Genesis 41
1 After two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile,
Now after two years had gone by, Pharaoh had a dream; and in his dream he was by the side of the Nile;
2 when seven cows, sleek and well-fed, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds.
And out of the Nile came seven cows, good-looking and fat, and their food was the river-grass.
3 After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside the well-fed cows on the bank of the river.
And after them seven other cows came out of the Nile, poor-looking and thin; and they were by the side of the other cows.
4 And the cows that were sickly and thin devoured the seven sleek, well-fed cows. Then Pharaoh woke up,
And the seven thin cows made a meal of the seven fat cows. Then Pharaoh came out of his sleep.
5 but he fell back asleep and dreamed a second time: Seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, came up on one stalk.
But he went to sleep again and had a second dream, in which he saw seven heads of grain, full and good, all on one stem.
6 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted, thin and scorched by the east wind.
And after them came up seven other heads, thin and wasted by the east wind.
7 And the thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven plump, ripe ones. Then Pharaoh awoke and realized it was a dream.
And the seven thin heads made a meal of the good heads. And when Pharaoh was awake he saw it was a dream.
8 In the morning his spirit was troubled, so he summoned all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.
And in the morning his spirit was troubled; and he sent for all the wise men of Egypt and all the holy men, and put his dream before them, but no one was able to give him the sense of it.
9 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures.
Then the chief wine-servant said to Pharaoh, The memory of my sin comes back to me now;
10 Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in the custody of the captain of the guard.
Pharaoh had been angry with his servants, and had put me in prison in the house of the captain of the army, together with the chief bread-maker;
11 One night both the chief baker and I had dreams, and each dream had its own meaning.
And we had a dream on the same night, the two of us, and the dreams had a special sense.
12 Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams and he interpreted them for us individually.
And there was with us a young Hebrew, the captain's servant, and when we put our dreams before him, he gave us the sense of them.
13 And it happened to us just as he had interpreted: I was restored to my position, and the other man was hanged.”
And it came about as he said: I was put back in my place, and the bread-maker was put to death by hanging.
14 So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, who was quickly brought out of the dungeon. After he had shaved and changed his clothes, he went in before Pharaoh.
Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and they took him quickly out of prison; and when his hair had been cut and his dress changed, he came before Pharaoh.
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, I have had a dream, and no one is able to give me the sense of it; now it has come to my ears that you are able to give the sense of a dream when it is put before you.
16 “I myself cannot do it,” Joseph replied, “but God will give Pharaoh a sound answer.”
Then Joseph said, Without God there will be no answer of peace for Pharaoh.
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile,
Then Pharaoh said, In my dream I was by the side of the Nile:
18 when seven cows, well-fed and sleek, came up from the river and began to graze among the reeds.
And out of the Nile came seven cows, fat and good-looking, and their food was the river-grass;
19 After them, seven other cows—sickly, ugly, and thin—came up. I have never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt!
Then after them came seven other cows, very thin and poor-looking, worse than any I ever saw in the land of Egypt;
20 Then the thin, ugly cows devoured the seven well-fed cows that were there first.
And the thin cows made a meal of the seven fat cows who came up first;
21 When they had devoured them, however, no one could tell that they had done so; their appearance was as ugly as it had been before. Then I awoke.
And even with the fat cows inside them they seemed as bad as before. And so I came out of my sleep.
22 In my dream I also saw seven heads of grain, plump and ripe, growing on a single stalk.
And again in a dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, coming up on one stem:
23 After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind.
And then I saw seven other heads, dry, thin, and wasted by the east wind, coming up after them:
24 And the thin heads of grain swallowed the seven plump ones. I told this dream to the magicians, but no one could explain it to me.”
And the seven thin heads made a meal of the seven good heads; and I put this dream before the wise men, but not one of them was able to give me the sense of it.
25 At this, Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do.
Then Joseph said, These two dreams have the same sense: God has made clear to Pharaoh what he is about to do.
26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven ripe heads of grain are seven years. The dreams have the same meaning.
The seven fat cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years: the two have the same sense.
27 Moreover, the seven thin, ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind—they are seven years of famine.
The seven thin and poor-looking cows who came up after them are seven years; and the seven heads of grain, dry and wasted by the east wind, are seven years when there will be no food.
28 It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do.
As I said to Pharaoh before, God has made clear to him what he is about to do.
29 Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt,
Seven years are coming in which there will be great wealth of grain in Egypt;
30 but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will devastate the land.
And after that will come seven years when there will not be enough food; and the memory of the good years will go from men's minds; and the land will be made waste by the bad years;
31 The abundance in the land will not be remembered, since the famine that follows it will be so severe.
And men will have no memory of the good time because of the need which will come after, for it will be very bitter.
32 Moreover, because the dream was given to Pharaoh in two versions, the matter has been decreed by God, and He will carry it out shortly.
And this dream came to Pharaoh twice, because this thing is certain, and God will quickly make it come about.
33 Now, therefore, Pharaoh should look for a discerning and wise man and set him over the land of Egypt.
And now let Pharaoh make search for a man of wisdom and good sense, and put him in authority over the land of Egypt.
34 Let Pharaoh take action and appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.
Let Pharaoh do this, and let him put overseers over the land of Egypt to put in store a fifth part of the produce of the land in the good years.
35 Under the authority of Pharaoh, let them collect all the excess food from these good years, that they may come and lay up the grain to be preserved as food in the cities.
And let them get together all the food in those good years and make a store of grain under Pharaoh's control for the use of the towns, and let them keep it.
36 This food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine to come upon the land of Egypt. Then the country will not perish in the famine.”
And let that food be kept in store for the land till the seven bad years which are to come in Egypt; so that the land may not come to destruction through need of food.
37 This proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his officials.
And this seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants.
38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, in whom the Spirit of God abides?”
Then Pharaoh said to his servants, Where may we get such a man as this, a man in whom is the spirit of God?
39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Seeing that God has made all this clear to you, there is no other man of such wisdom and good sense as you:
40 You shall be in charge of my house, and all my people are to obey your commands. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”
You, then, are to be over my house, and all my people will be ruled by your word: only as king will I be greater than you.
41 Pharaoh also told Joseph, “I hereby place you over all the land of Egypt.”
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, See, I have put you over all the land of Egypt.
42 Then Pharaoh removed the signet ring from his finger, put it on Joseph’s finger, clothed him in garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck.
Then Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and he had him clothed with the best linen, and put a chain of gold round his neck;
43 He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, with men calling out before him, “Bow the knee!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt.
And he made him take his seat in the second of his carriages; and they went before him crying, Make way! So he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt.
44 And Pharaoh declared to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission, no one in all the land of Egypt shall lift his hand or foot.”
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, I am Pharaoh; and without your order no man may do anything in all the land of Egypt.
45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah, and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt.
And Pharaoh gave Joseph the name of Zaphnath-paaneah; and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Poti-phera, the priest of On, to be his wife. So Joseph went through all the land of Egypt.
46 Now Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.
Now Joseph was thirty years old when he came before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from before the face of Pharaoh and went through all the land of Egypt.
47 During the seven years of abundance, the land brought forth bountifully.
Now in the seven good years the earth gave fruit in masses.
48 During those seven years, Joseph collected all the excess food in the land of Egypt and stored it in the cities. In every city he laid up the food from the fields around it.
And Joseph got together all the food of those seven years, and made a store of food in the towns: the produce of the fields round every town was stored up in the town.
49 So Joseph stored up grain in such abundance, like the sand of the sea, that he stopped keeping track of it; for it was beyond measure.
So he got together a store of grain like the sand of the sea; so great a store that after a time he gave up measuring it, for it might not be measured.
50 Before the years of famine arrived, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
And before the time of need, Joseph had two sons, to whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-phera, priest of On, gave birth.
51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, saying, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s household.”
And to the first he gave the name Manasseh, for he said, God has taken away from me all memory of my hard life and of my father's house.
52 And the second son he named Ephraim, saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
And to the second he gave the name Ephraim, for he said, God has given me fruit in the land of my sorrow.
53 When the seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end,
And so the seven good years in Egypt came to an end.
54 the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. And although there was famine in every country, there was food throughout the land of Egypt.
Then came the first of the seven years of need as Joseph had said: and in every other land they were short of food; but in the land of Egypt there was bread.
55 When extreme hunger came to all the land of Egypt and the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, he told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”
And when all the land of Egypt was in need of food, the people came crying to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to the people, Go to Joseph, and whatever he says to you, do it.
56 When the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened up all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians; for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
And everywhere on the earth they were short of food; then Joseph, opening all his store-houses, gave the people of Egypt grain for money; so great was the need of food in the land of Egypt.
57 And every nation came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe over all the earth.
And all lands sent to Egypt, to Joseph, to get grain, for the need was great over all the earth.
