Joseph and his Brethren
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dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it; and I have
heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to interpret it.
And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me; God shall give
Pharaoh an answer of peace.”
Joseph’s answer to the king shows his strong faith and humble
trust in God. He modestly disclaims all honor of possessing in himself
superior wisdom to interpret. He tells the king that his knowledge is
not greater than those whom he has consulted. “It is not in me.” God
alone can explain these mysteries. “And Pharaoh said unto Joseph,
In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river, and behold,
there came up out of the river seven kine, fat-fleshed and well favored;
and they fed in a meadow; and, behold, seven other kine came up after
them, poor, and very ill-favored and lean-fleshed, such as I never saw
in all the land of Egypt for badness. And the lean and the ill-favored
kine did eat up the first seven fat kine, and when they had eaten them
up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still
ill-favored, as at the beginning. So I awoke.
“And I saw in my dream, and behold, seven ears came up in one
stalk, full and good; and behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted
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with the east wind, sprung up after them; and the thin ears devoured
the seven good ears: and I told this unto the magicians; but there was
none that could declare it to me.
“And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one. God
hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good kine are
seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; the dream is one.
And the seven thin and ill-favored kine that came up after them are
seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall
be seven years of famine.”
Joseph told the king that there would be seven years of great plenty.
Every thing would grow in great abundance. Fields and gardens would
yield more plentifully than formerly. Fruits and grain would yield
abundantly. And these seven years of abundance were to be followed
by seven years of famine. The years of plenty would be given that
he might prepare for the coming years of famine. “And the plenty
shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following, for
it shall be very grievous. And for that the dream was doubled unto
Pharaoh twice, it is because the thing is established by God, and God