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).

Joseph was thirty years old when he was unexpectedly raised from the very depths of his fall to the summit of success and splendor. According to the accepted court ritual, Joseph was invested with power in an extremely solemn atmosphere. Sitting on a gilded throne, the pharaoh handed him the regalia corresponding to his high position: a gold ring, a precious chain around his neck and magnificent clothes. And then he uttered the sacred phrase: "I am Pharaoh; without thee no man shall move his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt" (Gen. 41:44). In addition, the pharaoh gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphar, an influential priest from the city of On (Greek Heliopolis), thus securing the support of the powerful Greek caste.

Joseph's Meeting with His Brothers

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Soon, Pharaoh's dreams began to come true as Joseph had predicted. The harvest years came. Having received authority from Pharaoh himself, Joseph traveled throughout the country for seven harvest years and personally monitored the execution of his orders. The barns were filled to the brim with wheat, and in the country, despite the collection of tribute, there was such prosperity that people blessed the new ruler. The Lord did not deprive Joseph of happiness in family life either. Soon his wife Asenath gave birth to two sons - Manasseh and Ephraim. But now, according to Joseph's prediction, the years of drought and famine came. The Egyptians were at first content with their own stocks of grain, but when their supplies were depleted, they turned to Pharaoh for help. Pharaoh sent all petitioners to Joseph. And then Joseph ordered the barns to be opened for the sale of grain. At first, people paid for food in money, and when they had no money left, they sold horses, oxen and donkeys to avoid starvation. In the end, they lost their land, and gave themselves into slavery.

Thus, after seven years of catastrophe, all the land, together with those who cultivated it, passed into the full ownership of the pharaoh. Only the priests retained their property, as the pharaoh gave them special privileges. Meanwhile, the famine spread far beyond the borders of Egypt, and caravans from various countries began to travel to Egypt to buy grain. Joseph's stocks of bread were so plentiful that it could be sold even to foreigners.

When Jacob learned that wheat could be purchased in Egypt, he sent his sons to Pharaoh's land for bread. He left only Benjamin at home, since after the imaginary death of Joseph, Jacob transferred all his love to his younger son. The brothers loaded empty sacks on the donkeys and set off on a long journey. In Egypt they learned that the sale of grain to foreigners was carried out by a high-ranking nobleman named Zaphnath-paneah, such a name given to Joseph by Pharaoh. The sons of Jacob came and bowed down to the nobleman. Of course, they did not recognize this Egyptian dignitary as their brother Joseph. When Joseph looked at the petitioners who had come from Canaan, he was shocked. He immediately recognized the brothers. However, he did not reveal to them who he was and spoke to them through an interpreter. When he saw that his brothers bowed down to the ground, he immediately remembered his prophetic dreams.

Before he opened up to his brothers, Joseph wanted to know if they had a sense of remorse for the crime they had committed against him. In addition, he was very anxious to learn from them about his father and half-brother Benjamin. For this purpose, he used a peculiar psychological technique. He loudly began to accuse the brothers that they had come to Egypt not to buy bread, but as spies. Jacob's sons made excuses in every possible way, assuring that they had come only for bread, saying that their aged father, who had sent here, had twelve sons, of whom the youngest remained at home, and one brother was missing. Joseph listened to them with a frown, and did not show how deeply he was moved by the news that Jacob and Benjamin were alive. Pretending to be extremely angry, he continued to accuse the brothers that they had come for espionage purposes. He warned them that he would throw them all into prison, and only let one go home for his younger brother, whom he ordered to be brought to prove the truth of their justifications. Joseph remained deaf to the assurances and entreaties of his brothers, called the guards and ordered them to be taken to prison. Three days later, he felt sorry for his brothers, and decided to commute the sentence. He summoned them to him and said that he would sell them bread and allow them to return to Canaan on the condition that they bring him his younger brother, and leave only one of them in prison as a hostage.