Bless the Lord, O My Soul

Of David.

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams

1 After two whole years, Pharaoh ^odreamed that he was standing by the Nile, 2 and behold, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, attractive and plump, and they fed in the reed grass. 3 And behold, seven other cows, ugly and thin, came up out of the Nile after them, and stood by the other cows on the bank of the Nile. 4 And the ugly, thin cows ate up the seven attractive, plump cows. And Pharaoh awoke. 5 And he fell asleep and dreamed a second time. And behold, seven ears of grain, plump and good, were growing on one stalk. 6 And behold, after them sprouted seven ears, thin and blighted by the ^peast wind. 7 And the thin ears swallowed up the seven plump, full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. 8 So in the morning his spirit was ^qtroubled, and ^rhe sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, ^sbut there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, ^t“I remember my offenses today. 10 ^uWhen Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, 11 ^vwe dreamed on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own interpretation. 12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. ^wWhen we told him, he interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. 13 ^xAnd as he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”

14 ^yThen Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him ^zout of the pit. And when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. ^aI have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, ^b“It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”¹ 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, in my dream I was standing on the banks of the Nile. 18 Seven cows, plump and attractive, came up out of the Nile and fed in the reed grass. 19 Seven other cows came up after them, poor and very ugly and thin, such as I had never seen in all the land of Egypt. 20 And the thin, ugly cows ate up the first seven plump cows, 21 but when they had eaten them no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as ugly as at the beginning. Then I awoke. 22 I also saw in my dream seven ears growing on one stalk, full and good. 23 Seven ears, withered, thin, and blighted by the east wind, sprouted after them, 24 and the thin ears swallowed up the seven good ears. And I told it to the magicians, but there was no one who could explain it to me.”

25 Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one; ^cGod has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The ^dseven good cows are seven years, and the seven good ears are seven years; the dreams are one. 27 The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven empty ears blighted by the east wind are also ^eseven years of famine. 28 It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 There will come ^fseven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, 30 but after them there will arise seven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will consume the land, 31 and the plenty will be unknown in the land by reason of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe. 32 And the doubling of Pharaoh’s dream means that the thing is fixed by God, and God will shortly bring it about. 33 Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take ^gone-fifth of the produce of the land² of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. 35 And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it. 36 That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to occur in the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”

Joseph Rises to Power

37 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find ^ha man like this, ⁱin whom is the Spirit of God?”³ 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40 ^jYou shall be ^kover my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command.⁴ Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.”

God Is Love

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been ^yborn of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 ^zIn this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the ^apropitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to ^blove one another. 12 ^cNo one has ever seen God; if we love one another, ^dGod abides in us and his love is ^eperfected in us.

13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, ^fbecause he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and ^gtestify that the Father has sent his Son to be ^hthe Savior of the world. 15 ⁱWhoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have ^jconfidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, ^k“I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a ^lliar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot¹ love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.