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.