One morning Pharaoh wakened from sleep wondering about the meaning of two strange dreams that he had dreamed during the night. He called the wise m)en of Egypt to tell him what the dreams meant, but they could not. Then he felt greatly troubled.
When the chief butler heard about the king’s distress, he thought at once of his own experience when he was in prison. And he remembered Joseph’s kindness. How long he had forgotten that noble young man! Now he told Pharaoh about Joseph, and immediately the king sent for him.
Joseph was busy caring for the prisoners and thinking perhaps that the chief butler had forever forgotten him! when the messenger came from the king’s palace. “Pharaoh wishes to see you: come at once,” the messenger said.
Joseph shaved his face and changed his prison clothes for clean, fresh garments. Then he hurried to the royal palace, wondering as he went why Pharaoh had sent for him. “If only he would grant me liberty,” he thought, “how happy I should be!”
At the palace Pharaoh was anxiously waiting to see him. Others, too, were waiting, and all were feeling deeply troubled. “If this strange young man can not help, what shall we do!” they were wondering. Then there came a sound of footsteps outside the door, and Joseph was brought into their midst. Fair-skinned and handsome, he at once attracted the attention of all, and they thought, “Here indeed is some one different from us, and perhaps he can help.” Then Pharaoh spoke:
“I have heard of you,” he said, “that you can tell the true meaning of dreams. And I have dreamed two dreams which trouble me greatly; therefore I have sent for you because none of the wise men of Egypt can tell me what these dreams mean.”
Joseph replied, “This wisdom does not belong to me, but to the God whom I serve. Tell me what your dreams were, and he will give the meaning of them.”
And Pharaoh answered: “In my dream I was standing by the River Nile, and presently I saw seven fat cattle come up out of the river and feed in the green meadow. Later I saw seven other cattle come up out of the river and stand upon the bank. These seven were very lean, and I saw them approach the seven fat cattle and eat them up. Still they were as thin as they had been at the first. Then I awoke. “Afterwards I fell asleep and dreamed again, and saw seven ears of corn grow up out of a stalk. Full, good ears they were, and while I was looking at them seven other ears sprang up after them—withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind. These thin ears devoured the good ones, and once more I awoke.”
“Your dreams are indeed wonderful,” Joseph told the king, “and both of them have the same meaning. By them God is making known to you what he is about to do.
“The seven fat cattle are seven years, and so also are the seven good, full ears of corn. And in like manner the seven lean cattle and the seven thin, withered ears are seven years which shall follow the first seven. God is making known to you by these dreams that there shall be seven years of plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, and afterwards there shall be seven years of famine. These years of famine shall be so severe that the seven years of plenty shall be forgotten, and everything shall be eaten up throughout the land.
“God has given you these two dreams to show you that these things will surely come to pass soon. He has warned you in this manner to prepare for the time of famine, lest it come upon you and destroy every living creature in your kingdom. It will be well for you to appoint a wise man to look after the food-supply. Let him, during the seven plentiful years, lay aside enough each year to make sure of enough for all your people during the years when nothing shall grow.”
Pharaoh and the attendants who stood near his throne listened attentively to Joseph’s words, and when he had finished speaking the king said, “Surely the Spirit of God is in this man and his words are good. Can we find another who could more wisely manage the affairs of this kingdom than he?” And so it came about that Pharaoh made Joseph ruler over all the land of Egypt.
And Pharaoh clothed Joseph in royal robes and put a gold chain about his neck. He took his signet ring from off his hand and placed it upon Joseph’s, and said, “You shall be overseer of my house, and your word shall govern my people in all the land of Egypt. Only in the throne will I be greater than you.” And Pharaoh gave Joseph the second chariot that he had. In this Joseph rode through the streets of the city and the people bowed themselves before him. Pharaoh called Joseph, Zaphnath-paaneah, which means, “The man to whom secrets are revealed.” He also gave Joseph an Egyptian princess for his wife.
All this prosperity did not change the heart of Joseph, for he remained kind and just to all. Day after day he rode through the land and gathered up the food which grew everywhere in abundance. This excess food he stored into buildings for future needs, until finally he had an enormous quantity laid aside for the years of famine.
During this time God blessed Joseph with two sons, whom he named Manasseh and Ephraim. And Joseph was grateful to God for all his blessings. He realized that all his troubles had brought about the great honor that he now enjoyed.
When the seven years of plenty had passed by, the years of trouble began. Nowhere in all the land of Egypt would the fields yield any growth, and people began to have need of food. Then they came to Joseph, and he opened the storehouses, which had been filled during the years of plenty, and sold food to the Egyptians.
Not only in Egypt did the terrible famine rage, but also in the countries round about. “From far and near people came to Joseph, imploring him to sell corn to them lest they die of hunger.