Gen 15:1, 12, 20:3, 6-7, 37:5-11, Gen 40-41, Num 12:6, Job 4:12-21 | ESV | STEP | After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision : Fear not , Abram , I am your shield ; your reward shall be very great .

Genesis 15:1

God’s Covenant with Abram

1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: ^a“Fear not, Abram, I am ^byour shield; your reward shall be very great.”

Genesis 15:12

12 As the sun was going down, a ^cdeep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him.

Genesis 20:3

3 ^dBut God came to Abimelech ^ein a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”

Genesis 20:6-7

6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning ^fagainst me. Therefore I did not let you touch her. 7 Now then, return the man’s wife, ^gfor he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live. But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you ^hand all who are yours.”

Genesis 37:5-11

5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, ⁱmy sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and ^jbowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and ^kyour mother and your brothers indeed come ^lto bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And ^mhis brothers were jealous of him, ⁿbut his father kept the saying in mind.

Genesis 40

Joseph Interprets Two Prisoners’ Dreams

1 Some time after this, the ^ocupbearer of the king of Egypt and his baker committed an offense against their lord the king of Egypt. 2 And Pharaoh was angry with his two officers, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, 3 ^pand he put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the prison where Joseph was confined. 4 The captain of the guard appointed Joseph to be with them, and he attended them. They continued for some time in custody.

5 And one night they both dreamed—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were confined in the prison—each his own dream, and each dream with its own interpretation. 6 When Joseph came to them in the morning, he saw that they were troubled. 7 So he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, ^q“Why are your faces downcast today?” 8 They said to him, ^r“We have had dreams, and there is no one to interpret them.” And Joseph said to them, ^s“Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me.”

9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph and said to him, “In my dream there was a vine before me, 10 and on the vine there were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” 12 Then Joseph said to him, ^t“This is its interpretation: ^uthe three branches are three days. 13 In three days Pharaoh will ^vlift up your head and restore you to your office, and you shall place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as formerly, when you were his cupbearer. 14 Only remember me, when it is well with you, and please do me the kindness to mention me to Pharaoh, and so get me out of this house. 15 For ^wI was indeed stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and ^xhere also I have done nothing that they should put me into the pit.”

16 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation was favorable, he said to Joseph, “I also had a dream: there were three cake baskets on my head, 17 and in the uppermost basket there were all sorts of baked food for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating it out of the basket on my head.” 18 And Joseph answered and said, ^y“This is its interpretation: the three baskets are three days. 19 ^zIn three days Pharaoh will lift up your head—from you!—and ^aahang you on a tree. And the birds will eat the flesh from you.”

20 On the third day, which was Pharaoh’s ^abbirthday, he made a feast for all his servants and ^aclifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker among his servants. 21 ^adHe restored the chief cupbearer to his position, and ^aehe placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand. 22 But he ^afhanged the chief baker, as Joseph had interpreted to them. 23 Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.

Genesis 41

Joseph Interprets Pharaoh’s Dreams

1 After two whole years, Pharaoh dreamed 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 ^agblighted by the east 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 ^ahhis spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the ^aimagicians of Egypt and all its wise men. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was none who could interpret them to Pharaoh.

9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “I remember my offenses today. 10 When Pharaoh was ^ajangry with his servants ^akand put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, 11 ^alwe 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. When we told him, ^amhe interpreted our dreams to us, giving an interpretation to each man according to his dream. 13 And ^anas he interpreted to us, so it came about. I was restored to my office, and the baker was hanged.”

14 ^aoThen Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they ^apquickly brought him ^aqout 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. ^arI have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, ^as“It is not in me; ^atGod will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” ^{▼▼Or (compare Samaritan, Septuagint) Without God it is not possible to give Pharaoh an answer about his welfare} 17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, ^avin 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 ^awI 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; ^axGod has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 26 The seven 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 ^ayseven years of famine. 28 It is as I told Pharaoh; ^azGod has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do. 29 There will come ^baseven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, 30 but after them there will arise ^bbseven years of famine, and all the plenty will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. ^bcThe 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 ^bdthing 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 one-fifth of the produce of the land ^{▼▼Or over the land and organize the land} of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. 35 And ^bflet 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 a man like this, ^bgin whom is the Spirit of God?” ^{▼▼Or of the gods} 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you are. 40 ^biYou shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. ^{▼▼Hebrew and according to your command all my people shall kiss the ground} Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, ^bkI have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Then Pharaoh ^bltook his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and ^bmclothed him in garments of fine linen ^bnand put a gold chain about his neck. 43 And he made him ride in his second chariot. ^boAnd they called out before him, “Bow the knee!” ^{▼▼Abrek, probably an Egyptian word, similar in sound to the Hebrew word meaning to kneel} Thus he set him ^bqover all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and ^brwithout your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah. And he gave him in marriage Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On. So Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.

46 Joseph was thirty years old when he ^bsentered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt. 47 During the seven plentiful years the earth produced abundantly, 48 and he gathered up all the food of these seven years, which occurred in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He put in every city the food from the fields around it. 49 And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, ^btlike the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured.

50 Before the year of famine came, ^butwo sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him. 51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. “For,” he said, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s house.” ^{▼▼ Manasseh sounds like the Hebrew for making to forget} 52 The name of the second he called Ephraim, “For God has ^bwmade me fruitful in the land of my affliction.” ^{▼▼ Ephraim sounds like the Hebrew for making fruitful}

53 The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and ^bythe seven years of famine began to come, ^bzas Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph. What he says to you, do.”

56 So when the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses ^{▼▼Hebrew all that was in them} and ^cbsold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 Moreover, all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe ^ccover all the earth.

Numbers 12:6

6 And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him ^cdin a vision; I speak with him ^cein a dream.

Job 4:12-21

12 “Now a word was brought to me stealthily;
my ear received ^cfthe whisper of it.
13 Amid ^cgthoughts from ^chvisions of the night,
when ^cideep sleep falls on men,
14 dread came upon me, and trembling,
which made all my bones shake.
15 A spirit glided past my face;
the hair of my flesh stood up.
16 It stood still,
but I could not discern its appearance.
^cjA form was before my eyes;
there was silence, then I heard ^cka voice:
17 ^cl‘Can mortal man be in the right before ^{▼▼Or more than; twice in this verse} God?
Can a man be pure before his Maker?
18 Even in his servants ^cnhe puts no trust,
and his angels he charges with error;
19 how much more those who dwell in houses of ^coclay,
whose foundation is in ^cpthe dust,
who are crushed like ^cqthe moth.
20 Between ^crmorning and evening they are beaten to pieces;
they perish forever ^cswithout anyone regarding it.
21 Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them,
^ctdo they not die, and that without wisdom?’