When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who ruled that area, saw her, he grabbed her, forced himself on her, ¹  and sexually assaulted her. ² 

They traveled on from Bethel, and when Ephrath was still some distance away, ¹  Rachel went into labor ²  – and her labor was hard.

But seven years of famine will occur ¹  after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate ²  the land.

Pharaoh should do ¹  this – he should appoint ²  officials ³  throughout the land to collect one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt ⁴  during the seven years of abundance.

This food should be held in storage for the land in preparation for the seven years of famine that will occur throughout the land of Egypt. In this way the land will survive the famine.” ¹ 

While the famine was over all the earth, ¹  Joseph opened the storehouses ²  and sold grain to the Egyptians. The famine was severe throughout the land of Egypt.

Then Joseph remembered ¹  the dreams he had dreamed about them, and he said to them, “You are spies; you have come to see if our land is vulnerable!” ² 

For these past two years there has been famine in ¹  the land and for five more years there will be neither plowing nor harvesting.

Get your father and your households and come to me! Then I will give you ¹  the best land in Egypt and you will eat ²  the best ³  of the land.’

So Joseph settled his father and his brothers. He gave them territory ¹  in the land of Egypt, in the best region of the land, the land of Rameses, ²  just as Pharaoh had commanded.

But there was no food in all the land because the famine was very severe; the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan wasted away ¹  because of the famine.

He said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful ¹  and will multiply you. ²  I will make you into a group of nations, and I will give this land to your descendants ³  as an everlasting possession.’ ⁴ 

When he sees ¹  a good resting place, and the pleasant land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and become a slave laborer. ² 

The Lord did so; a ¹  thick ²  swarm of flies came into ³  Pharaoh’s house and into the houses ⁴  of his servants, and throughout the whole land of Egypt the land was ruined ⁵  because of the swarms of flies.

For by now I could have stretched out ¹  my hand and struck you and your people with plague, and you would have been destroyed ²  from the earth.

But ¹  for this purpose I have caused you to stand: ²  to show you ³  my strength, and so that my name may be declared ⁴  in all the earth.

For seven days ¹  yeast must not be found in your houses, for whoever eats what is made with yeast – that person ²  will be cut off from the community of Israel, whether a foreigner ³  or one born in the land.

When you enter the land that the Lord will give to you, just as he said, you must observe ¹  this ceremony.

When ¹  the layer of dew had evaporated, ²  there on the surface of the desert was a thin flaky substance, ³  thin like frost on the earth.

And now, if you will diligently listen to me ¹  and keep ²  my covenant, then you will be my ³  special possession ⁴  out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine,