The Dreams of Pharaoh

1And after two yeres Pharao dreamed, and beholde, he thought that he stoode by a ryuers syde. 2And there came out of the ryuer seuen goodly kyne, and fat fleshed, and fedde in a medowe. 3And seuen other kyne came vp after them out of the ryuer, euyll fauoured, and leane fleshed, & stoode by the other kyne vpon the brynke of the ryuer. 4And the euyll fauoured & leane fleshed kyne dyd eate vp the seuen well fauoured and fat kyne: and Pharao awoke. 5And he slept agayne, and dreamed the seconde tyme: and beholde, seuen eares of corne grewe vppon one stalke, ranke and goodly. 6And agayne, seuen thinne eares, blasted with the east winde sprang vp after them. 7And the seuen thinne eares deuoured the seuen ranke & full eares. And Pharao awaked, and see it was a dreame. 8And when the mornyng came, his spirite was troubled, and he sent and called for all the southsayers of Egypt, and all the wyse men thereof: and Pharao tolde them his dreame, but there was none of them that coulde interprete it vnto Pharao.

9The spake the chiefe butler vnto Pharao, saying: I do remember my faultes this day: 10Pharao beyng angry with his seruauntes, put in warde in the chiefe stewardes house both me, and the chiefe baker. 11And we dreamed both of vs in one nyght, and eche mans dreame of a sundry interpretation. 12And there was with vs a young man, an Hebrue borne, seruaunt vnto the chiefe stewarde: to whom when we tolde them, he declared our dreames to vs, accordyng to eyther of our dreames. 13And as he declared them to vs, euen so it came to passe: For he restored me to myne office agayne, and hanged hym.

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams

14Pharao sent therfore and called Ioseph: and they brought him hastyly out of the dungeon. And he shaued himselfe and chaunged his rayment, and came vnto Pharao. 15And Pharao sayde vnto Ioseph: I haue dreamed a dreame, & no man can interprete it: & I haue heard say of thee that assoone as thou hearest a dreame, thou canst interprete it. 16Ioseph aunswered Pharao, saying: Not I, but God shall geue Pharao an aunswere of peace. 17And Pharao sayde vnto Ioseph: In my dreame me thought I stoode by a ryuers syde, 18And there came out of the ryuer seuen fat flesshed and well fauoured kyne, and fedde in a medowe. 19And then seuen other kyne came out after them, poore, and very yll fauoured and leane flesshed, such as I neuer saw in all the lande of Egypt, they were so yll fauoured. 20And the seuen leane and yll fauoured kyne, did eate vp the first seuen fat kine: 21And when they had eaten them vp, a man coulde not perceaue that they had eaten them, but they were styll yll fauoured as they were at the begynnyng: and I awoke. 22And I saw againe in my dreame, and beholde, seuen eares sprang out of one stalke, full and fayre. 23And beholde, seuen eares agayne withered, thinne, and blasted with the east wynde, sprang vp after them. 24And the thinne eares deuoured the seuen good eares: and I haue tolde the southsayers, but there was no man that coulde tell what it meaneth.

25And Ioseph aunswered Pharao: both Pharaos dreames are one, God hath shewed Pharao what he is about to do. 26The seuen good kyne, are seuen yeres, and the seuen good eares are seue yeres also: and it is but one dreame. 27Lykewyse the seuen thinne and euyll fauoured kine that came vp after them, are seuen yeres, and the seuen emptie & blasted eares with the east wynde, shalbe seuen yeres of famine. 28This worde which I haue sayde vnto Pharao, is it that God is about to do, and sheweth it vnto Pharao. 29Beholde there come seuen yeres of great plenteousnes throughout all the lande of Egypt. 30And agayne, there shall aryse after them seuen yeres of famine, and all the plenteousnes shalbe forgotten in the lande of Egypt: and the famine shall consume the lande. 31Neither shall the plenteousnes be knowen in the lande, by reason of that famine that shall come after: for it shalbe exceedyng great. 32And as concernyng that the dreame was doubled vnto Pharao the seconde tyme: beholde, the thyng is certainly prepared of God, and God wyll shortly bryng it to passe. 33Nowe therfore let Pharao prouide for a man of vnderstandyng, and wisedome, & set him ouer the land of Egypt. 34And let Pharao do this also, that he make officers ouer the lande, & take vp the fift part of the inheritaunce in ye land of Egypt in the seuen plenteous yeres. 35And let them gather all the foode of these good yeres that come: and laye vp corne vnder the hande of Pharao, and let them kepe foode in the cities. 36And so shall that foode be for store in the lande agaynst the seuen yeres of famine, which shall come in the lande of Egypt, that ye lande perishe not through famine.

Joseph Given Charge of Egypt

37And the saying seemed good in ye eyes of Pharao, and in the eyes of all his seruauntes.

38Then saide Pharao vnto his seruauntes: May there be founde a man suche as this is, in whom the spirite of God is? 39And Pharao saide vnto Ioseph: Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is no man of vnderstandyng or of wisedome lyke vnto thee. 40Thou therfore shalt be ouer my house, and accordyng to thy worde shall all my people be ruled: only in the kynges seate wyll I be aboue thee. 41And Pharao sayde agayne vnto Ioseph: beholde, I haue set thee ouer all the lande of Egypt. 42And Pharao toke of his ryng from his hande, and put it vpon Iosephes hande: & arayed him in cloth of raynes, & put a golden cheyne about his necke. 43And set hym vpon the best charet he had saue one: and they cried before him, tender father, and made hym ruler ouer all the lande of Egypt. 44And moreouer Pharao said vnto Ioseph: I am Pharao, and without thee shal no man lyft vp his hande or foote in all the lande of Egypt. 45And Pharao called Iosephes name Zaphnath Paaneach, & he gaue hym to wyfe Asnath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. Then went Ioseph ouer the lande of Egypt.

The Seven Years of Plenty

46(And he was thirtie yere olde when he stoode before Pharao king of Egypt) And Ioseph departyng from the presence of Pharao, went throughout all the lande of Egypt. 47And in the seuen plenteous yeres, the earth brought foorth great store for to lay vp. 48And he gathered vp all the foode of the seuen plenteous yeres which were in the lande of Egypt, and layed vp the foode in the cities: the foode of the fieldes that grew rounde about euery citie, layed he vp in the same. 49And Ioseph layed vp corne in store lyke vnto the sande of the sea, in multitude out of measure, vntyll he left numbryng: for it was without number.

50And vnto Ioseph were borne two sonnes before the yeres of famine came: which Asnath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On, bare vnto hym. 51And Ioseph called the name of the first sonne, Manasse: for God sayde he hath made me forget al my labour, and all my fathers housholde. 52The name of the seconde called he Ephraim, for God sayd he hath caused me to be fruitefull in the lande of my trouble.

The Famine Begins

53And when the seuen yeres of plenteousnesse that was in the land of Egypt, were ended, 54Then came the seuen yeres of dearth, according as Ioseph had sayde, and the dearth was in all landes: but in all the lande of Egypt, was there yet foode. 55And when the lande of Egypt also began to hunger, the people cryed to Pharao for bread. And Pharao sayde vnto al the Egyptians, go vnto Ioseph: and what he sayeth to you, that do. 56And the dearth was throughout all the lande: and Ioseph opened all the barnes wherein was corne, and solde vnto the Egyptians: for the famine waxed sore in the lande of Egypt. 57And all countreys came into Egypt to Ioseph, for to bye corne because that the famine was so sore in all landes.