harshly to them. "Where do you come from?" he said. They said, "From the land of Canaan, to buy food."

They said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of a certain man in the land of Canaan; the youngest, however, is now with our father, and one is no more."

and bring your youngest brother to me. Thus your words will be verified, and you shall not die." And they agreed to do so.

They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed.

He said to his brothers, "My money has been put back; here it is in my sack!" At this they lost heart and turned trembling to one another, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?"

As they were emptying their sacks, there in each one's sack was his bag of money. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were dismayed.

And when they had eaten up the grain that they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go again, buy us a little more food."

They replied, "The man questioned us carefully about ourselves and our kindred, saying, ‘Is your father still alive? Have you another brother?' What we told him was in answer to these questions. Could we in any way know that he would say, ‘Bring your brother down'?"

So the men took the present, and they took double the money with them, as well as Benjamin. Then they went on their way down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph.

Now the men were afraid because they were brought to Joseph's house, and they said, "It is because of the money, replaced in our sacks the first time, that we have been brought in, so that he may have an opportunity to fall upon us, to make slaves of us and take our donkeys."

So they went up to the steward of Joseph's house and spoke with him at the entrance to the house.

When the steward had brought the men into Joseph's house, and given them water, and they had washed their feet, and when he had given their donkeys fodder,

When Joseph came home, they brought him the present that they had carried into the house, and bowed to the ground before him.

They said, "Your servant our father is well; he is still alive." And they bowed their heads and did obeisance.