1   After two yeares ^note Pharao saw a dreame. He thought he stood vpon the riuer,

2   out of the which came vp seuen kine, faire and fat exceedingly: and they fed in marish places.

3   Other seuen also came vp out of the riuer, foule, and caryan leane: and they fed on the very banke of the riuer, in grene places:

4   and they deuoured them, that had the merueylous beautie and good state of bodies. Pharao after he waked,

5   slept againe, and saw an other dreame:

Ioseph. Seuen eares of corne grew forth vpon one stalke ful and faire:

6   there sprang also other eares as many, thinne and blasted with adustion,

7   deuouring al the beautie of the former. Pharao awaking vp after his rest,

8   and when morning was come, being frighted with feare, he sent to al the interpreters of Ægypt, and to al the wise men: and they being called for, told them his dreame, neither was there anie that could interprete it.

9   Then at length the maister of the cupbearers remembring himselfe, said: I confesse my sinne:

10   The king being angrie with his seruantes, commanded me and the chiefe of the bakers to be cast into the prison of the captaine of the souldiers:

11   where in one night both of vs saw a dreame portending things to come.

12   There was there a young man an hebrew, seruant to the same captaine of the souldiers: to whom telling our dreames,

13   we heard whatsoeuer afterward the euent of the thing proued to be so. for I was restored to my office: and he was hanged vpon a gibbet.

14   Forthwith at the kinges commandment, Ioseph being brought out of the prison they polled him: and changing his apparel, brought him vnto him.

15   To whom he said: I haue seene dreames, and there is not anie that can expound them: which I haue heard, thou doest most wisely interprete.

16   Ioseph answered: Without me, God shal answere prosperous thinges to Pharao.

17   Pharao therfore told that he had seene: Me thought I stoode vpon the banke of the riuer,

18   and seuen kine came vp out of the banke of the riuer, exceeding faire, and ful of flesh: which grazed on greene places in a marish pasture.

19   And behold, there folowed these, other seuen kine, so passing il fauored and leane, that I neuer saw the like in the land of Ægypt;

20   which hauing deuoured and consumed the former,

21   gaue no token of their fulnes: but with the like leanenes and deformitie, looked heauelie. Awaking, and fallen againe into a deepe sleepe,

22   I sawe a dreame: Seuen eares of corne grew forth vpon one stalke, ful and verie faire.

23   Other seuen also thinne and blasted, with adustion, sprang of the stalke:

24   which deuoured the beautie of the former: I told the dreame to the coniecturers, and there is no man that can declare it.

25   Ioseph answered: The kinges dreame is one: God hath shewed to Pharao ^notethe thinges that he wil doe.

26   The seuen faire kine, and

Ioseph. the seuen ful eares: be seuen yeres of plentifulnes: and both conteine the selfe same meaning of the dreame.

27   Also the seuen leane and thinne kine, that came vp after them, and the seuen thinne eares, and blasted with the burning winde: are seuen yeares of famine to come.

28   Which shal be fulfilled in this order.

29   Behold there shal come seuen yeares of great fertilitie in the whole Land of Ægypt:

30   after which shal folowe other seuen yeares of so great sterilitie, that al the abundance before shal be forgotten: for the famine shal consume al the land,

31   and the greatnes of the scarsitie, shal destroy the greatnes of the plentie.

32   And in that thou didest see the second time a dreame perteining to the same thing: it is a token of the certeintie, for that the worde of God shal come to passe, and be fulfilled spedely.

33   Now therfore let the king prouide a wise man and industrious, and make him ruler ouer the Land of Ægypt:

34   that he may appointe ouerseers ouer al countries: and gether into barnes the fifth part of the fruites, during the seuen yeares of the fertilitie,

35   that now presently shal ensewe: and let al the corne be laid vp, vnder Pharaoes handes, and let it be reserued in the cities.

36   And let it be in a readines, against the famine of seuen yeares to come, which shal oppresse Ægypt, and the land shal not be consumed with scarsitie.

37   The counsel pleased Pharao, and al his seruants:

38   and he spake to them: Can we find such an other man, that is ful of the spirite of God?

39   He said therfore to Ioseph: Because God hath shewed thee al things that thou hast spoken, can I find a wiser and one like vnto thee?

40   Thou shalt be ouer my house, and at the commandment of thy mouth al the people shal obey: only in the throne of the kingdome I wil goe before thee.

41   And againe Pharao said to Ioseph: Behold, I haue appointed thee ouer the whole land of Ægypt.

42   And he tooke his ring from his owne hand, and gaue it into his hand: and he put vpon him a silke roabe, and put a chaine of gold about his necke.

43   And he made him goe vp into his second chariot, the cryer proclayming that al should bowe their knee before him, and that they should know he was09Q0089 made gouernour ouer the whole Land of Ægypt.

44   And the king said to Ioseph: I am Pharao: without thy commandment no man shal moue hand or foote in al the land of Ægypt.

45   And he turned his

Ioseph. name, and called him in the Ægyptian togue09Q0090 the Sauiour of the world. And he gaue him to wife Aseneth the daughter of Putiphar ^note priest of Heliopolis. Ioseph therfore went forth to the land of Ægypt

46   and he was thirtie yeares old when he stood in the sight of king Pharao) and did circuite al the countries of Ægypt.

47   And the fertilitie of the seuen yeares came: and the corne being bound vp into sheaues was gethered togeather into the barnes of Ægypt.

48   Al the abundance also of graine was laid vp in euerie citie.

49   And there was so great abundance of wheat, that it became equal to the sand of the sea, and the plentie exceeded measure.

50   And there were borne vnto Ioseph two sonnes before the famine came: whom Aseneth the daughter of Putiphar priest of Heliopolis bare him.

51   And he called the name of the first begotten ^note Manasses, saing: God made me to forget al my labours, & my fathers house.

52   The name also of the second he called ^note Ephraim, saing: God hath made me to encrease in the land of my pouertie.

53   Therfore when the seuen yeares of the plentifulnes, that had bene in Ægypt were passed:

54   the seuen yeares of scarsitie beganne to come, which Ioseph foretold: and in the whole world the famine preuailed, but in al the land of Ægypt there was bread.

55   The which being in hunger, the people cried to Pharao, desiring foode. To whom he answered: Goe ye to Ioseph: and whatsoeuer he shal say to you, that doe ye.

56   And the famine dayly encreased in al the land: and Ioseph opened al the barnes, and sold to the Ægyptians: for them also the famine had opressed.

57   And al prouinces came into Ægypt, to buy victuales, and to moderate the miserie of the scarsitie.

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