Hello, this is Father Paul and I'm glad we're taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year.
Yesterday we heard about how Joseph and his dreams landed him into some trouble with his
brothers and how they sold him into slavery in Egypt and how when he got to Egypt he got
in some trouble with his master's wife but the Lord was with him and prospered him even
when he got to prison.
Today we're going to hear about the dreams of his fellow prisoners and the dreams of
Pharaoh and how Joseph interprets those dreams and in doing so God prepares for him a way
to be liberated from prison.
Alright, let's begin.
Today's reading is from Genesis chapters 40 and 41.
Chapter 40.
It came to pass after these things that the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt
offended their lord the king of Egypt and Pharaoh was angry with his two officers the
chief butler and the chief baker so he put them in custody in the house of the captain
of the guard in the prison the place where Joseph was confined and the captain of the
guard charged Joseph with them and he served them so they were in custody for a while.
Then the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt who were confined in the prison had
a dream both of them each man's dream in one night and each man's dream with its own interpretation
and Joseph came in to them in the morning and looked at them and saw that they were
sad so he asked Pharaoh's officers who were with him in the custody of his lord's house
saying why do you look so sad today and they said to him we each have had a dream and there
is no interpreter of it so Joseph said to them do not interpretations belong to God
tell them to me please then the chief butler told his dream to Joseph and said to him behold
in my dream a vine was before me and in the vine were three branches it was as though
it budded its blossoms shot forth and its clusters brought forth ripe grapes then Pharaoh's
cup was in my hand and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup and placed
the cup in Pharaoh's hand and Joseph said to him this is the interpretation of it the
three branches are three days now within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore
you to your place and you will put Pharaoh's cup in his hand according to the former manner
when you were his butler but remember me when it is well with you and please show kindness
to me make mention of me to Pharaoh and get me out of this house for indeed I was stolen
away from the land of the Hebrews and also I have done nothing here that they should
put me into the dungeon when the chief baker saw that the interpretation was good he said
to Joseph I also was in my dream and there were three white baskets on my head in the
uppermost basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh and the birds ate them out of the
basket on my head so Joseph answered and said this is the interpretation of it the three
baskets are three days within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head from you and hang
you on a tree and the birds will eat your flesh from you now it came to pass on the
third day which was Pharaoh's birthday that he made a feast for all his servants and he
lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the chief baker among his servants then
he restored the chief butler to his butler ship again and he placed the cup in Pharaoh's
hand but he hanged the chief baker as Joseph had interpreted to them yet the chief butler
did not remember Joseph but forgot him.
Chapter 41 Then it came to pass at the end of two full
years that Pharaoh had a dream and behold he stood by the river suddenly there came
up out of the river seven cows fine looking and fat and they fed in the middle then behold
seven other cows came up after them out of the river ugly and gaunt and stood by the
other cows on the bank of the river and the ugly and gaunt cows ate up the seven fine
looking and fat cows so Pharaoh awoke he slept and dreamed a second time and suddenly seven
heads of grain came up on one stalk plump and good then behold seven thin heads blighted
by the east wind sprang up after them and the seven thin heads devoured the seven plump
and full heads so Pharaoh awoke and indeed it was a dream now it came to pass in the
morning that his spirit was troubled and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt
and all its wise men and Pharaoh told them his dreams but there was no one who could
interpret them for Pharaoh then the chief butler spoke to Pharaoh saying I remember
my faults this day when Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me in custody in the
house of the captain of the guard both me and the chief baker we each had a dream in
one night he and I each of us dreamed according to the interpretation of his own dream now
there was a young Hebrew man with us there a servant of the captain of the guard and
we told him and he interpreted our dreams for us to each man he interpreted according
to his own dream and it came to pass just as he interpreted for us so it happened he
restored me to my office and he hanged him then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph and they
brought him quickly out of the dungeon and he shaved changed his clothing and came to
Pharaoh and Pharaoh said to Joseph I have had a dream and there is no one who can interpret
it but I have heard it said of you that you can understand the dream to interpret it so
Joseph answered Pharaoh saying it is not in me God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace
then Pharaoh said to Joseph behold in my dream I stood on the bank of the river suddenly
seven cows came up out of the river fine looking and fat and they fed in the meadow then behold
seven other cows came up after them poor and very ugly and gaunt such ugliness as I have
never seen in all the land of Egypt and the gaunt and ugly cows ate up the first seven
the fat cows when they had eaten them up no one would have known that they had eaten them
for they were just as ugly as at the beginning so I awoke also I saw in my dream and suddenly
seven heads came up on one stock full and good then behold seven heads withered thin
and blighted by the east wind sprang up after them and the thin heads devoured the seven
good heads so I told this to the magicians but there was no one who could explain it
to me then Joseph said to Pharaoh the dreams of Pharaoh are one God has shown Pharaoh what
he is about to do the seven good cows are seven years and the seven good heads are seven
years the dreams are one and the seven thin and ugly cows which came up after them are
seven years and the seven empty heads blighted by the east wind are seven years of famine
this is the thing which I have spoken to Pharaoh God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to
do indeed seven years of great plenty will come throughout all the land of Egypt but
after them seven years of famine will arise and all the plenty will be forgotten in the
land of Egypt and the famine will deplete the land so the plenty will not be known in
the land because of the famine following for it will be very severe and the dream was repeated
to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God and God will shortly bring it to pass
now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of
Egypt let Pharaoh do this and let him appoint officers over the land to collect one fifth
of the produce of the land of Egypt in the seven plentiful years and let them gather
all the food of those good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority
of Pharaoh and let them keep food in the cities then that food shall be as a reserve for the
land for the seven years of famine which shall be in the land of Egypt that the land may
not perish during the famine so the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the
eyes of all his servants and Pharaoh said to his servants can we find such a one as
this a man in whom is the spirit of God then Pharaoh said to Joseph in as much as God has
shown you all this there is no one as discerning and wise as you you shall be over my house
and all my people shall be ruled according to your word only in regard to the throne
will I be greater than you and Pharaoh said to Joseph see I have set you over all the
land of Egypt then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph's
hand and he clothed them in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck
and he had him ride in the second chariot which he had and they cried out before him
bow the knee so he set him over all the land of Egypt Pharaoh also said to Joseph I am
Pharaoh and without your consent no man may lift his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt
and Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zephaniah and he gave him as a wife Asenet the daughter
of Potipharah priest of Onn so Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt Joseph was
30 years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt and Joseph went out from the
presence of Pharaoh and went throughout all the land of Egypt now in the seven plentiful
years the ground brought forth abundantly so he gathered up all the food of the seven
years which were in the land of Egypt and laid up the food in the cities he laid up
in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them Joseph gathered very much
grain as the sand of the sea until he stopped counting for it was immeasurable and to Joseph
were born two sons before the years of famine came whom Asenet the daughter of Potipharah
priest of Onn bore to him Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh for God has
made me forget all my toil and all my father's house and the name of the second he called
Ephraim for God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction then the seven
years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended and the seven years of famine
began to come as Joseph had said the famine was in all lands but in all the land of Egypt
there was bread so when all the land of Egypt was famished the people cried to Pharaoh for
bread then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians go to Joseph whatever he says to you do the
famine was over all the face of the earth and Joseph opened all the store houses and
sold to the Egyptians and the famine became severe in the land of Egypt so all countries
came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain because the famine was severe in all lands.
I hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as I did and I look forward to seeing you
again tomorrow to continue on our journey.
God bless you and have a great day.