Joseph Distributing Grain in Egypt

Joseph predicted Egypt's famine, then advised Pharaoh to set aside grain to weather it. Now viceroy of Egypt, Joseph supervises the exchange of food for coins, pearls, and even cattle. The Dutch identified with the Israelites and combed the Bible for stories that paralleled their history. In 1574 the Spanish laid siege to starve out Leiden, where etcher Jan de Bisschop later studied law. The dykes were opened to immobilize the enemy, but food could only arrive when, as if by divine decree, it rained.