¹ 过了两年，法老做梦，梦见自己站在河边，

² 有七只母牛从河里上来，又美好又肥壮，在芦荻中吃草。

³ 随後又有七只母牛从河里上来，又丑陋又乾瘦，与那七只母牛一同站在河边。

⁴ 这又丑陋又乾瘦的七只母牛吃尽了那又美好又肥壮的七只母牛。法老就醒了。

⁵ 他又睡着，第二回做梦，梦见一棵麦子长了七个穗子，又肥大又佳美，

⁶ 随後又长了七个穗子，又细弱又被东风吹焦了。

⁷ 这细弱的穗子吞了那七个又肥大又饱满的穗子。法老醒了，不料是个梦。

⁸ 到了早晨，法老心里不安，就差人召了埃及所有的术士和博士来；法老就把所做的梦告诉他们，却没有人能给法老圆解。

⁹ 那时酒政对法老说：我今日想起我的罪来。

¹⁰ 从前法老恼怒臣仆，把我和膳长下在护卫长府内的监里。

¹¹ 我们二人同夜各做一梦，各梦都有讲解。

¹² 在那里同着我们有一个希伯来的少年人，是护卫长的仆人，我们告诉他，他就把我们的梦圆解，是按着各人的梦圆解的。

¹³ 後来正如他给我们圆解的成就了；我官复原职，膳长被挂起来了。

¹⁴ 法老遂即差人去召约瑟，他们便急忙带他出监，他就剃头，刮脸，换衣裳，进到法老面前。

¹⁵ 法老对约瑟说：我做了一梦，没有人能解；我听见人说，你听了梦就能解。

¹⁶ 约瑟回答法老说：这不在乎我，神必将平安的话回答法老。

¹⁷ 法老对约瑟说：我梦见我站在河边，

¹⁸ 有七只母牛从河里上来，又肥壮又美好，在芦荻中吃草。

¹⁹ 随後又有七只母牛上来，又软弱又丑陋又乾瘦，在埃及遍地，我没有见过这样不好的。

²⁰ 这又乾瘦又丑陋的母牛吃尽了那以先的七只肥母牛，

²¹ 吃了以後却看不出是吃了，那丑陋的样子仍旧和先前一样。我就醒了。

²² 我又梦见一棵麦子，长了七个穗子，又饱满又佳美，

²³ 随後又长了七个穗子，枯槁细弱，被东风吹焦了。

²⁴ 这些细弱的穗子吞了那七个佳美的穗子。我将这梦告诉了术士，却没有人能给我解说。

²⁵ 约瑟对法老说：法老的梦乃是一个。神已将所要做的事指示法老了。

²⁶ 七只好母牛是七年，七个好穗子也是七年；这梦乃是一个。

²⁷ 那随後上来的七只又乾瘦又丑陋的母牛是七年，那七个虚空、被东风吹焦的穗子也是七年，都是七个荒年。

²⁸ 这就是我对法老所说，神已将所要做的事显明给法老了。

²⁹ 埃及遍地必来七个大丰年，

³⁰ 随後又要来七个荒年，甚至埃及地都忘了先前的丰收，全地必被饥荒所灭。

³¹ 因那以後的饥荒甚大，便不觉得先前的丰收了。

³² 至於法老两回做梦，是因神命定这事，而且必速速成就。

³³ 所以，法老当拣选一个有聪明有智慧的人，派他治理埃及地。

³⁴ 法老当这样行，又派官员管理这地。当七个丰年的时候，征收埃及地的五分之一，

³⁵ 叫他们把将来丰年一切的粮食聚敛起来，积蓄五谷，收存在各城里做食物，归於法老的手下。

³⁶ 所积蓄的粮食可以防备埃及地将来的七个荒年，免得这地被饥荒所灭。

³⁷ 法老和他一切臣仆都以这事为妙。

³⁸ 法老对臣仆说：像这样的人，有神的灵在他里头，我们岂能找得着呢？

³⁹ 法老对约瑟说：神既将这事都指示你，可见没有人像你这样有聪明有智慧。

⁴⁰ 你可以掌管我的家；我的民都必听从你的话。惟独在宝座上我比你大。

⁴¹ 法老又对约瑟说：我派你治理埃及全地。

⁴² 法老就摘下手上打印的戒指，戴在约瑟的手上，给他穿上细麻衣，把金炼戴在他的颈项上，

⁴³ 又叫约瑟坐他的副车，喝道的在前呼叫说：跪下。这样、法老派他治理埃及全地。

⁴⁴ 法老对约瑟说：我是法老，在埃及全地，若没有你的命令，不许人擅自办事(原文作动手动脚)。

⁴⁵ 法老赐名给约瑟，叫撒发那忒巴内亚，又将安城的祭司波提非拉的女儿亚西纳给他为妻。约瑟就出去巡行埃及地。

⁴⁶ 约瑟见埃及王法老的时候年三十岁。他从法老面前出去，遍行埃及全地。

⁴⁷ 七个丰年之内，地的出产极丰极盛(原文作一把一把的)，

⁴⁸ 约瑟聚集埃及地七个丰年一切的粮食，把粮食积存在各城里；各城周围田地的粮食都积存在本城里。

⁴⁹ 约瑟积蓄五谷甚多，如同海边的沙，无法计算，因为谷不可胜数。

⁵⁰ 荒年未到以前，安城的祭司波提非拉的女儿亚西纳给约瑟生了两个儿子。

⁵¹ 约瑟给长子起名叫玛拿西(就是使之忘了的意思)，因为他说：神使我忘了一切的困苦和我父的全家。

⁵² 他给次子起名叫以法莲(就是使之昌盛的意思)，因为他说：神使我在受苦的地方昌盛。

⁵³ 埃及地的七个丰年一完，

⁵⁴ 七个荒年就来了。正如约瑟所说的，各地都有饥荒；惟独埃及全地有粮食。

⁵⁵ 及至埃及全地有了饥荒，众民向法老哀求粮食，法老对他们说：你们往约瑟那里去，凡他所说的，你们都要做。

⁵⁶ 当时饥荒遍满天下，约瑟开了各处的仓，发粮给埃及人；在埃及地饥荒甚大。

⁵⁷ 各地的人都往埃及去，到约瑟那里籴粮，因为天下的饥荒甚大。

¹ Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?"

² He said, "Behold, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there, and buy for us from there, so that we may live, and not die."

³ Joseph's ten brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.

⁴ But Jacob didn't send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers; for he said, "Lest perhaps harm happen to him."

⁵ The sons of Israel came to buy among those who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan.

⁶ Joseph was the governor over the land. It was he who sold to all the people of the land. Joseph's brothers came, and bowed themselves down to him with their faces to the earth.

⁷ Joseph saw his brothers, and he recognized them, but acted like a stranger to them, and spoke roughly with them. He said to them, "Where did you come from?" They said, "From the land of Canaan to buy food."

⁸ Joseph recognized his brothers, but they didn't recognize him.

⁹ Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed about them, and said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land."

¹⁰ They said to him, "No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food.

¹¹ We are all one man's sons; we are honest men. Your servants are not spies."

¹² He said to them, "No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land!"

¹³ They said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more."

¹⁴ Joseph said to them, "It is like I told you, saying, 'You are spies!'

¹⁵ By this you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go forth from here, unless your youngest brother comes here.

¹⁶ Send one of you, and let him get your brother, and you shall be bound, that your words may be tested, whether there is truth in you, or else by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies."

¹⁷ He put them all together into custody for three days.

¹⁸ Joseph said to them the third day, "Do this, and live, for I fear God.

¹⁹ If you are honest men, then let one of your brothers be bound in your prison; but you go, carry grain for the famine of your houses.

²⁰ Bring your youngest brother to me; so will your words be verified, and you won't die." They did so.

²¹ They said one to another, "We are certainly guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his soul, when he begged us, and we wouldn't listen. Therefore this distress has come upon us."

²² Reuben answered them, saying, "Didn't I tell you, saying, 'Don't sin against the child,' and you wouldn't listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required."

²³ They didn't know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.

²⁴ He turned himself away from them, and wept. Then he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes.

²⁵ Then Joseph gave a command to fill their bags with grain, and to restore each man's money into his sack, and to give them food for the way. So it was done to them.

²⁶ They loaded their donkeys with their grain, and departed from there.

²⁷ As one of them opened his sack to give his donkey food in the lodging place, he saw his money. Behold, it was in the mouth of his sack.

²⁸ He said to his brothers, "My money is restored! Behold, it is in my sack!" Their hearts failed them, and they turned trembling one to another, saying, "What is this that God has done to us?"

²⁹ They came to Jacob their father, to the land of Canaan, and told him all that had happened to them, saying,

³⁰ "The man, the lord of the land, spoke roughly with us, and took us for spies of the country.

³¹ We said to him, 'We are honest men. We are no spies.

³² We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.'

³³ The man, the lord of the land, said to us, 'By this I will know that you are honest men: leave one of your brothers with me, and take grain for the famine of your houses, and go your way.

³⁴ Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. So I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.'"

³⁵ It happened as they emptied their sacks, that behold, each man's bundle of money was in his sack. When they and their father saw their bundles of money, they were afraid.

³⁶ Jacob, their father, said to them, "You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me."

³⁷ Reuben spoke to his father, saying, "Kill my two sons, if I don't bring him to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him to you again."

³⁸ He said, "My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he only is left. If harm happens to him along the way in which you go, then you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol."