After these things the King sent and gathered together all his princes, officers, and men of rank, and when they came before him, he said: “You have seen and heard all the words of this Hebrew, and you know that as he spoke so has the thing occurred; therefore must we believe that his solution of my dream was the correct one, and that his words of advice were of good weight and consideration. We must take measures of protection against the famine which is surely to come upon us. Therefore search, I pray you, over all Egypt for a man with wisdom and knowledge in his heart, that we may appoint him over the land.”
And they answered the King: “The advice of this Hebrew was very good; behold, the country is in the hands of the King to do with it what is pleasing in his eyes; but the Hebrew has proved himself wise and skilful, why should our lord the King not select and appoint him as governor over the land?”
“Yea, surely,” said the King, “if God has made these things known to the Hebrew, then there is none among us as wise and discreet as he is. What you have suggested is in accordance with my own thoughts; we will appoint the Hebrew our governor, and through his wisdom shall our country be saved the pangs of want.”
And Pharaoh sent for Joseph and said to him: “Thou didst advise me to appoint a wise and discreet man to deliver the land from the anguish of famine. Surely, there can be none more discreet than thyself to whom God has made known all these things. Thy name shall no more be Joseph, but ‘Zaphenath-Päaneah’ (Revealer of hidden things) shalt thou hereafter be called among men.
“Thou shalt be second to me only, and according to thy words shall the land of Egypt be ruled; only upon the throne shall I be greater than thyself.”
Then the King removed his ring from his finger and placed it upon the hand of Joseph. And he dressed Joseph in royal apparel, and placed a crown upon his head and a chain of gold about his neck. And Pharaoh commanded that Joseph should ride in his second chariot throughout the land of Egypt. And the people followed him with music, and a large concourse accompanied him upon his journey.
Five thousand soldiers with drawn swords in their hands, swords glittering in the sunlight, preceded him, and twenty thousand soldiers followed. And the people of the land, men, women, and children, gazed upon the pageant from windows and from house-tops, and the beauty of Joseph pleased all eyes.
And flowers were strewn in his path when he walked, and the air was made sweet with perfume, and the savoury odour of balms and spices. And proclamations were placed in prominent places declaring the authority of Joseph, and threatening death to those who failed to pay him homage; for he was considered as dishonouring his King who failed to honour the man made second in the kingdom. The people bowed down and shouted, “Long live the King and his Viceroy!” And Joseph, seated in his chariot, lifted his eyes to heaven, and exclaimed in the fulness of his heart, “He raiseth the poor from the dust; from the dunghill He lifteth up the needy. O Lord of Hosts, happy is the man who trusteth in thee!”
And it came to pass after this, that Joseph saw Osnath, the daughter of Potipharah, a pearl among the beauties of the land, and he loved her and she became his wife. And Joseph was but thirty years old when he was elevated to his honourable and trustworthy position. He built for himself a palace, elegant and complete in its details and surroundings, so elaborate that three years’ time was required for its completion. And the Lord was with Joseph, and increased his wisdom and understanding, and blessed him with manners so affable and deserving that he quickly won the love and favour of all the inhabitants of the country.
And during seven years, as Joseph had foretold, the Lord increased the produce of Egypt sevenfold. And Joseph appointed officers to gather up the plenty. They built huge storehouses[[92]] and heaped up corn during the seven years of plenty, till the amount stored grew so great that no man could number it. And Joseph and his officers were watchful and diligent that their stores of grain should not suffer from moth or mould. The people of the land, too, stored up their surplus crop, but they were not as careful and watchful as was Joseph and his assistants.