• Genesis 30:22-24 his birth.
• Genesis 41:50-52 Birth of his two sons, Manasseh & Ephraim.

Joseph or Yosef was the eleventh of Jacob's twelve sons in the Book of Genesis and Rachel's firstborn. Joseph was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, yet rose to become the most powerful man in Egypt next to the Pharaoh, by saving many lives from the seven year famine. He brought the sons of Israel down to Egypt, where they settled in the Egyptian country of Goshen.

Joseph's half-brothers hated him so much, especially for his dreams, that they even called him this dreamer. While in Dothan, when they were feeding the flocks, the brothers saw Joseph from a distance and so they plotted to kill him.

However, the eldest brother Reuben, did not want Joseph to die. He suggested to have Joseph thrown into an empty water hole until they could figure out what to do with him. He was the only one, however, who intended to rescue Joseph and return him to his father. Unaware of their intent, when Joseph approached his brothers, they turned on him and stripped Joseph of the coat his father made for him. Then they threw him into the cistern that Reuben suggested to earlier.

As they pondered what to do with Joseph, the brothers saw a camel caravan of Ishmaelites coming out of Gilead, carrying spices and perfumes to Egypt, for trade. Judah, the strongest, thought twice about killing Joseph and proposed that he be sold. Joseph's sale of trade, before making it to Egypt, was twenty pieces of silver.

While serving in Potiphar's household, Yahweh was with Joseph so that he prospered in everything he did. Joseph found favor in the sight of Potiphar and so he became his personal servant. Then Joseph was promoted to oversee Potiphar's entire household as a superintendent. After some time, Potiphar's wife began to desire Joseph and sought to have an affair with him. Despite her persistence, he refused to have sex with her for fear of disrespecting his Master's house and sinning against his God. After some days of begging for him, she grabbed him by his cloak, but he escaped from her leaving his garment behind. In contempt for running away from her, she took his garment and made a false claim against him by charging that he tried to "make sport" or sexually engage her. This resulted in Joseph being thrown into prison. (Genesis 39:1-20)

The warden put Joseph in charge of the other prisoners, and soon afterward Pharaoh's chief cup bearer and chief baker, who had offended the king, were thrown into the prison. One morning they both told Joseph their dreams of the previous night, which they were unable to interpret, and Joseph told them that the chief cup bearer would be reinstated within three days but that the chief baker would be hanged. Joseph requested the cup bearer to mention him to Pharaoh and secure his release from prison, but the cup bearer, reinstalled in office, forgot Joseph.

After Joseph was in prison for two more years, Pharaoh had two dreams which disturbed him. He dreamt of seven lean cows which rose out of the river and devoured seven fat cows; and, of seven withered ears of grain which devoured seven fat ears. Pharaoh's wise men were unable to interpret these dreams, but the chief cup bearer remembered Joseph and spoke of his skill to Pharaoh. Joseph was called for, and interpreted the dreams as foretelling that seven years of abundance would be followed by seven years of famine, and advised Pharaoh to store surplus grain during the years of abundance.

Vizier of Egypt

Pharaoh acknowledged that Joseph's proposal to store grain during the abundant period was very wise. So before Joseph was even 30 years old, Pharaoh released him from prison and put him in charge over "all the land of Egypt" as Vizier. The Pharaoh took off his signet ring and put it on Joseph's hand, then clothed him in fine linen and put a gold necklace around his neck. He was then renamed Zaphnath-Paaneah and was given Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah who was the priest of On, to be his wife.

During those seven years of abundance, Joseph ensured that the storehouses were full and that all produce was measured until there was so much that it became immeasurable. In the final year of abundance, Asenath bore two children to Joseph: Manasseh and Ephraim. When the famine came, it was so severe that people from surrounding nations "from all over the earth" came to Egypt to buy bread as this nation was the only Kingdom prepared for the seven year drought. The narrative also indicates that they went straight to Joseph or were directed to him, even by Pharaoh himself, so as to buy from him. (Genesis 41:37-57

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Some later sources try and claim that Joseph was also Yuya, High Priest of Min. But this makes no sense with regard to the primary source, and the identification of Yuya's tomb in Egypt, while according to Joshua 24:32 Joseph was buried in Nablus, Israel.