< Genesis 41 >

1 And two yeeres after, Pharaoh also dreamed, and beholde, he stoode by a riuer,
After two years Pharao had a dream. He thought he stood by the river,
2 And loe, there came out of the riuer seuen goodly kine and fatfleshed, and they fedde in a medowe:
Out of which came up seven kine, very beautiful and fat: and they fed in marshy places.
3 And loe, seuen other kine came vp after the out of the riuer, euill fauoured and leane fleshed, and stoode by the other kine vpon the brinke of the riuer.
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:
4 And the euilfauoured and leane fleshed kine did eate vp the seuen welfauoured and fatte kine: so Pharaoh awoke.
And they devoured them, whose bodies were very beautiful and well conditioned. So Pharao awoke.
5 Againe he slept, and dreamed the second time: and beholde, seuen eares of corne grewe vpon one stalke, ranke and goodly.
He slept again, and dreamed another dream: Seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk full and fair:
6 And loe, seuen thinne eares, and blasted with the east winde, sprang vp after them:
Then seven other ears sprung up thin and blasted,
7 And the thinne eares deuoured the seuen ranke and full eares. then Pharaoh awaked, and loe, it was a dreame.
And devoured all the beauty of the former. Pharao awaked after his rest:
8 Nowe when the morning came, his spirit was troubled: therefore he sent and called all the soothsayers of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof, and Pharaoh tolde them his dreames: but none coulde interprete them to Pharaoh.
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.
9 Then spake the chiefe butler vnto Pharaoh, saying, I call to minde my faultes this day.
Then at length the chief butler remembering, said: I confess my sin:
10 Pharaoh being angrie with his seruantes, put me in ward in the chiefe stewards house, both me and the chiefe baker.
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:
11 Then we dreamed a dreame in one night, both I, and he: we dreamed eche man according to the interpretation of his dreame.
Where in one night both of us dreamed a dream foreboding things to come.
12 And there was with vs a yong man, an Ebrew, seruant vnto the chiefe steward, whome when we told, he declared our dreames to vs, to euery one he declared according to his dreame.
There was there a young man a Hebrew, servant to the same captain of the soldiers: to whom we told our dreams,
13 And as he declared vnto vs, so it came to passe: for he restored me to mine office, and hanged him.
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.
14 Then sent Pharaoh, and called Ioseph, and they brought him hastily out of prison, and he shaued him, and chaunged his rayment, and came to Pharaoh.
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.
15 Then Pharaoh sayde to Ioseph, I haue dreamed a dreame, and no man can interprete it, and I haue hearde say of thee, that when thou hearest a dreame, thou canst interprete it.
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.
16 And Ioseph answered Pharaoh, saying, Without me God shall answere for the wealth of Pharaoh.
Joseph answered: Without me, God shall give Pharao a prosperous answer.
17 And Pharaoh sayde vnto Ioseph, In my dreame, beholde, I stoode by the banke of the riuer:
So Pharao told what he had dreamed: Methought I stood upon the bank of the river,
18 And lo, there came vp out of the riuer seuen fat fleshed, and welfauoured kine, and they fedde in the medowe.
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.
19 Also loe, seuen other kine came vp after them, poore and very euilfauoured, and leanefleshed: I neuer sawe the like in all the lande of Egypt, for euilfauoured.
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:
20 And the leane and euilfauoured kine did eate vp the first seuen fat kine.
And they devoured and consumed the former,
21 And when they had eaten them vp, it could not be knowen that they had eaten them, but they were still as euilfauoured, as they were at the beginning: so did I awake.
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,
22 Moreouer I sawe in my dreame, and beholde, seuen eares sprang out of one stalke, full and faire.
And dreamed a dream: Seven ears of corn grew upon one stalk, full and very fair.
23 And lo, seuen eares, withered, thinne, and blasted with the East winde, sprang vp after them.
Other seven also thin and blasted, sprung of the stock:
24 And the thinne eares deuoured the seuen good eares. Nowe I haue tolde the soothsayers, and none can declare it vnto me.
And they devoured the beauty of the former: I told this dream to the conjecturers, and there is no man that can expound it.
25 Then Ioseph answered Pharaoh, Both Pharaohs dreames are one. God hath shewed Pharaoh, what he is about to doe.
Joseph answered: The king’s dream is one: God hath shewn to Pharao what he is about to do.
26 The seuen good kine are seuen yeres, and the seuen good eares are seuen yeeres: this is one dreame.
The seven beautiful kine, and the seven full ears, are seven years of plenty: and both contain the same meaning of the dream.
27 Likewise the seuen thinne and euilfauoured kine, that came out after them, are seuen yeeres: and the seuen emptie eares blasted with the East winde, are seuen yeeres of famine.
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:
28 This is the thing which I haue saide vnto Pharaoh, that God hath shewed vnto Pharaoh, what he is about to doe.
Which shall be fulfilled in this order:
29 Beholde, there come seuen yeeres of great plentie in all the land of Egypt.
Behold, there shall come seven years of great plenty in the whole land of Egypt:
30 Againe, there shall arise after them seuen yeeres of famine, so that all the plentie shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine shall consume the land:
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,
31 Neither shall the plentie bee knowen in the land, by reason of this famine that shall come after: for it shalbe exceeding great.
And the greatness of the scarcity shall destroy the greatness of the plenty.
32 And therefore the dreame was doubled vnto Pharaoh the second time, because the thing is established by God, and God hasteth to performe it.
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.
33 Nowe therefore let Pharaoh prouide for a man of vnderstanding and wisedome, and set him ouer the land of Egypt.
Now therefore let the king provide a wise and industrious man, and make him ruler over the land of Egypt:
34 Let Pharaoh make and appoynt officers ouer the lande, and take vp the fift part of the land of Egypt in the seuen plenteous yeeres.
That he may appoint overseers over all the countries: and gather into barns the fifth part of the fruits, during the seven fruitful years,
35 Also let them gather all the foode of these good yeeres that come, and lay vp corne vnder the hand of Pharaoh for foode, in the cities, and let them keepe it.
That shall now presently ensue: and let all the corn be laid up under Pharao’s hands and be reserved in the cities.
36 So the foode shall be for the prouision of the lande, against the seuen yeeres of famine, which shalbe in the lande of Egypt, that the land perish not by famine.
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.
37 And the saying pleased Pharaoh and all his seruants.
The counsel pleased Pharao and all his servants.
38 Then saide Pharaoh vnto his seruants, Can we finde such a man as this, in whom is the Spirit of God?
And he said to them: Can we find such another man, that is full of the spirit of God?
39 The Pharaoh said to Ioseph, For as much as God hath shewed thee all this, there is no man of vnderstanding, or of wisedome like vnto thee.
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?
40 Thou shalt be ouer mine house, and at thy word shall all my people be armed, onely in the kings throne will I be aboue thee.
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.
41 Moreouer Pharaoh said to Ioseph, Behold, I haue set thee ouer all the land of Egypt.
And again Pharao said to Joseph: Behold, I have appointed thee over the whole land of Egypt.
42 And Pharaoh tooke off his ring from his hand, and put it vpon Iosephs hand, and arayed him in garments of fine linnen, and put a golden cheyne about his necke.
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.
43 So he set him vpon the best charet that hee had, saue one: and they cryed before him, Abrech, and placed him ouer all the land of Egypt.
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.
44 Againe Pharaoh saide vnto Ioseph, I am Pharaoh, and without thee shall no man lift vp his hand or his foote in all the land of Egypt.
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.
45 And Pharaoh called Iosephs name Zaphnath-paaneah: and he gaue him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah prince of On. then went Ioseph abrode in the land of Egypt.
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:
46 And Ioseph was thirtie yeere old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt: and Ioseph departing from the presence of Pharaoh, went throughout all the land of Egypt.
(Now he was thirty years old when he stood before king Pharao) and he went round all the countries of Egypt.
47 And in the seuen plenteous yeres the earth brought foorth store.
And the fruitfulness of the seven years came: and the corn being bound up into sheaves was gathered together into the barns of Egypt.
48 And hee gathered vp all the foode of the seuen plenteous yeeres, which were in the lande of Egypt, and layde vp foode in the cities: the foode of the fielde, that was round about euery citie, layde he vp in the same.
And all the abundance of grain was laid up in every city.
49 So Ioseph gathered wheate, like vnto the sand of the sea in multitude out of measure, vntill he left numbring: for it was without number.
And there was so great abundance of wheat, that it was equal to the sand of the sea, and the plenty exceeded measure.
50 Now vnto Ioseph were borne two sonnes (before the yeeres of famine came) which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah prince of On bare vnto him.
And before the famine came, Joseph had two sons born: whom Aseneth the daughter of Putiphare priest of Heliopolis bore unto him.
51 And Ioseph called the name of the first borne Manasseh: for God, said he, hath made me forget all my labour and al my fathers houshold.
And he called the name of the firstborn Manasses, saying: God hath made me to forget all my labours, and my father’s house.
52 Also hee called the name of the second, Ephraim: For God, sayde he hath made me fruitfull in the land of mine affliction.
And he named the second Ephraim, saying: God hath made me to grow in the land of my poverty.
53 So the seuen yeeres of the plentie that was in the land of Egypt were ended.
Now when the seven years of the plenty that had been in Egypt were past:
54 Then began the seuen yeeres of famine to come, according as Ioseph had saide: and the famine was in all landes, but in all the land of Egypt was bread.
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.
55 At the length all the lande of Egypt was affamished, and the people cryed to Pharaoh for bread. And Pharaoh said vnto all the Egyptians, Goe to Ioseph: what he sayth to you, doe ye.
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.
56 When the famine was vpon all the land, Ioseph opened all places, wherein the store was, and solde vnto the Egyptians: for the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt.
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.
57 And all countries came to Egypt to bye corne of Ioseph, because the famine was sore in all landes.
And all provinces came into Egypt, to buy food, and to seek some relief of their want.

< Genesis 41 >