And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him a house, and made shelters for his cattle…. And God said unto him, "Your name is Jacob: your name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be your name…. " And God said unto him, "I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of you, and kings shall come out of your body; and the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to you I will give it, and to your seed after you will I give the land."

And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac resided. And the days of Isaac were a hundred and eighty years. And Isaac…died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. And Jacob lived in the land in which his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.

These are the sons of Jacob; Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

Now Jacob loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors. And when Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

And Joseph's brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. And Jacob said unto Joseph, "Do not your brothers feed the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you unto them."

And Joseph said to him, "Here am I."

And when his brothers saw him afar off, even before Joseph came near unto them, they conspired against him to kill him. And Reuben heard it, and he delivered Joseph out of their hands; and said, "Let us not kill him." And they took Joseph, and threw him into a pit….

Then there passed by Midianite merchantmen; And Judah said unto his brothers, "What profit is it if we kill our brother, and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother and our flesh." And his brothers were content. They drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Midianites for twenty pieces of silver. And the Midianites sold Joseph into Egypt unto Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, and captain of the guard.

And Joseph found grace in Potiphar’s sight, and he served him: and Potiphar made Joseph administrator over his house, and all that he had he put into Joseph’s hand.

And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, "Lie with me."

But Joseph refused, and said unto her, "Look, my master knows not what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand; There is none greater in this house than I; neither has he kept back anything from me but you.

Because you are his wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" And it came to pass, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he listened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.

And…about this time…Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there inside. And she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me": and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out.

And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home. And she spoke unto Potiphar according to these words, saying, "The Hebrew servant, which you have brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me": And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound.… But the LORD was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison.…

And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended…the king…. And he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.

And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. And he asked Pharaoh's officers… "Why look you so sad today?

And they said unto him, "We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it."

And Joseph said unto them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams, I pray you." And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph. And Joseph said unto him, "This is the interpretation of it…. Within three days shall Pharaoh lift up your head, and restore you unto your place…. But think on me when it shall be well with you, and…make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house: For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews: and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon."

When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good, he said unto Joseph, "I also was in my dream, and, look, I had three white baskets on my head: In the top basket there was of all manner of baked goods for Pharaoh; and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head."

And Joseph answered and said, "This is the interpretation of it: The three baskets are three days: Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up your head from off you, and shall hang you on a tree; and the birds shall eat your flesh…."

And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: and he… restored the chief butler unto his butlership again…But he hanged the chief baker: as Joseph had interpreted to them. Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgot him.

…At the end of two full years, …Pharaoh dreamed…. And…in the morning… his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men of the country: and Pharaoh told them his dreams; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.

Then spoke the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, "I do remember my faults this day: When Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the captain of the guard's house, both me and the chief baker: we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; And there was there with us a young man, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was; me, Pharaoh restored unto my office, and him, Pharaoh hanged.

"Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his clothes, and came in unto Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, "I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of you, that you can understand a dream to interpret it."

And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace."

And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, "In my dream…I stood upon the bank of the river: And…there came up out of the river seven cows, fat…and well favored; and they fed in a meadow: And…seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ill favored and lean…such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness: And the lean and the ill favored cows did eat up the first seven fat cows: And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

"And I saw in my dream, and…seven ears of corn came up in one stalk, full and good: And…seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them: And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me."

And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, "The dream of Pharaoh is one: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Look, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land.

"Now therefore let Pharaoh find a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years. And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine."

REFERENCES

Genesis 33:17; Genesis 35:10-12, 27-29; Genesis 37:1; 1 Chronicles 2:1-2; Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13, 18, 21, 24, 28a; Genesis 37:26-28b, 36; Genesis 39:4, 7-12, 16-17, 20-22a; Genesis 40:1,3,5a, 6-9a, 12a, 13-23; Genesis 41:1a, 8, 9-11a, 12-25, 29-30, 33-34, 36.

CHAPTER 4