Genesis 41
1 Now it happened at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream, and look, he was standing by the Nile.
After two years Pharao had a dream. He thought he stood by the river,
2 And look, there came up out of the Nile seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds.
Out of which came up seven kine, very beautiful and fat: and they fed in marshy places.
3 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.
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 The miserable-looking and thin cows ate up the seven sleek and fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
And they devoured them, whose bodies were very beautiful and well conditioned. So Pharao awoke.
5 And he slept and dreamed a second time. And look, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, healthy and good.
He slept again, and dreamed another dream: Seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk full and fair:
6 Then look, seven heads of grain, thin and blasted with the east wind, sprouted up after them.
Then seven other ears sprung up thin and blasted,
7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven healthy and full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up, and look, it was a dream.
And devoured all the beauty of the former. Pharao awaked after his rest:
8 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.
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 the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, "I remember my faults today.
Then at length the chief butler remembering, said: I confess my sin:
10 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.
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 We had a dream on the same night, he and I, each having a dream with its own meaning.
Where in one night both of us dreamed a dream foreboding things to come.
12 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.
There was there a young man a Hebrew, servant to the same captain of the soldiers: to whom we told our dreams,
13 And it happened just the way he interpreted them to us, so it was: I was restored to my office, and he was hanged."
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 Pharaoh summoned Joseph, and they brought him quickly out of the pit. And he shaved himself, changed his clothes, and came in 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 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."
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 Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, "Apart from God, the welfare of Pharaoh will receive no answer. "
Joseph answered: Without me, God shall give Pharao a prosperous answer.
17 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream, look, I stood on the edge of the Nile.
So Pharao told what he had dreamed: Methought I stood upon the bank of the river,
18 And look, there came up out of the river seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds.
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 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.
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 The thin and miserable-looking cows ate up the first seven fat cows.
And they devoured and consumed the former,
21 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.
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 And I fell asleep, and I saw in my dream, and look, seven heads of grain growing on one stalk, full and good.
And dreamed a dream: Seven ears of corn grew upon one stalk, full and very fair.
23 And look, seven heads of grain, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprouted up after them.
Other seven also thin and blasted, sprung of the stock:
24 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."
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 Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one. God has told Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Joseph answered: The king’s dream is one: God hath shewn to Pharao what he is about to do.
26 The seven good cows represent seven years, and the seven good heads of grain represent seven years. The dreams are the same.
The seven beautiful kine, and the seven full ears, are seven years of plenty: and both contain the same meaning of the dream.
27 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.
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 It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do.
Which shall be fulfilled in this order:
29 Look, seven years of great abundance will come throughout all the land of Egypt.
Behold, there shall come seven years of great plenty in the whole land of Egypt:
30 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,
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 and the abundance will not be remembered in the land because of the famine that follows it, for it will be very severe.
And the greatness of the scarcity shall destroy the greatness of the plenty.
32 Now the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the matter has been fixed by God, and God will carry it out soon.
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 Now therefore Pharaoh should look for a discerning and wise man, and give him authority over 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 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.
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 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.
That shall now presently ensue: and let all the corn be laid up under Pharao’s hands and be reserved in the cities.
36 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."
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 The proposal was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his servants.
The counsel pleased Pharao and all his servants.
38 Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man 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 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Because God has shown you all of this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you.
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 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."
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 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Look, I have put you in charge over all the land of Egypt."
And again Pharao said to Joseph: Behold, I have appointed thee over the whole land of Egypt.
42 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.
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 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.
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 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."
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 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.
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 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.
(Now he was thirty years old when he stood before king Pharao) and he went round all the countries of Egypt.
47 During the seven years of abundance the land produced large harvests.
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 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.
And all the abundance of grain was laid up in every city.
49 Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he stopped measuring it, because it could not be measured.
And there was so great abundance of wheat, that it was equal to the sand of the sea, and the plenty exceeded measure.
50 To Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore to him.
And before the famine came, Joseph had two sons born: whom Aseneth the daughter of Putiphare priest of Heliopolis bore unto him.
51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: "For God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household."
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 And the name of the second he called Ephraim: "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."
And he named the second Ephraim, saying: God hath made me to grow in the land of my poverty.
53 And the seven years of abundance that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end.
Now when the seven years of the plenty that had been in Egypt were past:
54 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.
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 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."
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 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.
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 the countries came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all the earth.
And all provinces came into Egypt, to buy food, and to seek some relief of their want.
