< Genesis 41 >
1 After two years, Pharaoh saw a dream. He thought himself to be standing above a river,
It came about at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream. Behold, he stood by the Nile.
2 from which ascended seven cows, exceedingly beautiful and stout. And they pastured in marshy places.
Behold, seven cows came up out of the Nile, desirable and fat, and they grazed in the reeds.
3 Likewise, another seven emerged from the river, filthy and thoroughly emaciated. And they pastured on the same bank of the river, in green places.
Behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the Nile, undesirable and thin. They stood by the other cows on the bank of the river.
4 And they devoured those whose appearance and condition of body was so wonderful. Pharaoh, having been awakened,
Then the undesirable and thin cows ate the seven desirable and fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
5 slept again, and he saw another dream. Seven ears of grain sprung up on one stalk, full and well-formed.
Then he slept and dreamed a second time. Behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, wholesome and good.
6 Likewise, other ears of grain, of the same number, rose up, thin and struck with blight,
Behold, seven heads, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them.
7 devouring all the beauty of the first. Pharaoh, when he awakened after his rest,
The thin heads swallowed up the seven wholesome and full heads. Pharaoh woke up, and, behold, it was a dream.
8 and when morning arrived, being terrified with fear, sent to all the interpreters of Egypt and to all of the wise men. And when they were summoned, he explained to them his dream; but there was no one who could interpret it.
It came about in the morning that his spirit was troubled. He sent and called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
9 Then at last the chief cupbearer, remembering, said, “I confess my sin.
Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I am thinking about my offenses.
10 The king, being angry with his servants, ordered me and the chief miller of grain to be forced into the prison of the leader of the military.
Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, the chief baker and me.
11 There, in one night, both of us saw a dream presaging the future.
We dreamed a dream the same night, he and I. We dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.
12 In that place, there was a Hebrew, a servant of the same commander of the military, to whom we explained our dreams.
There was with us there a young Hebrew man, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him and he interpreted for us our dreams. He interpreted for each of us according to his dream.
13 Whatever we heard was proven afterwards by the event of the matter. For I was restored to my office, and he was suspended on a cross.”
It came about as he interpreted for us, so it happened. Pharaoh restored me to my post, but the other one he hanged.”
14 Immediately, by the king’s authority, Joseph was led out of prison, and they shaved him. And changing his apparel, they presented him to him.
Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph. They quickly took him out of the dungeon. He shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came in to Pharaoh.
15 And he said to him, “I have seen dreams, and there is no one who can unfold them. I have heard that you are very wise at interpreting these.”
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, but there is no interpreter for it. But I have heard about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.”
16 Joseph responded, “Apart from me, God will respond favorably to Pharaoh.”
Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me. God will answer Pharaoh with favor.”
17 Therefore, Pharaoh explained what he had seen: “I thought myself to be standing on the bank of a river,
Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I stood on the bank of the Nile.
18 and seven cows climbed up from the river, exceedingly beautiful and full of flesh. And they grazed in a pasture of a marshy greenery.
Behold, seven cows came up out of the Nile, fat and desirable, and they grazed among the reeds.
19 And behold, there followed after these, another seven cows, with such deformity and emaciation as I had never seen in the land of Egypt.
Behold, seven other cows came up after them, weak, very undesirable, and thin. I never saw in all the land of Egypt such undesirableness like them.
20 These devoured and consumed the first,
The thin and undesirable cows ate up the first seven fat cows.
21 giving no indication of being full. But they remained in the same state of emaciation and squalor. Awakening, but being weighed down into sleep again,
When they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them, for they were still as undesirable as before. Then I awoke.
22 I saw a dream. Seven ears of grain sprang up on one stalk, full and very beautiful.
I looked in my dream, and, behold, seven heads came up upon one stalk, full and good.
23 Likewise, another seven, thin and struck with blight, rose up from the stalk.
Behold, seven more heads—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind—sprang up after them.
24 And they devoured the beauty of the first. I explained this dream to the interpreters, and there is no one who can unfold it.”
The thin heads swallowed up the seven good heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but there was none that could explain it to me.”
25 Joseph responded: “The dream of the king is one. What God will do, he has revealed to Pharaoh.
Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are the same. What God is about to do, he has declared to Pharaoh.
26 The seven beautiful cows, and the seven full ears of grain, are seven years of abundance. And so the force of the dreams is understood to be the same.
The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are seven years. The dreams are the same.
27 Likewise, the seven thin and emaciated cows, which ascended after them, and the seven thin ears of grain, which were struck with the burning wind, are seven approaching years of famine.
The seven thin and undesirable cows that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven thin heads scorched by the east wind will be seven years of famine.
28 These will be fulfilled in this order.
That is the thing which I spoke to Pharaoh. What God is about to do he has revealed to Pharaoh.
29 Behold, there will arrive seven years of great fertility throughout the entire land of Egypt.
Look, seven years of great abundance will come throughout all the land of Egypt.
30 After this, there will follow another seven years, of such great barrenness that all the former abundance will be delivered into oblivion. For the famine will consume all the land,
Seven years of famine will come after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will devastate the land.
31 and the greatness of this destitution will cause the greatness of the abundance to be lost.
The abundance will not be remembered in the land because of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe.
32 Now, as to what you saw the second time, it is a dream pertaining to the same thing. It is an indication of its firmness, because the word of God shall be done, and it shall be completed swiftly.
That the dream was repeated to Pharaoh is because the matter has been established by God, and God will soon do it.
33 Now therefore, let the king provide a wise and industrious man, and place him over the land of Egypt,
Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and put him over the land of Egypt.
34 so that he may appoint overseers throughout all the regions. And let a fifth part of the fruits, throughout the seven fertile years
Let Pharaoh appoint officials over the land, and let them take a fifth of the crops of Egypt in the seven abundant years.
35 that now have already begun to occur, be gathered into storehouses. And let all the grain be stored away, under the power of Pharaoh, and let it be kept in the cities.
Let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, for food to be used in the cities. They should preserve it.
36 And let it be prepared for the future famine of seven years, which will oppress Egypt, and then the land will not be consumed by destitution.”
The food will be a supply for the land for the seven years of famine which will be in the land of Egypt. In this way the land will not be devastated by the famine.”
37 The counsel pleased Pharaoh and all his ministers.
This advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.
38 And he said to them, “Would we be able to find another such man, who is full of the Spirit of God?”
Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a man as this, in whom is the Spirit of God?”
39 Therefore, he said to Joseph: “Because God has revealed to you all that you have said, would I be able to find anyone wiser and as much like you?
So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discerning and wise as you.
40 You will be over my house, and to the authority of your mouth, all the people will show obedience. Only in one way, in the throne of the kingdom, will I go before you.”
You will be over my house, and according to your word will all my people be ruled. Only in the throne will I be greater than you.”
41 And again, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Behold, I have appointed you over the entire land of Egypt.”
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have put you over all the land of Egypt.”
42 And he took the ring from his own hand, and he gave it into his hand. And he clothed him with a robe of fine linen, and he placed a necklace of gold around his neck.
Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it upon Joseph's hand. He clothed him with clothes of fine linen, and put a gold chain on his neck.
43 And he caused him to ascend upon his second swift chariot, with the herald proclaiming that everyone should bend their knee before him, and that they should know that he was governor over the entire land of Egypt.
He had him ride in the second chariot which he possessed. Men shouted before him, “Bend the knee.” Pharaoh put him over all the land of Egypt.
44 Likewise, the king said to Joseph: “I am Pharaoh: apart from your authority, no one will move hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.”
Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and apart from you, no man will lift his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.”
45 And he changed his name and called him, in the Egyptian tongue: ‘Savior of the world.’ And he gave him as a wife, Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis. And so Joseph went out into the land of Egypt.
Pharaoh called Joseph's name “Zaphenath-Paneah.” He gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as a wife. Joseph went out over the land of Egypt.
46 (Now he was thirty years old when he stood in the sight of king Pharaoh.) And he traveled throughout the regions of Egypt.
Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
47 And the fertility of the seven years arrived. And when the grain fields were reduced to sheaves, these were gathered into the storehouses of Egypt.
In the seven bountiful years the land produced abundantly.
48 And now all the abundance of grain was stored away in every city.
He gathered up all the food of the seven years that was in the land of Egypt and put the food in the cities. He put into each city the food from the fields that surrounded it.
49 And there was such a great abundance of wheat that it was comparable to the sands of the sea, and its bounty exceeded all measure.
Joseph stored up grain like the sand of the sea, so much that he stopped counting, because it was beyond counting.
50 Then, before the famine arrived, Joseph had two sons born, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis, bore for him.
Joseph had two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him.
51 And he called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, saying, “God has caused me to forget all my labors and the house of my father.”
Joseph called the name of his firstborn Manasseh, for he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household.”
52 Likewise, he named the second Ephraim, saying, “God has caused me to increase in the land of my poverty.”
He called the name of the second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
53 And so, when the seven years of fertility that occurred in Egypt had passed,
The seven years of abundance that was in the land of Egypt came to an end.
54 the seven years of destitution, which Joseph had predicted, began to arrive. And the famine prevailed throughout the whole world, but there was bread in all the land of Egypt.
The seven years of famine began, as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was food.
55 And being hungry, the people cried out to Pharaoh, asking for provisions. And he said to them: “Go to Joseph. And do whatever he will tell you.”
When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people loudly called on Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he says.”
56 Then the famine increased daily in all the land. And Joseph opened all of the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. For the famine had oppressed them also.
The famine was over all the face of the whole land. Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. The famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
57 And all the provinces came to Egypt, to buy food and to temper the misfortune of their destitution.
All the earth was coming to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the earth.