Genesis 41
1 It came about at the end of two full years that Pharaoh had a dream. Behold, he stood by the Nile.
After two years Pharao had a dream. He thought he stood by the river,
2 Behold, seven cows came up out of the Nile, desirable and fat, and they grazed in the reeds.
Out of which came up seven kine, very beautiful and fat: and they fed in marshy places.
3 Behold, seven other cows came up after them out of the Nile, undesirable and thin. They stood by the other cows on the bank of the river.
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 Then the undesirable and thin cows ate the seven desirable and fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.
And they devoured them, whose bodies were very beautiful and well conditioned. So Pharao awoke.
5 Then he slept and dreamed a second time. Behold, seven heads of grain came up on one stalk, wholesome and good.
He slept again, and dreamed another dream: Seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk full and fair:
6 Behold, seven heads, thin and scorched by the east wind, sprouted up after them.
Then seven other ears sprung up thin and blasted,
7 The thin heads swallowed up the seven wholesome and full heads. Pharaoh woke up, and, behold, it was a dream.
And devoured all the beauty of the former. Pharao awaked after his rest:
8 It came about in the morning that his spirit was troubled. He sent and called for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. 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 said to Pharaoh, “Today I am thinking about my offenses.
Then at length the chief butler remembering, said: I confess my sin:
10 Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and put me in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, the chief baker and me.
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 dreamed a dream the same night, he and I. We dreamed each man according to the interpretation of his dream.
Where in one night both of us dreamed a dream foreboding things to come.
12 There was with us there a young Hebrew man, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him and he interpreted for us our dreams. He interpreted for each of us according to his dream.
There was there a young man a Hebrew, servant to the same captain of the soldiers: to whom we told our dreams,
13 It came about as he interpreted for us, so it happened. Pharaoh restored me to my post, but the other one he 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 sent and called for Joseph. They quickly took him out of the dungeon. 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 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, but there is no interpreter for it. But I have heard 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 Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, “It is not in me. God will answer Pharaoh with favor.”
Joseph answered: Without me, God shall give Pharao a prosperous answer.
17 Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, “In my dream, behold, I stood on the bank of the Nile.
So Pharao told what he had dreamed: Methought I stood upon the bank of the river,
18 Behold, seven cows came up out of the Nile, fat and desirable, 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 Behold, seven other cows came up after them, weak, very undesirable, and thin. I never saw in all the land of Egypt such undesirableness like them.
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 undesirable cows ate up the first seven fat cows.
And they devoured and consumed the former,
21 When they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them, for they were still as undesirable as before. Then I awoke.
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 I looked in my dream, and, behold, seven heads came up upon one stalk, full and good.
And dreamed a dream: Seven ears of corn grew upon one stalk, full and very fair.
23 Behold, seven more heads—withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind—sprang up after them.
Other seven also thin and blasted, sprung of the stock:
24 The thin heads swallowed up the seven good heads. I told these dreams to the magicians, but there was none that could explain it to 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 Joseph said to Pharaoh, “The dreams of Pharaoh are the same. What God is about to do, he has declared to Pharaoh.
Joseph answered: The king’s dream is one: God hath shewn to Pharao what he is about to do.
26 The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads are 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 The seven thin and undesirable cows that came up after them are seven years, and also the seven thin heads scorched by the east wind will be 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 That is the thing which I spoke to Pharaoh. What God is about to do he has revealed to Pharaoh.
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 Seven years of famine will come after them, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and 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 The abundance will not be remembered in the land because of the famine that will follow, for it will be very severe.
And the greatness of the scarcity shall destroy the greatness of the plenty.
32 That the dream was repeated to Pharaoh is because the matter has been established by God, and God will soon do 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 Now let Pharaoh look for a man discerning and wise, and put him 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 Let Pharaoh appoint officials over the land, and let them take a fifth of the crops of Egypt in the seven abundant years.
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 Let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh, for food to be used in the cities. 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 The food will be a supply for the land for the seven years of famine which will be in the land of Egypt. In this way the land will not be devastated by 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 This advice 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 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 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is none so 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 over my house, and according to your word will all my people be ruled. Only in 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, “See, I have put you over all the land of Egypt.”
And again Pharao said to Joseph: Behold, I have appointed thee over the whole land of Egypt.
42 Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it upon Joseph's hand. He clothed him with clothes of fine linen, and put a gold chain on 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 He had him ride in the second chariot which he possessed. Men shouted before him, “Bend the knee.” Pharaoh put him over 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 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and apart from you, no man will lift his hand or his foot 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.” He gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as a wife. Joseph went out over 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 stood before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Joseph went out from 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 In the seven bountiful years the land produced abundantly.
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 He gathered up all the food of the seven years that was in the land of Egypt and put the food in the cities. He put into each city the food from the fields that surrounded it.
And all the abundance of grain was laid up in every city.
49 Joseph stored up grain like the sand of the sea, so much that he stopped counting, because it was beyond counting.
And there was so great abundance of wheat, that it was equal to the sand of the sea, and the plenty exceeded measure.
50 Joseph had two sons before the years 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 his firstborn Manasseh, for he said, “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 He called the name of the second son Ephraim, for he said, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction.”
And he named the second Ephraim, saying: God hath made me to grow in the land of my poverty.
53 The seven years of abundance that was 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 The seven years of famine began, 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 was famished, the people loudly called on Pharaoh for food. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he says.”
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 The famine was over all the face of the whole land. Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. 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 All the earth was coming to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, 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.
