Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Take a breath, find your place, and read deeply. Discover the joy of reading God’s word with the Immerse New Living Translation (NLT) Bible.
This daily Bible podcast will take you through the Bible in a year following the Immerse Bible Reading Experience. So grab your family and small group and go through the Bible in a year together with Immerse. Each of the 6 volumes is available online or at your favorite Christian bookstore.
Malcom: Welcome To Immerse: The
Daily Bible Reading Experience.
Day 97
Two full years later, Pharaoh
dreamed that he was standing
on the bank of the Nile River.
In his dream, he saw seven fat healthy
cows come up out of the river and
begin grazing in the marsh grass.
Then he saw seven more cows come
up behind them from the Nile.
But these were scrawny and thin.
These cows stood beside the
fat cows on the River Bank.
Then the scrawny thin cows
ate to seven healthy fat cows
at this point in the dream.
Pharaoh woke up, but he fell asleep
again and had a second dream.
This time, he saw seven heads
of grain, plump, and beautiful
growing on a single stalk.
Then seven more heads of grain
appeared, but these were shriveled
and withered by the east wind and
these thin heads swallowed up the
seven plump well-formed heads.
Then Pharaoh woke up again
and realized it was a dream.
The next morning, Pharaoh was very
disturbed by the dreams, so he called for
all the magicians and wise men of Egypt.
When Pharaoh told them his dreams, not one
of them could tell him what they meant.
Finally, the King's chief
Cup bearer spoke up.
Today I have been reminded of my failure.
He told Pharaoh.
Some time ago you were angry with the
chief baker and me and you imprisoned us
in the palace of the captain of the guard.
One night the chief baker and I each had a
dream, and each dream had its own meaning.
There was a young Hebrew man with
us in the prison who was a slave
of the captain of the guard.
We told him our dreams and he told us what
each of our dreams meant and everything
happened just as he had predicted.
I was restored to my position as
cup bearer, and the chief baker
was executed and impaled on a pole.
Pharaoh sent for Joseph at once, and
he was quickly brought from the prison
After he shaved and changed his clothes,
he went in and stood before Pharaoh.
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, I had
a dream last night, and no one here
can tell me what it means, but I
have heard that when you hear about
a dream, you can interpret it.
It is beyond my power to do this.
Joseph replied, but God can tell you
what it means and set you at ease.
So Pharaoh told Joseph his dream.
In my dream.
He said I was standing on the bank
of the Nile River and I saw seven fat
healthy cows come up out of the river
and begin grazing in the marsh grass.
But then I saw seven sick looking cows,
scrawny and Finn come up after them.
I've never seen such sorry
looking animals at all.
The land of Egypt, these thin, scrawny
cows ate the seven fat cows, but
afterward, you wouldn't have known it for.
They were still as thin
and scrawny as before.
Then I woke up in my dream.
I also saw seven heads of grain full
and beautiful growing in a single stock.
Then seven more heads of grain
appeared, but these were blighted,
shriveled, and withered by the
east wind and the shriveled heads
swallowed the seven healthy heads.
I told these dreams to the magicians,
but no one could tell me what they mean.
Joseph responded.
Both of Pharaoh's dreams
mean the same thing.
God is telling Pharaoh in
advance what he is about to do.
The seven healthy cows and the
seven healthy heads of grain both
represent seven years of prosperity.
The seven thin scrawny cows that came
up later and the seven thin heads
of grain withered by the east wind
represents seven years of famine.
This will happen, just as I have described
it, for God has revealed to Pharaoh in
advance what he is about to do the next
seven years will be a period of great
prosperity throughout the land of Egypt.
But afterward there will
be seven years of famine.
So great that all the
prosperity will be forgotten.
In Egypt, famine will destroy the land.
This famine will be so severe
that even the memory of the
good years will be erased.
As for having two similar dreams, it means
that these events have been decreed by
God and he will soon make them happen.
Therefore, Pharaoh should find an
intelligent and wise man and put him
in charge of the entire land of Egypt.
Then Pharaoh should appoint
supervisors over the land and let
them collect one fifth of all the
crops during the seven good years.
Have them gather all the food produced
in the good years that are just ahead
and bring it to Pharaoh's storehouses.
Store it away and guarded so
there will be food in the cities.
That way there will be enough
to eat when the seven years of
famine come to the land of Egypt.
Otherwise, this famine
will destroy the land.
Joseph's suggestions were well
received by Pharaoh and his officials.
So Pharaoh asks his officials, can
we find anyone else like this man?
So obviously filled
with the spirit of God.
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, Since
God has revealed the meaning of the
dreams to you, clearly no one else
is as intelligent or wise as you are.
You'll be in charge of my court and all
my people will take orders from you.
Only I sitting on my throne will
have a rank higher than yours.
Pharaoh said to Joseph, I hereby put you
in charge of the entire land of Egypt.
Then Pharaoh removed his
signature ring from his hand and
placed it on Joseph's finger.
He dressed him in fine linen clothing
and hung a gold chain around his neck.
Then he had Joseph ride in the
chariot reserved for his second in
command, and wherever Joseph went,
the command was shouted, kneel down.
So Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of
all Egypt, and Pharaoh said to him,
I am Pharaoh, but no one will lift
a hand or foot in the entire land
of Egypt without your approval.
Then Pharaoh gave Joseph a
new Egyptian name, Zana Pania.
He also gave him a wife
whose name was Asana.
She was the daughter of
Tifah, the priest of on.
So Joseph took charge of
the entire land of Egypt.
He was 30 years old when he
began serving in the court of
Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.
And when Joseph left Pharaoh's presence,
he inspected the entire land of Egypt.
As predicted for seven years,
the land produced bumper crops.
During those years, Joseph gathered
all the crops grown in Egypt
and stored the grain from the
surrounding fields and the cities.
He piled up huge amounts of
grain like sand on the seashore.
He finally, he stopped keeping records
because there was too much to measure.
During this time, before the first of
the famine years, two sons were born to
Joseph and his wife Asana, the daughter of
Tiara, the priest of on Joseph, named his
older son, man, for he said, God has made
me forget all my troubles and everyone
in my father's family, Joseph named his
second son Raim, for he said, God has
made me fruitful in this land of my grief.
At last, the seven years of
bumper crops throughout the
land of Egypt came to an end.
Then the seven years of famine
began just as Joseph had predicted.
The famine also struck all the
surrounding countries, but throughout
Egypt, there was plenty of food.
Eventually, however, the famine spread
throughout the land of Egypt as well.
And when the people cried out to
Pharaoh for food, he told them, go to
Joseph and do whatever he tells you.
So with severe famine everywhere, Joseph
opened up the storehouses and distributed
grain to the Egyptians for the famine
was severe throughout the land of Egypt,
and people from all around came to Egypt
to buy grain from Joseph because the
famine was severe throughout the world.
This concludes today's reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.