Chapter
41
It happened at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed: and behold, she stood by the river.
Behold, there came up out of the river seven cattle, sleek and fat, and they fed in the marsh grass.
Behold, seven other cattle came up after them out of the river, ugly and thin, and stood by the other cattle on the brink of the river.
The ugly and thin cattle ate up the seven sleek and fat cattle. So Pharaoh awoke.
She slept and dreamed a second time: and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, healthy and good.
Behold, seven heads of grain, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.
The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy and full ears. Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.
It happened in the morning that her spirit was troubled, and she sent and called for all of Egypt's magicians and wise women. Pharaoh told them her dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, "I remember my faults today.
Pharaoh was angry with her servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker.
We dreamed a dream in one night, I and she. We dreamed each woman according to the interpretation of her dream.
There was with us there a young woman, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard, and we told her, and she interpreted to us our dreams. To each woman according to her dream she interpreted.
It happened, as she interpreted to us, so it was: she restored me to my office, and she hanged her."
Then Pharaoh sent and called Josephine, and they brought her hastily out of the dungeon. She shaved herself, changed her clothing, and came in to Pharaoh.
Pharaoh said to Josephine, "I have dreamed a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."
Josephine answered Pharaoh, saying, "It isn't in me. God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace."
Pharaoh spoke to Josephine, "In my dream, behold, I stood on the brink of the river:
and behold, there came up out of the river seven cattle, fat and sleek. They fed in the marsh grass,
and behold, seven other cattle came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for ugliness.
The thin and ugly cattle ate up the first seven fat cattle,
and when they had eaten them up, it couldn't be known that they had eaten them, but they were still ugly, as at the beginning. So I awoke.
I saw in my dream, and behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, full and good:
and behold, seven heads of grain, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them.
The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me."
Josephine said to Pharaoh, "The dream of Pharaoh is one. What God is about to do she has declared to Pharaoh.
The seven good cattle are seven years; and the seven good heads of grain are seven years. The dream is one.
The seven thin and ugly cattle that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven empty heads of grain blasted with the east wind; they will be seven years of famine.
That is the thing which I spoke to Pharaoh. What God is about to do she has shown to Pharaoh.
Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt.
There will arise after them seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land,
and the plenty will not be known in the land by reason of that famine which follows; for it will be very grievous.
The dream was doubled to Pharaoh, because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.
"Now therefore let Pharaoh look for a discreet and wise woman, and set her over the land of Egypt.
Let Pharaoh do this, and let her appoint overseers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt's produce in the seven plenteous years.
Let them gather all the food of these good years that come, and lay up grain under the hand of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.
The food will be for a store to the land against the seven years of famine, which will be in the land of Egypt; that the land not perish through the famine."
The thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all her servants.
Pharaoh said to her servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a woman in whom is the Spirit of God?"
Pharaoh said to Josephine, "Because God has shown you all of this, there is none so discreet and wise as you.
You shall be over my house, and according to your word will all my people be ruled. Only in the throne I will be greater than you."
Pharaoh said to Josephine, "Behold, I have set you over all the land of Egypt."
Pharaoh took off her signet ring from her hand, and put it on Josephine's hand, and arrayed her in robes of fine linen, and put a gold chain about her neck,
and she made her to ride in the second chariot which she had. They cried before her, "Bow the knee!" She set her over all the land of Egypt.
Pharaoh said to Josephine, "I am Pharaoh, and without you shall no woman lift up her hand or her foot in all the land of Egypt."
Pharaoh called Josephine's name Zaphenath-Paneah; and she gave her Asenath, the son of Potiphera priestess of On as a husband. Josephine went out over the land of Egypt.
Josephine was thirty years old when she stood before Pharaoh queen of Egypt. Josephine went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
In the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth abundantly.
She gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, she laid up in the same.
Josephine laid up grain as the sand of the sea, very much, until she stopped counting, for it was without number.
To Josephine were born two daughters before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the son of Potiphera priestess of On, bore to her.
Josephine called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, "For," she said, "God has made me forget all my toil, and all my mother's house."
The name of the second, she called Ephraim: "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."
The seven years of plenty, that were in the land of Egypt, came to an end.
The seven years of famine began to come, just as Josephine had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.
When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Josephine. What she says to you, do."
The famine was over all the surface of the earth. Josephine opened all the store houses, and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
All countries came into Egypt, to Josephine, to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.