A spokesperson for the Egyptian Institute of Archeology announced today the successful translation of an important ancient document.  The document is a scroll dating from 1885BC which was a portion of the country’s newspaper of the day (which was called Egypt Today).  This scroll contains an exciting interview conducted by Egypt Today (ET) with Zaphenath-Paneah.  Bible students will immediately recognize this as the Egyptian name for Joseph, the son of Jacob.  We are pleased to exclusively share the translation of this scroll with you.

ET: Thank you for taking a few minutes out of your busy schedule to talk with us today.

Joseph:  My pleasure.

ET: Joseph, Sir, you are second-in-command to the Pharaoh.  You wear the Pharaoh’s signet ring enabling you to act on behalf of the Pharaoh.  You are only in your thirties.  How do you explain your success?

Joseph: That is a very good question.  I am amazed myself.  But, I have come to realize that I am only here by the will of God.

ET: Yes, the gods have been kind to you.

Joseph: Let me be clear.  I said God, not gods.  The one, and only, true God brought me to Egypt at just the right time.

ET: Oh, excuse me, Sir.

Joseph: No problem, I just wanted you, and your readers, to understand.  God has intervened for me and He has intervened for Egypt during this time of drought.

ET: Speaking of the drought, we understand that your brothers recently came to Egypt and visited you.

Joseph:  Yes, they did.  They were suffering in this drought too and they needed food.  I was excited to see them.

ET: How many brothers do you have?

Joseph: 11

ET: How is your relationship with your brothers?

Joseph: It’s great now; but, it wasn’t always so good.

ET: That sounds interesting.  Tell us more.

Joseph: Oh, sure, you want me to spill my guts on my family’s dirty laundry.

ET: Sorry, Sir, but we have heard so many stories about you and your brothers.  We’d like to know the truth.

Joseph: Seriously, it’s really no problem.  I’m glad to share my story. 

ET: Please do.

Joseph: My father loved me very much.  You might say that I was a spoiled brat.  I tattled on my brothers whenever I could, I flaunted any gifts that my father gave me.  My father once gave me a special coat and, oh my goodness, I rub that in my brothers faces.   I tell you, I was a brat.

ET: I heard that things got very bad with your brothers.

Joseph: Only if you consider being sold as a slave as “bad.”

ET: They sold you?

Joseph: Yes, they did.  Was it right of them?  Absolutely not.  Do I now understand their motives?  Absolutely, yes.  It was my dreams that pushed them over the edge.

ET: Dreams?

Joseph: Yes, I’ve always been able to interpret dreams.  It’s a gift from God that eventually got the attention of Pharaoh and probably saved my life; but, that is all another story. 

ET: My little brother drove me crazy but I don’t think I would have sold him, unless the price was really good.

Joseph: Exactly.

ET: Looking back at those years with your brothers, what would you have done differently?

Joseph: I wasn’t acting out of love and respect for my brothers.  I wanted to be the center of attention.  I somehow knew that God had great things in mind for me but I didn’t communicate this well with my brothers.  I was a brat.

ET: Love and respect.  We could improve all of our relationships with more love and respect.

Joseph: I agree.  Too often we are thinking only of ourselves, our needs, our desires.  Love seeks the best for the other person; even brothers.

ET: But, things have worked out for you.

Joseph: Very true.  God can take bad situations and work wonders.  Looking back, I can see that I needed to go through those tough times.  I needed to change the way I acted toward other people.  I needed some humility.

ET: How are things with your brothers now?

Joseph: We are reunited.  We have forgiven one another and we are friends.  I thank God for that.

ET: Joseph, thank you for your time today. Your impact on Egypt has been truly amazing and we thank you for you service to this country. 

Joseph: Thank you for your kind words; but, I am just doing God’s will.  It has been a pleasure talking with you today.