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him to return to his own country; he said to them, "Your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me." His wives answered: "Whatsoever God has said unto thee, do."

Then Jacob set his wives and children upon camels, and carried away his cattle and all his goods, and set out to go to his father Isaac, in the land of Canaan.

In this picture, you may see the flocks following one another in multitudes, and crowding through a narrow pass between two high mountains: next follow the shepherds with their crooks to keep the cattle together, and to see that they take the right road. Behind these again, are seen the camels on which are seated, first, Leah and some of her younger children, and next Rachel with her little son Joseph, who has his hands fondly clasped round her neck, and a band round his waist, which fastens him to his mother's back, and prevents his falling. Jacob himself rides at the side, mounted upon an ass: the remainder of his children and servants follow behind.

THE

No. IV.

PHARAOH'S DREAM.

HE merchants to whom Joseph's brothers had sold him as you read in the first series of these Bible Stories, (p. 7.) brought him into Egypt; and Potiphar, captain of the guard to Pharaoh, the king of that country, bought him of them, for a servant. Whilst Joseph was in the house of his Egyptian master, every thing prospered; and Potiphar was so well pleased with his conduct, that he left every thing to his management, and made him "overseer over all his house," and "the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake."

After a time, however, Joseph was falsely accused of a great crime, and although he was innocent, he was thrown into prison. Whilst this innocent man

was in prison, "the Lord shewed him mercy," and he became such a favourite with the keeper of the prison, that he entrusted him with the care of all the other prisoners.

Now it came to pass that both the chief butler and chief baker of king Pharaoh had offended him, and were put into the same prison with Joseph. The keeper of the prison put them under Joseph's

care.

One morning when Joseph came in to them, he found them looking very serious, and when he asked why they were so sad, they told him that they had each had a dream, and could not find out what their dreams meant. Then Joseph prayed them to tell him their dreams, as perhaps God would enable him to interpret them. The chief butler said to him, "In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; and in the vine were three branches, and it was as though it budded, and its blossoms shot forth, and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes: and Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand." Joseph told him that the three branches signified three days;

and that in three days, Pharaoh would restore him to his place, and that he would again place the cup in his hand, as he used to do when he was his butler before.

Then the baker told Joseph his dream, and said, "Behold, I had three white baskets on my head, and in the uppermost basket there was of all manner of bakemeats for Pharaoh: and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head." Joseph told him that these three baskets meant three days, and that in three days Pharaoh would hang him on a tree, and that the birds would come and eat the flesh off him.

On the third day, it came to pass as Joseph had said. The king made a feast: he restored the butler to his former place, but hanged the baker.

Two years after this had happened, king Pharaoh had a very strange dream. He thought he was standing by the side of a river, and that he saw seven fine fat cows come up out of the river and feed in a meadow: but presently, seven very lean cows came up, and eat up all the seven fat ones. When Pharaoh awoke, he wondered what this dream could mean, but could not find out; at last

be fel astry again and dreamed that seven fine ful ears of corn came up, out of one stalk; and that seven thin, bighed ears sprang up after them, and swallowed up the seven fill ears. Now Pharaoh was more pazzied than before: he sent for all the wise men in his kingdom, but not one of them could tell him the meaning of his dreams. At last the chief butler remembered how Joseph had explained the dreams which he and the chief baker had had, whilst they were in prison, and how his interpretations of them both, had proved true; he, therefore, went to Pharaoh and told him, that there was a young man in the prison, a Hebrew, servant to the captain of the guard, who could interpret his dreams for him.

Pharaoh sent for Joseph and told him that he had had a dream which no one could explain, and that he had heard that he could interpret dreams. But Joseph would not take the glory to himself, as he knew that it was only through the favour of the Lord that he could interpret them; he therefore answered, "It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace.'

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Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream,

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