Genesis 41
1 After two years Pharao had a dream. He thought he stood by the river,
Aftir twei yeer Farao seiy a dreem; he gesside that he stood on a flood,
2 Out of which came up seven kine, very beautiful and fat: and they fed in marshy places.
fro which seuene faire kiyn and ful fatte stieden, and weren fed in the places of mareis;
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 othere seuene, foule and leene, camen out of the flood, and weren fed in thilk brenke of the watir, in grene places;
4 And they devoured them, whose bodies were very beautiful and well conditioned. So Pharao awoke.
and tho deuoureden thilke kien of whiche the fairnesse and comelynesse of bodies was wondurful.
5 He slept again, and dreamed another dream: Seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk full and fair:
Farao wakide, and slepte eft, and seiy another dreem; seuen eeris of corn ful and faire camen forth in o stalke,
6 Then seven other ears sprung up thin and blasted,
and othere as many eeris of corn, thinne and smytun with corrupcioun of brennynge wynd,
7 And devoured all the beauty of the former. Pharao awaked after his rest:
camen forth, deuourynge al the fairenesse of the firste. Farao wakide aftir reste,
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 whanne morewtid was maad, he was aferd bi inward drede, and he sente to alle the expowneris of Egipt, and to alle wise men; and whanne thei weren clepid, he telde the dreem, and noon was that expownede.
9 Then at length the chief butler remembering, said: I confess my sin:
Thanne at the laste the maistir `of boteleris bithouyte, and seide, Y knowleche my synne;
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:
the kyng was wrooth to hise seruauntis, and comaundide me and the maister `of bakeris to be cast doun in to the prisoun of the prince of knyytis,
11 Where in one night both of us dreamed a dream foreboding things to come.
where we bothe saien a dreem in o nyyt, biforeschewynge of thingis to comynge.
12 There was there a young man a Hebrew, servant to the same captain of the soldiers: to whom we told our dreams,
An Ebrew child, seruaunt of the same duk of knyytis was there, to whom we telden the dremes,
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 herden what euer thing the bifallyng of thing preuede afterward; for Y am restorid to myn office, and he was hangid in a cros.
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.
Anoon at the comaundement of the kyng thei polliden Joseph led out of prisoun, and whanne `the clooth was chaungid, thei brouyten Joseph to the kyng.
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.
To whom the kyng seide, Y seiye dremes, and noon is that expowneth tho thingis that Y seiy, I haue herd that thou expownest moost prudentli.
16 Joseph answered: Without me, God shall give Pharao a prosperous answer.
Joseph answerde, With out me, God schal answere prosperitees to Farao.
17 So Pharao told what he had dreamed: Methought I stood upon the bank of the river,
Therfor Farao telde that that he seiy; Y gesside that Y stood on the brenke of the flood,
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.
and seuene kiyn, ful faire and with fleischis able to etyng, stieden fro the watir, whiche kiyn gaderiden grene seggis in the pasture of the marreis;
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! seuene othere kiyn, so foule and leene, sueden these, that Y seiy neuere siche in the lond of Egipt;
20 And they devoured and consumed the former,
and whanne the formere kien weren deuourid and wastid, tho secounde yauen no steppe of fulnesse,
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,
but weren slowe bi lijk leenesse and palenesse. I wakide, and eft Y was oppressid bi sleep, and Y seiy a dreem;
22 And dreamed a dream: Seven ears of corn grew upon one stalk, full and very fair.
seuene eeris of corn, ful and faireste, camen forth in o stalke,
23 Other seven also thin and blasted, sprung of the stock:
and othere seuene, thinne and smytun with `corrupcioun of brennynge wynd, camen forth of the stobil,
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.
whiche deuouriden the fairenesse of the formere;
25 Joseph answered: The king’s dream is one: God hath shewn to Pharao what he is about to do.
Y telde the dreem to expowneris, and no man is that expowneth. Joseph answerde, The dreem of the king is oon; God schewide to Farao what thingis he schal do.
26 The seven beautiful kine, and the seven full ears, are seven years of plenty: and both contain the same meaning of the dream.
Seuene faire kiyn, and seuene ful eeris of corn, ben seuene yeeris of plentee, and tho comprehenden the same strengthe of dreem;
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 seuene kiyn thinne and leene, that stieden aftir tho, and seuene thinne eeris of corn and smytun with brennynge wynd, ben seuene yeer of hungur to comynge,
28 Which shall be fulfilled in this order:
whiche schulen be fillid bi this ordre.
29 Behold, there shall come seven years of great plenty in the whole land of Egypt:
Lo! seuene yeer of greet plentee in al the lond of Egipt schulen come,
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,
and seuene othre yeer of so greet bareynesse schulen sue tho, that al the abundaunce bifore be youun to foryetyng; for the hungur schal waste al the lond,
31 And the greatness of the scarcity shall destroy the greatness of the plenty.
and the greetnesse of pouert schal leese the greetnesse of plentee.
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.
Forsothe this that thou siyest the secunde tyme a dreem, perteynynge to the same thing, is a `schewyng of sadnesse, for the word of God schal be doon, and schal be fillid ful swiftli.
33 Now therefore let the king provide a wise and industrious man, and make him ruler over the land of Egypt:
Now therfor puruey the kyng a wijs man and a redi, and make the kyng hym souereyn to the lond of Egipt,
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,
which man ordeyne gouernouris bi alle cuntreis, and gadere he in to bernys the fyuethe part of fruytis bi seuene yeer of plentee,
35 That shall now presently ensue: and let all the corn be laid up under Pharao’s hands and be reserved in the cities.
that schulen come now; and al the wheete be kept vndur the power of Farao, and be it kept in citees,
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.
and be it maad redi to the hungur to comynge of seuene yeer that schal oppresse Egipt, and the lond be not wastid bi pouert.
37 The counsel pleased Pharao and all his servants.
The counsel pleside Farao,
38 And he said to them: Can we find such another man, that is full of the spirit of God?
and alle his mynystris, and he spak to hem, Wher we moun fynde sich a man which is ful of Goddis spirit?
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?
Therfor Farao seide to Joseph, For God hath schewid to thee alle thingis whiche thou hast spoke, wher Y mai fynde a wisere man and lijk 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.
Therfor thou schalt be ouer myn hous, and al the puple schal obeie to the comaundement of thi mouth; Y schal passe thee onely by o trone of the rewme.
41 And again Pharao said to Joseph: Behold, I have appointed thee over the whole land of Egypt.
And eft Farao seide to Joseph, Lo! Y haue ordeyned thee on al the lond of Egipt.
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.
And Farao took the ryng fro his hond, and yaf it in the hond of Joseph, and he clothide Joseph with a stoole of bijs, and puttide a goldun wrethe aboute the necke;
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 Farao made Joseph to `stie on his secounde chare, while a bidele criede, that alle men schulden knele bifore hym, and schulden knowe that he was souereyn of al the lond of Egipt.
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 the kyng seide to Joseph, Y am Farao, without thi comaundement no man shal stire hond ether foot in al the lond of Egipt.
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 he turnede the name of Joseph, and clepide him bi Egipcian langage, the sauyour of the world; and he yaf to Joseph a wijf, Asenech, the douyter of Potifar, preest of Heliopoleos. And so Joseph yede out to the lond of Egipt.
46 (Now he was thirty years old when he stood before king Pharao) and he went round all the countries of Egypt.
Forsothe Joseph was of thretti yeer, whanne he stood in the siyt of kyng Farao, and cumpasside alle the cuntreis of Egipt.
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 plente of seuene yeer cam, and ripe corn weren bounden into handfuls, and weren gaderid into the bernys of Egipt,
48 And all the abundance of grain was laid up in every city.
also al the aboundaunce of cornes weren kept in alle citeis,
49 And there was so great abundance of wheat, that it was equal to the sand of the sea, and the plenty exceeded measure.
and so greet aboundaunce was of wheete, that it was maad euene to the grauel of the see, and the plente passide mesure.
50 And before the famine came, Joseph had two sons born: whom Aseneth the daughter of Putiphare priest of Heliopolis bore unto him.
Sotheli twei sones were born to Joseph bifor that the hungur came, whiche Asenech, douytir of Putifar, preest of Heliopoleos, childide to hym.
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 he clepide the name of the firste gendrid sone, Manasses, and seide, God hath maad me to foryete alle my traueilis, and the hous of my fadir;
52 And he named the second Ephraim, saying: God hath made me to grow in the land of my poverty.
and he clepide the name of the secunde sone Effraym, and seide, God hath maad me to encreesse in the lond of my pouert.
53 Now when the seven years of the plenty that had been in Egypt were past:
Therfor whanne seuene yeer of plentee that weren in Egipt weren passid,
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.
seuene yeer of pouert bigunnen to come, whiche Joseph bifore seide, and hungur hadde the maistri in al the world; also hungur was in al the lond of Egipt;
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.
and whanne that lond hungride, the puple criede to Farao, and axide metis; to whiche he answeride, Go ye to Joseph, and do ye what euer thing he seith to you.
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.
Forsothe hungur encreesside ech dai in al the lond, and Joseph openyde alle the bernys, and seelde to Egipcians, for also hungur oppresside hem;
57 And all provinces came into Egypt, to buy food, and to seek some relief of their want.
and alle prouynces camen in to Egipt to bie metis, and to abate the yuel of nedynesse.
