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After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt.
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Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt,
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but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land.
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“And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.
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Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.
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This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”
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Joseph in Charge of Egypt
So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.”
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He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, “Make way!” Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
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Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.”
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Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
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Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt.
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Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it.
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The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end,
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and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food.
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When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.”
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When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt.
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And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.
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Joseph’s Brothers Go to Egypt
When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?”
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He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.”
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Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt.
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The Second Journey to Egypt
Now the famine was still severe in the land.
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So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”
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So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph.
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They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians.
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And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.
