In prison, Joseph was able to tell some of the other prisoners what their dreams meant. Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, heard that Joseph could understand dreams. Pharaoh was having the same dream night after night. He sent for Joseph to ask what the dream meant.
First, said Pharaoh, he saw seven fat cows. Then seven lean cows came and ate the fat cows. Next, Pharaoh saw seven fat sheaves of grain. Then seven thin sheaves came and swallowed up the fat sheaves.
Joseph explained that the seven cows and the seven sheaves were seven years. First, God would send seven years of good harvests; then seven years of famine, when there would be no harvest. If the Egyptians saved in the seven fat years, they would have food to eat in the seven lean years.
Pharaoh made Joseph the boss of saving all the food that could be spared. When the famine came, Egypt was the only land that had food – and people came from far away to buy grain so that they would not starve to death.
Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt. They were surprised to see Joseph, and they were frightened that he would be angry with them because they had sold him.
Joseph said that God had sent him to Egypt so that he could save his family when the famine came. He asked all his family to come and live with him in Egypt. His father came with his twelfth son, Joseph’s little brother Benjamin, and all Joseph’s other brothers and their wives and all their children.
Joyful Papist 