14-Year Cycles - Part 3 - Joseph in Egypt

The first seven years of plenty were meant to prepare for the second seven years of dearth.  It gives hope that the people heeded and were able to prepare sufficiently.

Genesis 41:

  

14 ¶Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.

 15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have 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.

 16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.

 17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:

 18 And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:

 19 And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:

 20 And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine:

 21 And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

 22 And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:

 23 And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:

 24 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.

 25 ¶And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

 26 The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

 27 And the seven thin and ill favoured 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.

 28 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.

 29 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:

 30 And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;

 31 And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.

 32 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

 33 Now therefore let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt.

 34 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers over the land, and take up the fifth part of the land of Egypt in the seven plenteous years.

 35 And let them gather all the food of those good years that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh, and let them keep food in the cities.

 36 And that food shall be for store to the land against the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land of Egypt; that the land perish not through the famine.

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46 ¶And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.

 47 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls.

 48 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities: the food of the field, which was round about every city, laid he up in the same.

 49 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, very much, until he left numbering; for it was without number.

 50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On bare unto him.

 51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.

 52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

 53 ¶And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in the land of Egypt, were ended.

 54 And the seven years of dearth began to come, according as Joseph had said: and the dearth was in all lands; but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

 55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do.

 56 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.

 57 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.