But then a caravan of Ishmaelites appeared in the distance, carrying fragrant roots, frankincense, and balm from Gilead to Egypt. As the caravan of merchants approached the brothers, Judas suddenly had the idea of selling Joseph to these merchants. The brothers liked this idea, and they offered their "goods" to the Ishmaelites. The itinerant merchants looked at Joseph attentively and made a deal: they paid twenty pieces of silver for him, since they knew well that young slaves were highly valued in the Egyptian market. As soon as the caravan moved on, the vile brothers dipped Joseph's clothes in the blood of a goat and sent them to their father.

Seeing the bloody clothes of his beloved son, Jacob was greatly saddened. Tearing his clothes, he groaned in inconsolable grief: "This is my son's garment; the beast of prey ate him; surely Joseph was torn to pieces" (Gen. 37:33). Then he put on a hairshirt and mourned his loss for a long time. Sons and daughters tried to ease their father's grief, but the inconsolable Jacob repeated in a mournful voice: "With sorrow I will go down to my son into hell" (Gen. 37:35).

While the father languished in his inconsolable grief, the Ishmaelites meanwhile went on, taking to Egypt the unfortunate bitterly weeping Joseph, whom his brothers had so treacherously sold.

Joseph in Potiphar's house

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In Egypt, merchants sold Joseph to the head of Pharaoh's bodyguard, Potiphar. Thus, the son of Jacob became a servant of one of the greatest nobles of Egypt.

Industrious, honest and immensely diligent, he soon won the favor of his master, and he trusted him and gave him more responsible commissions. Seeing that God was helping Joseph in all his affairs, Potiphar appointed Joseph as the chief ruler of his estates and did not interfere with his orders. From that time on, Potiphar's fortune grew, and he himself, freed from the cares of everyday life, could calmly perform his official duties. In addition to his intellectual gifts, Joseph, moreover, was a handsome and handsome youth. Potiphar's wife burned with passion for him and tried in every possible way to persuade him to commit adultery. However, he rejected her offer, not wanting to repay his master with low treason for all his benefactions. Unfortunately, the lustful woman persistently got her way. Taking advantage of the occasion when there was no husband or servants in the house, but only Joseph, she seized him by the garment and wanted to drag him to her bed. Joseph resisted desperately and eventually fled, leaving his clothes in the hands of the temptress. Deeply offended in her feminine pride, rejected by a Jewish slave, she was not slow to avenge her position. Immediately she raised a terrible cry and, when the servants came running from all sides, showed them Joseph's clothes as proof of his guilt.

Returning home, Potiphar learned about everything that had happened and, believing the hypocritical indignation of his wife, threw Joseph into prison. But even here the Lord did not leave Joseph without His help. In a short time, he won the favor of the head of the prison, and he appointed him as a warden over other prisoners. Once the chief cupbearer and the chief baker of the king of Egypt were brought to prison for some offenses. Joseph tried to ease their sad fate and served them. Wanting to comfort the prisoners, Joseph asked them, "Why do you have sad faces today?" (Gen. 40:7). It turned out that both courtiers had strange dreams on the same night. The chief cupbearer saw a vine in a dream: three branches grew on it, which were first covered with flowers, and then berries ripened on them. And then he put a cup, squeezed the juice out of the berries and served the drink to Pharaoh. Joseph, by the inspiration of God, told him that the three branches signified three days, after which he would be released from prison and receive his former position. Joseph was sure that his prediction would certainly come true, and therefore he turned to the cupbearer with a request: "Remember me when it is good for you, and do me a favor, and mention me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house" (Gen. 40:14). Encouraged by this interpretation of the cupbearer's dream, the chief baker also told Joseph his dream. He dreamed that he had three baskets on his head. In the upper basket there were various bread products that were pecked by birds. "In three days," Joseph explained to him, "Pharaoh will take off your head and hang you on a tree, and the birds of the air will peck at your flesh" (Gen. 40:19).

Indeed, three days later, Joseph's predictions were fulfilled. The pharaoh celebrated his birthday and during the feast remembered the cupbearer and the baker. He pardoned the first and left him in his former position, and ordered the second to be executed.

Pharaoh's Dreams

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Unfortunately, as often happens, the happy cupbearer, having again become a great dignitary, forgot to intercede with Pharaoh about Joseph, who predicted his return to freedom. Joseph languished in prison for two more years, and had already lost all hope that the ungrateful would keep his word. And it is difficult to foresee what Joseph's fate would have been if Pharaoh had not had two strange and mysterious dreams on the same night.

Pharaoh saw in a dream how seven fat cows came out of the river and began to graze in the coastal meadow, in the reeds. But after them, seven lean cows came out of the water and devoured the fat ones. An unusual dream vision woke Pharaoh, but soon he fell asleep again and had another dream. In another dream, he imagined that on one stalk grew seven good ears of corn, filled with grain, but next to it grew another seven ears of empty corn, dried up by the hot winds of the Arabian desert. These empty ears of grain devoured seven good ears, but they did not become full. The mysterious dreams threw the pharaoh into confusion. He summoned from all over Egypt the best magi and wise men who knew how to interpret dreams, but none of them was able to reveal to Pharaoh the secret of these dreams.

And only now the chief cupbearer remembered Joseph. He told Pharaoh about a young Jew who had once interpreted prophetic dreams to him and the baker in prison. These dreams subsequently came true exactly as the young prisoner had predicted for them. Pharaoh ordered Joseph to be brought to the palace immediately. They shaved the prisoner's hair, changed his clothes, and brought him to Pharaoh. Turning to Joseph, Pharaoh said: "I have had a dream, and there is no one to interpret it, but of you I have heard that you know how to interpret dreams" (Gen. 41:15). In response to these words, Joseph humbly said, "This is not mine; God will give an answer for the good of Pharaoh" (Gen. 41:16). Then the king told him his dreams about cows and ears of corn. Joseph listened attentively to Pharaoh, and, inspired by the Spirit of God, said that through these dreams God was revealing to Pharaoh the future fate of his country. Here come seven years of "great abundance" in Egypt, followed by seven years of great and great famine. However, Joseph did not limit himself to a single prediction, but advised Pharaoh to immediately appoint a wise steward, who would gather large stocks of grain in the barns in the years of plenty, so that a prolonged famine would not bring the country to ruin. Joseph's inspired interpretation of dreams and reasonable advice pleased Pharaoh and all his courtiers. "Shall we find a man like him, that has the Spirit of God in him?" - said Pharaoh and immediately, with general approval, appointed Joseph as his viceroy and gave him the government of all Egypt (Gen. 41:38).