Genesis 41
1 A full two years later, Pharaoh had a dream that he was standing beside the River Nile.
Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and look, he was standing by the Nile.
2 He saw seven cows coming up from the river. They looked well-fed and healthy as they grazed among the reeds.
And look, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds.
3 Then he saw another seven cows that came up behind them. They looked ugly and skinny as they stood beside the other cows on the bank of the Nile.
And look, seven other cows came up after them out of the Nile, miserable-looking and thin, and stood by the other cows at the edge of the Nile.
4 Then the ugly, skinny cows ate the well-fed, healthy cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
The miserable-looking and thin cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
5 Pharaoh fell asleep again and had a second dream. Seven heads of grain were growing on one stalk, ripe and healthy.
And he slept and dreamed a second time. And look, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, healthy and good.
6 Then seven heads of grain grew up after them, thin and dried by the east wind.
Then look, seven heads of grain, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprouted up after them.
7 The seven thin and dried heads of grain swallowed up the ripe and healthy ones. Then Pharaoh woke up and realized he'd been dreaming.
The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy and full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up, and look, it was a dream.
8 The next morning Pharaoh was worried by his dreams, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men in Egypt. Pharaoh told them about his dreams, but no one could interpret their meaning for him.
It happened in the morning that his mind was troubled, so he summoned all of Egypt's magicians and wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them to Pharaoh.
9 But then the chief cupbearer spoke up. “Today I've just remembered a bad mistake I've made,” he explained.
Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, "I remember my faults today.
10 “Your Majesty was angry with some of your officials and you imprisoned me in the house of the commander of the guard, along with the chief baker.
Pharaoh was angry with his servants and put me in prison in the house of the captain of the guard, me and the chief baker.
11 We each had a dream. They were different dreams, each with its own meaning.
We had a dream on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own meaning.
12 A young Hebrew was there with us, a slave of the commander of the guard. When we told him our dreams, he interpreted for us the meaning of our different dreams.
Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guards, and we told him, and he interpreted our dreams to us, to each man he interpreted according to his own dream.
13 Everything happened just as he said it would—I was given back my job and the baker was hanged.”
And it happened just the way he interpreted them to us, so it was: I was restored to my office, and he was hanged."
14 Pharaoh summoned Joseph, and they quickly brought him from the prison. After he'd shaved and changed his clothes, he was presented to Pharaoh.
Then Pharaoh summoned Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the pit. And he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came in to Pharaoh.
15 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, but no one can interpret its meaning. But I've heard that when someone tells you a dream you know how to interpret it.”
And Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, but there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said about you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."
16 “It's not me who can do this,” Joseph replied. “But God will explain its meaning to set Your Majesty's mind at rest.”
And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "Apart from God, the welfare of Pharaoh will receive no answer. "
17 Pharaoh explained to Joseph, “In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile.
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream, look, I stood on the edge of the Nile.
18 I saw seven cows coming up from the river. They looked well-fed and healthy as they grazed among the reeds.
And look, there came up out of the river seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.
19 Then I saw another seven cows that came up behind them. They looked sickly and ugly and skinny—I've never seen such ugly cows in the whole of Egypt!
And look, seven other cows came up after them, scrawny and very miserable-looking and thin. I had never seen such bad-looking cows in all the land of Egypt.
20 These skinny, ugly cows ate the first seven healthy-looking cows.
The thin and miserable-looking cows ate up the first seven fat cows.
21 But afterwards you couldn't tell they'd eaten them because they looked just as skinny and ugly as before. Then I woke up.
But when they had eaten them up, no one would have known that they had eaten them, for they were still as miserable-looking as at the beginning. Then I woke up.
22 Then I fell asleep again. In my second dream I saw seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, ripe and healthy.
And I fell asleep, and I saw in my dream, and look, seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good.
23 Then seven heads of grain grew up after them, withered and thin and dried by the east wind.
And look, seven heads of grain, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprouted up after them.
24 The seven thin heads of grain swallowed up the healthy ones. I told all this to the magicians, but none of them could explain its meaning to me.”
And the seven thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads of grain. And I told it to the magicians, but no one could tell me its meaning."
25 “Pharaoh's dreams mean the same thing,” Joseph responded. “God is telling Pharaoh what he is going to do.
Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one. God has told Pharaoh what he is about to do.
26 The seven good cows and the seven good heads of grain represent seven good years of harvest. The dreams mean the same thing.
The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. The dreams are the same.
27 The seven skinny and ugly cows that came after them and the seven thin heads of grain dried by the east wind represent seven years of famine.
And the seven thin and miserable-looking cows that came up after them represent seven years, and also the seven empty heads of grain blasted with the east wind. They are seven years of famine.
28 It's just as I told Your Majesty—God has shown Pharaoh what he is going to do.
It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.
29 There are going to be seven years with plenty of food produced throughout the whole country of Egypt.
Look, seven years of great abundance will come throughout all the land of Egypt.
30 But after them will come seven years of famine. People will forget the time when there was plenty of food throughout Egypt. Famine will ruin the country.
But after them seven years of famine will come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt. The famine will devastate the land,
31 The time of plenty will be completely forgotten because the famine that follows it will be so terrible.
and the abundance will not be remembered in the land because of the famine that follows it, for it will be very severe.
32 The fact that the dream was repeated twice means that it has definitely been decided by God, and that God is going to do this soon.
Now the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the matter has been fixed by God, and God will carry it out soon.
33 So Your Majesty should choose a man with insight and wisdom, and put him in charge of the whole country of Egypt.
Now therefore Pharaoh should look for a discerning and wise man, and give him authority over the land of Egypt.
34 Your Majesty should also appoint officials to be in charge of the land, and have them collect one-fifth of the produce of the country during the seven years of plenty.
Pharaoh should do this, and should appoint overseers over the land, and they should take a fifth of all the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.
35 They should collect all the food during the good years that are soon coming, and store the grain under Pharaoh's authority, keeping it under guard to provide food for the towns.
They should gather all the food during these good years that are coming and store the grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and they should preserve it.
36 This will be a food reserve for the country during the seven years of famine so that the people won't die of starvation.”
That food will be a reserve for the land during the seven years of famine that will come on the land of Egypt, so that the land will survive the famine."
37 Pharaoh and all his officials thought Joseph's proposal was a good idea.
The proposal was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Where can we find a man like this who has the spirit of God in him?”
Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?"
39 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, telling him, “Since God has revealed to you all this, and there's no one like you with such insight and wisdom,
So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Because God has shown you all of this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
40 you will be in charge of all my affairs, and all my people will obey your orders. Only I with my status as king will be greater than you.”
You will be in charge of my house, and according to your word will all my people be ruled. Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you."
41 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Look, I'm putting you in charge of the whole country of Egypt.”
Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Look, I have put you in charge over all the land of Egypt."
42 Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in fine linen clothes and placed a golden chain around his neck.
Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and clothed him in robes of fine linen, and put a gold chain around his neck.
43 He had Joseph ride in the chariot designated for his second-in-command while his attendants went ahead, shouting, “Bow down!” This is how Pharaoh gave Joseph authority over all of Egypt.
And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had, and they called out before him, "Bow the knee. " So he put him in charge over the entire land of Egypt.
44 Then Pharaoh told Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but without your permission nobody will lift a hand or a foot anywhere in the whole country.”
Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without your permission no one will do anything or go anywhere in all the land of Egypt."
45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah, and arranged for him to marry Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. This is how Joseph rose to power over the whole of Egypt.
Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-Paneah. And he gave him Asenath the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as a wife. So Joseph went out through the land of Egypt.
46 Joseph was thirty when he started working for Pharaoh, king of Egypt. After he had left Pharaoh, Joseph traveled on an inspection tour throughout Egypt.
Joseph was thirty years old when he began to serve Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph left the presence of Pharaoh and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
47 During the seven years of good harvests, the land produced plenty of food.
During the seven years of abundance the land produced large harvests.
48 He collected all the food during the seven good years, and he stored the grain produced in the local fields in each town.
And he collected all the food during the seven years when there was abundance in the land of Egypt, and put the food in the cities. He placed in every city the food from the fields surrounding it.
49 Joseph piled up so much grain that it was like the sand of the seashore. Eventually he stopped keeping records because there was just so much!
Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it, because it could not be measured.
50 It was during this time, before the years of famine came, that Joseph had two sons by Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
To Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him.
51 Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh, because he said, “The Lord has made me forget all my troubles and all my father's family.”
Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: "For God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household."
52 His second son he named Ephraim, because he said, “God has made me fruitful in the country of my misery.”
And the name of the second he called Ephraim: "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."
53 The seven years of plenty in Egypt came to an end,
And the seven years of abundance that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end.
54 and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other countries but the whole of Egypt had food.
Then the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was food.
55 When all of Egypt was hungry, the people cried out to Pharaoh for food, and he told everyone, “Go and see Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”
When all the land of Egypt experienced the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh said to all Egypt, "Go to Joseph. Whatever he says to you, do."
56 The famine had spread all over the country so Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the people of Egypt. The famine was very bad in Egypt,
So the famine was over all the surface of the land. Then Joseph opened all the storehouses of grain and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine was severe in the land of Egypt.
57 in fact the famine was very bad everywhere, so people from other countries all around came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph.
And all the countries came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.
