So when the Midianite ¹  merchants passed by, Joseph’s brothers pulled ²  him ³  out of the cistern and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. The Ishmaelites ⁴  then took Joseph to Egypt.

Now Joseph had been brought down to Egypt. ¹  An Egyptian named Potiphar, an official of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, ²  purchased him from ³  the Ishmaelites who had brought him there.

Both of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison, had a dream ¹  the same night. ²  Each man’s dream had its own meaning. ³ 

In the morning he ¹  was troubled, so he called for ²  all the diviner-priests ³  of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, ⁴  but no one could interpret ⁵  them for him. ⁶ 

Then ¹  seven other cows came up after them; they were scrawny, very bad-looking, and lean. I had never seen such bad-looking cows ²  as these in all the land of Egypt!

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 

Pharaoh ¹  had him ride in the chariot used by his second-in-command, ²  and they cried out before him, “Kneel down!” ³  So he placed him over all the land of Egypt.

Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. ¹  He also gave him Asenath ²  daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, ³  to be his wife. So Joseph took charge of ⁴  all the land of Egypt.

Joseph ¹  collected all the excess food ²  in the land of Egypt during the seven years and stored it in the cities. ³  In every city he put the food gathered from the fields around it.

Then the seven years of famine began, ¹  just as Joseph had predicted. There was famine in all the other lands, but throughout the land of Egypt there was food.

So now, it is not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me an adviser ¹  to Pharaoh, lord over all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Now go up to my father quickly ¹  and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says: “God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not delay!

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.’

You are also commanded to say, ¹  ‘Do this: Take for yourselves wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives. Bring your father and come.

To his father he sent the following: ¹  ten donkeys loaded with the best products of Egypt and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, food, and provisions for his father’s journey.

He said, “I am God, ¹  the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.

All the direct descendants of Jacob who went to Egypt with him were sixty-six in number. (This number does not include the wives of Jacob’s sons.) ¹ 

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.