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¹ Aftir twei yeer Farao seiy a dreem; he gesside that he stood on a flood,

² fro which seuene faire kiyn and ful fatte stieden, and weren fed in the places of mareis;

³ and othere seuene, foule and leene, camen out of the flood, and weren fed in thilk brenke of the watir, in grene places;

⁴ and tho deuoureden thilke kien of whiche the fairnesse and comelynesse of bodies was wondurful.

⁵ Farao wakide, and slepte eft, and seiy another dreem; seuen eeris of corn ful and faire camen forth in o stalke,

⁶ and othere as many eeris of corn, thinne and smytun with corrupcioun of brennynge wynd,

⁷ camen forth, deuourynge al the fairenesse of the firste. Farao wakide aftir reste,

⁸ and whanne morewtid was maad, he was aferd bi inward drede, and he sente to alle the expowneris of Egipt, and to alle wise men; and whanne thei weren clepid, he telde the dreem, and noon was that expownede.

⁹ Thanne at the laste the maistir `of boteleris bithouyte, and seide, Y knowleche my synne;

¹⁰ the kyng was wrooth to hise seruauntis, and comaundide me and the maister `of bakeris to be cast doun in to the prisoun of the prince of knyytis,

¹¹ where we bothe saien a dreem in o nyyt, biforeschewynge of thingis to comynge.

¹² An Ebrew child, seruaunt of the same duk of knyytis was there, to whom we telden the dremes,

¹³ and herden what euer thing the bifallyng of thing preuede afterward; for Y am restorid to myn office, and he was hangid in a cros.

¹⁴ Anoon at the comaundement of the kyng thei polliden Joseph led out of prisoun, and whanne `the clooth was chaungid, thei brouyten Joseph to the kyng.

¹⁵ To whom the kyng seide, Y seiye dremes, and noon is that expowneth tho thingis that Y seiy, I haue herd that thou expownest moost prudentli.

¹⁶ Joseph answerde, With out me, God schal answere prosperitees to Farao.

¹⁷ Therfor Farao telde that that he seiy; Y gesside that Y stood on the brenke of the flood,

¹⁸ and seuene kiyn, ful faire and with fleischis able to etyng, stieden fro the watir, whiche kiyn gaderiden grene seggis in the pasture of the marreis;

¹⁹ and lo! seuene othere kiyn, so foule and leene, sueden these, that Y seiy neuere siche in the lond of Egipt;

²⁰ and whanne the formere kien weren deuourid and wastid, tho secounde yauen no steppe of fulnesse,

²¹ but weren slowe bi lijk leenesse and palenesse. I wakide, and eft Y was oppressid bi sleep, and Y seiy a dreem;

²² seuene eeris of corn, ful and faireste, camen forth in o stalke,

²³ and othere seuene, thinne and smytun with `corrupcioun of brennynge wynd, camen forth of the stobil,

²⁴ whiche deuouriden the fairenesse of the formere;

²⁵ Y telde the dreem to expowneris, and no man is that expowneth. Joseph answerde, The dreem of the king is oon; God schewide to Farao what thingis he schal do.

²⁶ Seuene faire kiyn, and seuene ful eeris of corn, ben seuene yeeris of plentee, and tho comprehenden the same strengthe of dreem;

²⁷ and seuene kiyn thinne and leene, that stieden aftir tho, and seuene thinne eeris of corn and smytun with brennynge wynd, ben seuene yeer of hungur to comynge,

²⁸ whiche schulen be fillid bi this ordre.

²⁹ Lo! seuene yeer of greet plentee in al the lond of Egipt schulen come,

³⁰ and seuene othre yeer of so greet bareynesse schulen sue tho, that al the abundaunce bifore be youun to foryetyng; for the hungur schal waste al the lond,

³¹ and the greetnesse of pouert schal leese the greetnesse of plentee.

³² Forsothe this that thou siyest the secunde tyme a dreem, perteynynge to the same thing, is a `schewyng of sadnesse, for the word of God schal be doon, and schal be fillid ful swiftli.

³³ Now therfor puruey the kyng a wijs man and a redi, and make the kyng hym souereyn to the lond of Egipt,

³⁴ which man ordeyne gouernouris bi alle cuntreis, and gadere he in to bernys the fyuethe part of fruytis bi seuene yeer of plentee,

³⁵ that schulen come now; and al the wheete be kept vndur the power of Farao ^[1] , and be it kept in citees,

³⁶ and be it maad redi to the hungur to comynge of seuene yeer that schal oppresse Egipt, and the lond be not wastid bi pouert.

³⁷ The counsel pleside Farao,

³⁸ and alle his mynystris, and he spak to hem, Wher we moun fynde sich a man which is ful of Goddis spirit?

³⁹ Therfor Farao seide to Joseph, For God hath schewid to thee alle thingis whiche thou hast spoke, wher Y mai fynde a wisere man and lijk thee?

⁴⁰ Therfor thou schalt be ouer myn hous, and al the puple schal obeie to the comaundement of thi mouth; Y schal passe thee onely by o trone of the rewme.

⁴¹ And eft Farao seide to Joseph, Lo! Y haue ordeyned thee on al the lond of Egipt.

⁴² And Farao took the ryng fro his hond, and yaf it in the hond of Joseph, and he clothide Joseph with a stoole of bijs, and puttide a goldun wrethe aboute the necke;

⁴³ and Farao made Joseph to `stie on his secounde chare, while a bidele criede, that alle men schulden knele bifore hym, and schulden knowe that he was souereyn of al the lond of Egipt.

⁴⁴ And the kyng seide to Joseph, Y am Farao, without thi comaundement no man shal stire hond ether foot in al the lond of Egipt.

⁴⁵ And he turnede the name of Joseph, and clepide him bi Egipcian langage, the sauyour ^[2] of the world; and he yaf to Joseph a wijf, Asenech, the douyter of Potifar, preest of Heliopoleos. And so Joseph yede out to the lond of Egipt.

⁴⁶ Forsothe Joseph was of thretti yeer, whanne he stood in the siyt of kyng Farao, and cumpasside alle the cuntreis of Egipt.

⁴⁷ And the plente of seuene yeer cam, and ripe corn weren bounden into handfuls, and weren gaderid into the bernys of Egipt,

⁴⁸ also al the aboundaunce of cornes weren kept in alle citeis,

⁴⁹ and so greet aboundaunce was of wheete, that it was maad euene to the grauel of the see, and the plente passide mesure.

⁵⁰ Sotheli twei sones were born to Joseph bifor that the hungur came, whiche Asenech, douytir of Putifar, preest of Heliopoleos, childide to hym.

⁵¹ And he clepide the name of the firste gendrid sone, Manasses, and seide, God hath maad me to foryete alle my traueilis, and the hous of my fadir;

⁵² and he clepide the name of the secunde sone Effraym, and seide, God hath maad me to encreesse in the lond of my pouert.

⁵³ Therfor whanne seuene yeer of plentee that weren in Egipt weren passid,

⁵⁴ seuene yeer of pouert bigunnen to come, whiche Joseph bifore seide, and hungur hadde the maistri in al the world; also hungur was in al the lond of Egipt;

⁵⁵ and whanne that lond hungride, the puple criede to Farao, and axide metis; to whiche he answeride, Go ye to Joseph, and do ye what euer thing he seith to you.

⁵⁶ Forsothe hungur encreesside ech dai in al the lond, and Joseph openyde alle the bernys, and seelde to Egipcians, for also hungur oppresside hem;

⁵⁷ and alle prouynces camen in to Egipt to bie metis, and to abate the yuel of nedynesse.

1 ↑ [Note: that is, not bi violence nether bi fre yifte, but bi biyng and paiyng of priys.]

2 ↑ [Note: In Ebrew it is schewinge priuitees, as Jerom and Lire here seyen.]