Genesis 41
1 After two years Pharao had a dream. He thought he stood by the river,
And it came to pass at the end of two years of days, that, Pharaoh, was dreaming, when lo! he was standing by the river (Nile);
2 Out of which came up seven kine, very beautiful and fat: and they fed in marshy places.
and lo! from the river, were coming up seven heifers, comely in appearance and fat in flesh, —and they fed among the rushes.
3 Other seven also came up out of the river, ill favoured, and leanfleshed: and they fed on the very bank of the river, in green places:
And lo! seven heifers more coming up after them out of the river, uncomely in appearance and lean in flesh, —and they came and stood beside the heifers, by the lip of the river.
4 And they devoured them, whose bodies were very beautiful and well conditioned. So Pharao awoke.
Then did the heifers that were uncomely in appearance, and lean in flesh, eat up, the seven heifers that were comely in appearance and fat. So Pharaoh awoke.
5 He slept again, and dreamed another dream: Seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk full and fair:
And he fell asleep, and dreamed a second time, when lo! seven ears, coming up on one stalk fat and good;
6 Then seven other ears sprung up thin and blasted,
and lo! seven ears, lean and shrivelled by an east wind, coming up after them.
7 And devoured all the beauty of the former. Pharao awaked after his rest:
Then did the lean ears swallow up the seven fat and full ears. So Pharaoh awoke and lo! it was a dream.
8 And when morning was come, being struck with fear, he sent to all the interpreters of Egypt, and to all the wise men: and they being called for, he told them his dream, and there was not any one that could interpret it.
And it came to pass in the morning, that his spirit became restless, so he sent and called for all the sacred scribes of Egypt and all her wise men, —and Pharaoh related to them his dreams, but there was no one that could interpret them. to Pharaoh.
9 Then at length the chief butler remembering, said: I confess my sin:
Then spake the chief of the butlers with Pharaoh saying, My faults, would, I, mention this day.
10 The king being angry with his servants, commanded me and the chief baker to be cast into the prison of the captain of the soldiers:
Pharaoh, was wroth with his servants, —and put them in the ward of the house of the chief of the royal executioners, me, and the chief of the bakers.
11 Where in one night both of us dreamed a dream foreboding things to come.
Then must we needs dream, a dream in one night, I and he, —each man, according to the interpretation of his dream, did we dream.
12 There was there a young man a Hebrew, servant to the same captain of the soldiers: to whom we told our dreams,
And, there with us, was a young man, a Hebrew servant to the chief of the royal executioners, and we related to him, and he interpreted to us our dreams, —to each man—according to his dream, did he interpret,
13 And we heard what afterwards the event of the thing proved to be so. For I was restored to my office: and he was hanged upon a gibbet.
And it came to pass as he interpreted to us, so, it happened, —me, he restored to mine office but him, he hanged.
14 Forthwith at the king’s command, Joseph was brought out of the prison, and they shaved him, and changing his apparel, brought him in to him.
Then sent Pharaoh and summoned Joseph, and they hastened him out of the dungeon, —so he shaved himself and changed his garments, and came in unto Pharaoh.
15 And he said to him: I have dreamed dreams, and there is no one that can expound them: Now I have heard that thou art very wise at interpreting them.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, A dream, have I dreamed, but none can interpret it, —but, I, have heard say concerning thee, that on hearing a dream, thou canst interpret it.
16 Joseph answered: Without me, God shall give Pharao a prosperous answer.
And Joseph answered Pharaoh saying, Not to me, doth it pertain! May, God grant in answer, the prosperity of Pharaoh!
17 So Pharao told what he had dreamed: Methought I stood upon the bank of the river,
Then spake Pharaoh unto Joseph, —In my dream, there was I, standing on the lip of the river;
18 And seven kine came up out of the river exceeding beautiful and full of flesh: and they grazed on green places in a marshy pasture.
When lo! out of the river, were coming up seven heifers, fat in flesh and comely in form, —and they fed among the rushes.
19 And behold, there followed these, other seven kine, so very ill favoured and lean, that I never saw the like in the land of Egypt:
And lo! seven other heifers, coming up after them, poor and very uncomely in form and lean in flesh, —I had never seen such in all the land of Egypt, for uncomeliness.
20 And they devoured and consumed the former,
Then did the lean and uncomely heifers eat up the first seven fat heifers;
21 And yet gave no mark of their being full: but were as lean and ill favoured as before. I awoke, and then fell asleep again,
and they passed into their stomach yet could it not be known that they had passed into them, their appearance, being uncomely, as at the beginning. So I awoke.
22 And dreamed a dream: Seven ears of corn grew upon one stalk, full and very fair.
Then looked I in my dream, —And lo! seven ears, coming up on one stalk, full and good;
23 Other seven also thin and blasted, sprung of the stock:
And lo! seven ears, withered lean shrivelled by an east wind growing up after them.
24 And they devoured the beauty of the former: I told this dream to the conjecturers, and there is no man that can expound it.
Then did the lean ears swallow up, the seven good ears. So I told [these things] unto the sacred scribes, but there was none that could explain [them] to me.
25 Joseph answered: The king’s dream is one: God hath shewn to Pharao what he is about to do.
Then said Joseph unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh, is, one. What God is about to do hath he announced to Pharaoh.
26 The seven beautiful kine, and the seven full ears, are seven years of plenty: and both contain the same meaning of the dream.
The seven good heifers, are, seven years, and, the seven good ears are, seven years, —the dream, is, one.
27 And the seven lean and thin kine that came up after them, and the seven thin ears that were blasted with the burning wind, are seven years of famine to come:
And the seven lean and uncomely heifers that were coming up after them, are seven years, and the seven lean ears, shrivelled by an east wind, will turn out to be—seven years of famine.
28 Which shall be fulfilled in this order:
The very word that I spake unto Pharaoh, what, God, is about to do, hath he showed unto Pharaoh.
29 Behold, there shall come seven years of great plenty in the whole land of Egypt:
Lo! seven years, coming in, —of great plenty, in all the land of Egypt.
30 After which shall follow other seven years of so great scarcity, that all the abundance before shall be forgotten: for the famine shall consume all the land,
Then shall arise seven years of famine, after them, so shall be forgotten all the plenty in the land of Egypt, —and the famine shall consume the land;
31 And the greatness of the scarcity shall destroy the greatness of the plenty.
neither shall the plenty in the land be discernible, because of that famine coming after, —for it shall be, very severe.
32 And for that thou didst see the second time a dream pertaining to the same thing: it is a token of the certainty, and that the word of God cometh to pass, and is fulfilled speedily.
And for that there was a repeating of the dream unto Pharaoh, twice, it is because the thing, is established, from God, and God is hastening to do it.
33 Now therefore let the king provide a wise and industrious man, and make him ruler over the land of Egypt:
Now, therefore, let Pharaoh look out a man discreet and wise, —and set him over the land of Egypt.
34 That he may appoint overseers over all the countries: and gather into barns the fifth part of the fruits, during the seven fruitful years,
Let Pharaoh do this, that he may appoint overseers over the land, —so shall he take up a fifth of the land of Egypt, during the seven years of plenty.
35 That shall now presently ensue: and let all the corn be laid up under Pharao’s hands and be reserved in the cities.
And let them gather up all the food of these seven good years that are coming in, —and let them heap up corn under the hand of Pharaoh as food in cities so shall they keep it.
36 And let it be in readiness, against the famine of seven years to come, which shall oppress Egypt, and the land shall not be consumed with scarcity.
So shall the food become a store for the land, for the seven years of famine which shall come about in the land of Egypt, —and the land shall not be cut off in the famine.
37 The counsel pleased Pharao and all his servants.
And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, —and in the eyes of all his servants;
38 And he said to them: Can we find such another man, that is full of the spirit of God?
and Pharaoh said unto his servants, —Can we find such a one, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?
39 He said therefore to Joseph: Seeing God hath shewn thee all that thou hast said, can I find one wiser and one like unto thee?
So Pharaoh said unto Joseph, After God hath made known unto thee all this, there is no one discreet and wise like thee.
40 Thou shalt be over my house, and at the commandment of thy mouth all the people shall obey: only in the kingly throne will I be above thee.
Thou, shalt be over my house, and on thy mouth, shall all my people kiss, —only as to the throne, will I be greater than thou.
41 And again Pharao said to Joseph: Behold, I have appointed thee over the whole land of Egypt.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, —See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.
42 And he took his ring from his own hand, and gave it into his hand: and he put upon him a robe of silk, and put a chain of gold about his neck.
So Pharaoh took his ring from off his hand and put it upon Joseph’s hand, —and clothed him in garments of fine linen, and put the chain of gold upon his neck;
43 And he made him go up into his second chariot, the crier proclaiming that all should bow their knee before him, and that they should know he was made governor over the whole land of Egypt.
and made him ride in the second chariot which belonged to him, and they cried out before him. Bow the knee! thus setting him over all the land of Egypt.
44 And the king said to Joseph: I am Pharao; without thy commandment no man shall move hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph. I, am Pharaoh, Without thee, therefore shall no man raise his hand or his foot in all the land of Egypt.
45 And he turned his name, and called him in the Egyptian tongue, The saviour of the world. And he gave him to wife Aseneth the daughter of Putiphare priest of Heliopolis. Then Joseph went out to the land of Egypt:
And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphenath-paneah, and gave him Asenath daughter of Poti-phera priest of On, to wife, —and Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt.
46 (Now he was thirty years old when he stood before king Pharao) and he went round all the countries of Egypt.
Now, Joseph, was thirty years old, when he took his station, before Pharaoh king of Egypt. So Joseph went forth from before Pharaoh, and passed along through all the land of Egypt.
47 And the fruitfulness of the seven years came: and the corn being bound up into sheaves was gathered together into the barns of Egypt.
And the land produced, in the seven years of plenty, by handfuls,
48 And all the abundance of grain was laid up in every city.
And he gathered up all the food of the seven years in which there was plenty in the land of Egypt, and laid up food in cities—the food of the fields of the city. which were round about it, laid he up within it.
49 And there was so great abundance of wheat, that it was equal to the sand of the sea, and the plenty exceeded measure.
Thus did Joseph heap up corn like the sand of the sea making it exceeding abundant, —until one hath left off reckoning, because it cannot be reckoned.
50 And before the famine came, Joseph had two sons born: whom Aseneth the daughter of Putiphare priest of Heliopolis bore unto him.
Now to Joseph, were born two sons, ere yet came in the year of famine, —whom Asenath daughter of Poti-phera priest of On, bare to him.
51 And he called the name of the firstborn Manasses, saying: God hath made me to forget all my labours, and my father’s house.
And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, —For God hath made me forget all my trouble, and all the house of my father.
52 And he named the second Ephraim, saying: God hath made me to grow in the land of my poverty.
And, the name of the second, called he Ephraim, For God hath made me fruitful in the land of my humiliation.
53 Now when the seven years of the plenty that had been in Egypt were past:
Then came to an end the seven years of the plenty, —which was in the land of Egypt;
54 The seven years of scarcity, which Joseph had foretold, began to come: and the famine prevailed in the whole world, but there was bread in all the land of Egypt.
and the seven years of famine began to come in, according as Joseph had said, —and it came to pass that there was a famine in all the lands, but in all the land of Egypt, there was bread.
55 And when there also they began to be famished, the people cried to Pharao for food. And he said to them: Go to Joseph: and do all that he shall say to you.
Yet was famine felt in all the land of Egypt, and the people made outcry; unto Pharaoh for bread, —and Pharaoh said to all Egypt, —Go ye unto Joseph, that which he saith to you, shall ye do.
56 And the famine increased daily in all the land: and Joseph opened all the barns, and sold to the Egyptians: for the famine had oppressed them also.
Now, the famine, was over all the face of the land, —so Joseph opened all [places] wherein it was and sold corn to the Egyptians, and the famine laid fast hold of the land of Egypt.
57 And all provinces came into Egypt, to buy food, and to seek some relief of their want.
All the earth also, came in to Egypt to buy corn, unto Joseph, —because the famine had laid fast hold on all the earth.
